By Deborah Turner

Born Valentines Day, February 14, 1935, about a mile and one half from where he resides today in a country community outside McKenzie, James "Bird dog" Reed soon moved with his family to Greenfield where he was raised until he was eleven years old. His parents then purchased a 50-acre farm atop a hill back in the Greenhill Community where he was born, and the family returned to their roots.

The family's work on the farm was unaided by the luxuries boasted by modern-day farmers. They milked their cows by hand and tilled the soil with the help of a horse-drawn plow, raising cotton and strawberries.
Reed attended school at the old Greenhill School house, a building that still exists behind his current home, although it is now unrecognizable to past students.

The aging schoolhouse was a source of much consternation over the years with looters and mischief-makers or just fun seekers frequenting the site. In time, the only item left unstolen was an old baby grand piano that was too large for fortune seekers to fit through the door. There was great relief in the neighborhood when the property was bought and renovated by Kevin Reed, who rotated the structure to align with the street and built around it to make his home.

During summers as a boy, Reed operated a "peddle wagon", known also as the “doodle wagon” for Blaylock and McDearmon, owners of a nearby country store. Farmers sold live chickens and eggs to the storeowners who in turn sold them to the public. Reed would load the doodle wagon with "a little of everything" from the store, stocking the wagon's shelves with canned goods and loading sacks of grain below. The sides of the doodle wagon raised up to display the shelves of goods within from which customers could make their selections.

As he made his way along different routes each day, children waited along the sides of streets in hopes of trading fresh eggs for a cold drink.

"I had to candle every one of those eggs," says Reed who learned that the children sometimes tried to pass off old eggs they had found for fresh; eggs that mothers would not want to crack while preparing their families' breakfasts.

He attended high school in Gleason, on Saturdays working at Regel Baker's grocery store in downtown McKenzie where the "New to You" Resale Shop exists today. Buddy Robison, Blaine Blackshear, and Joe and Jerry Phillips are a few of several boys who Reed recalls also spent their Saturdays working at the store.

After graduating on May 26, 1953 from Gleason School, Reed landed a job as a bundle boy at Wilker Brothers (the "Pajama Factory") in McKenzie on June 9th of the same year. During his 14 years at the plant, he worked his way through the ranks to become a mechanic at the sewing factory.

For years, Reed had been captivated by the work of the auctioneers at livestock sales. In particular, he enjoyed watching Murray Moore, an auctioneer from Tupelo, Mississippi who conducted the Tri-County Stockyard sales.

"He wore a suit and tie; he was a little dressed up fella," Reed recalls, "It fascinated me how could he do it."
Wanting to learn for himself the skills of the auctioneer, in December 1962 he attended Feller's Auction College in Kankakee, Illinois. During the two-week course, he learned the dos and don'ts of auctioneering and the basics for getting started in the business. The two weeks gave him what he needed to get through his first sale that was scheduled for the very day he returned home from the college on the 14th of December, 1962.

"I've been selling ever since," he says firmly, satisfied with the success of his trade. Knowing that the most difficult part of the business would be in establishing a solid base of customers, he concentrated on gaining confidence and trust from the people he worked with.

During a time when most auctioneers plied their skills in livestock trading, Reed "cut his teeth” on estate sales, taking on work for attorneys in settling estates for bereaved heirs.

He recalls that Ray Martin was an auctioneer when he commenced his own business, and "a good one," he says of the auctioneer he was acquainted with for many years.

After leaving Wilker Brothers, Inc. in 1967, he worked at the Liberty Pajama Company in Bradford for 14 months before accepting a position with the Wormser Company where he remained for 32 years, starting out in the Sharon plant before transferring to Bradford where he spent the last 15 years of the 32, ending his career in the garment industry as Plant Manager of the Bradford Plant in October 1999.

Meanwhile, he continued working as an auctioneer on weekends with his business growing steadily over time.

In the summer of 1975, it was discovered following an auction that money collected fell a few hundred dollars short of total sales. Reed returned to the seller's home the following day to help solve the puzzle where he was assisted in his calculations by the step-granddaughter and niece of the sellers.

"He just insisted that I come help," his wife, Suzanne, declares as James attempts to relate his own version of events while displaying an expression of surprised innocence.

After only four or five months of dating, the couple married on October 17, 1975 in a union that has lasted nearly 26 years.
"It doesn't seem like a day over 50," joked Reed, his innocent façade breaking into laughter.

From the two or three sales per month that Reed was conducting at the time he and Suzanne were married, business has grown to two or three sales per week, with some weekends totally devoted to auction sales. That Reed operates almost totally upon contacts from customers rather than seeking out work is testimony that his focus upon reputation in the early years was a wise move.

"I very seldom ever contact anyone about an auction sale," says Reed, "We get our business by word of mouth and experience. We're booked up now except for one weekend in September."

Even with his busy schedule, Reed still finds time for conducting charity auctions, last year supporting the fundraising efforts of Habitat for Humanity.

He gives much credit for his success to Suzanne who he says is "the mainstay of the business; she does all the advertising and gets the brochures to people and handles all the public relations work."

The couple agrees that running Reeds Auction is a team effort that goes beyond James and Suzanne to other helpers like Margo McDaniel who for the last 20 years has placed their auction ads in stores, banks, and restaurants in the vicinity of the sale, with her husband having the same responsibility before her.
 

 

 
Shankle puts together 600-700 mailings per week out of an approximately 1000 auction enthusiasts on the Reed's Auction Company mailing list.

Don Baker of Paris and Brad Featherstone of McKenzie work with Atwood's Freddy Jones who is in charge of the ground crew.
Operating as clerk and cashier is Cathy Pentecost, while 15-year-old Justin Taylor runs receipts back and forth between James' auction van and the portable office where Suzanne keeps things running smoothly.

Working more closely with James and Suzanne is apprentice auctioneer Roger Reed, James' cousin.

"He's an asset to us; he's a hustler," James and Suzanne agree, "He does a good job."
Besides, Reed confides, "When Roger gets his license that'll give me more time to bird hunt."

Suzanne groans at the mention of what "Bird dog" calls his "biggest hobby".
He grew up around bird dogs and bird hunting. "Daddy raised bird dogs and sold them all his life," he relates.

He found an early ally in the sport when he was ten years old while participating in a softball game between Greenhill School and Ward's Chapel School. There he met a Ward's Chapel spectator named Jerry Hearn who was his age. The two became great friends from that day forward, graduating from Gleason School in the same class and bird hunting together throughout the years. Together, they have traveled as far away as Texas and Oklahoma to hunt for quail. Reed made a trip on his own to hunt pheasant in Nebraska, but says quail hunting is his favorite sport. Another bird hunting buddy is Waylon Cox who owns Central Heating and Refrigeration in McKenzie. Hearn is retired from Republic Steel Corporation.

"We've all got dogs," Reed says, who owns four bird dogs of his own. Reed sticks to the pleasure side of bird dog hunting these days, no longer raising or training dogs for the sport that opens on the second Saturday in November and lasts through February.

Other sports that Reed has enjoyed are baseball, which he was active in until the age of 40, and basketball, which he officiated for 25 years, as well as golf. It was while playing golf that Reed began to watch the airplanes flying overhead and decided it was something he wanted to do.
Along with his son, Ricky, Reed studied the skill of flying at the Carroll County Airport. On July 15, 1990 the pair became the first and only father-and-son team to solo on the same day at the airport.

Reed still enjoys flying just for the fun of it, while Suzanne only likes to fly if there is a reason for the venture, for instance, the couple sometimes flies to Lambert's for dinner.

Business associate and cousin Roger Reed is also a pilot, owning one half interest in a plane that he uses for business and pleasure.

"Roger and I fly a lot together," says Reed, whose son Ricky continued flying as well until he became too ill to fly after developing the cancer that took his life at the age of 37 just two years ago. His wife has since remarried and Reed takes particular pleasure in her and her husband's son, Jacob Jefferson, who Reed affectionately calls JJ.

The Reeds themselves never had children, unless one stops to consider Holly Noel Reed, their beautiful and nicely spoiled West Highland White Terrier. Holly was a Christmas gift for Suzanne about ten years ago, and both Suzanne and James have lavished their attention on her. She loves to sit with James in the evening and still romps as playfully as a puppy with various toys about the house.

During the Christmas season each year, the Reeds decorate their auction ads with a photo of a terrier from a postcard that looks just like Holly Noel. They have collected a myriad of paintings, pictures and figurines of the breed.

The Reeds have also accumulated a fine array of antiques, some passed down from family members but most obtained from auctions they have conducted. Reed explains that during a sale he has his own number on which to bid. Antique furniture and display cases throughout their home are accented with the pastel beauty of around 100 pieces of Hull pottery they have collected.

Their love of antiques stood them in good stead during visits to the Biltmore Estates in Ashville, North Carolina. Built by the Vanderbilts, the lavish home is full of antiques.

Travel is an item that is pending on the Reeds' bulging agenda. With sales increasing, they find little time for vacations these days though they were able to enjoy Hawaii two years ago and have been to Las Vegas three times. They have also made several trips to Gatlinburg in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Life at home is fairly exciting however, with nine other dogs in addition to Holly (four bird dogs, two Australian Shepherds and three "sooners") and five cats, plus cows and horses.

"It's like a zoo around here or an animal shelter," Suzanne quipped, adding, "Our plate is just about full."

It is not uncommon for the Reeds to come home in the evening to find Roger's sons and two or three other boys swimming in "Reed's Folly", the pond that lies across the drive in front of their house. The pond is 18-20 feet deep at the far end and the boys think it makes a good swimming hole now, but when the pond was first dug, it collected no water and the Reeds had to dig a well in order to fill it. Later, James constructed a windmill at the site and, catching no wind, had to create the wind to run the windmill. Reed takes on an astonished look as Suzanne relates the misfortunes that have befallen the pond, and redeems the pond's reputation by saying that there are 700 catfish, brim and crappie within it.

Another pond behind the house waters the cows on the farm. Since Suzanne has always wished for a swimming pool, Reed says, "I tell everybody that I got her a swimming pool; all she has to do is get the cows out of the way and dive in - we don't want to hurt the cows." Somehow his humor is lost on Suzanne who has found her revenge in thwarting his own latest pursuit.

"His goal in life right now is to drive my PT Cruiser," she laughs.

"Well, I let her drive my four-wheeler," he protests, laughing.

Suzanne explains her reluctance to let him drive the new vehicle, "There's not a road in Weakley County that has as much gravel on it as his truck has in it."

The couple is thankful for the life they have enjoyed and the success of their joint business in Reed's Auction. "The last 20 years have been unreal, really," Reed muses, "I've been very fortunate; there's a lot of people in the auction business."
Visit the Reed's Auction Company Web Site at www.reedauction.com.

If you have ideas for stories you’d like to see featured in the McKenzie Banner, please contact Deborah Turner at 731-352-3323 or by e-mail at