Miss Bessie Summers
Mrs. Chester L. Summers, know as Miss Bessie to her many friends and
admirers around the world, died at her home on May 8, 1997. Until a few
weeks before her death, the 98-year-old led an active life. She had been
a regular participant in the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference
for many years and corresponded with scholars from several countries. She
enjoyed talking about her friendship with William Faulkner, which began
when the two were in elementary school, and telling about her memories
of Oxford over the years.
Miss Bessie was born at Lafayette Springs and
lived in Oxford all her life except for a brief time when she taught school
before her marriage and for 18 years in Corinth where her husband first
practiced law. She graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1919
and at her death was one of its oldest living alumnae. She was a 50-year
member of the Browning Club, a literary organization in which she was active
until shortly before her death. She will be greatly missed by her local
friends and by her Faulkner friends from all parts of the globe.
