Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Mordecai Wilson was relaxing in his recliner when we arrived at his home in Lula, a town of about 3,000 in northeast Georgia.
I had never met the man, although I’d read several of his letters in a newspaper, words encouraging people to follow God and do the right thing.
A friend, Connie Stephens, had insisted that my wife and I meet Mordecai Wilson. You’ll enjoy talking to him, she said. He is a wise man.
A few weeks ago, we got the chance. Connie’s description was not exaggerated. Of course, I had to ask how he became so wise.
“Well, you’re not supposed to stay dumb for 99 years,” he said.
He will be 100 on March 15th.
Connie Stephens got to know Wilson when he enrolled in a training class for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), where she served as executive director for 27 years. He was 82 at the time.
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for children’s best interests in cases of abuse or neglect.
That opportunity was perfect for Wilson. When he and his wife, Mary, lived in Boston, they saw a need and did something about it. They took in needy, homeless girls and became their foster parents. They had 10 girls at a time living with them, vulnerable teens between 14 and 18 years old.
It was Mary’s vision, Wilson said, but he agreed readily. After all, he had already become sort of an informal counselor to students at Regis College, where he was security guard and the only Black employee.
After becoming foster parents, the Wilsons decided to get a loan, purchase the house next door and open a place for mentally ill patients, taking in 26 people over time. They moved in with the patients.
Wilson, a Navy veteran of World War II, has always wanted to learn, taking courses at Regis and the University of Massachusetts. “He would find any kind of class and take it,” Connie Stephens said.
He’s still learning. As he said, a man shouldn’t stay dumb for 99 years.
Mary Moon Wilson grew up in Lula, and she enjoyed occasional visits with her family. Finally, in the 1990s, Mordecai, a native of Ohio, agreed to build a house in Lula and move.
Then in their 70s, they sort of retired without retiring. Both remained active, Mordecai serving on the city council for 20 years, serving with CASA, working with the local business betterment group, taking classes, and both active in their church. Wilson was narrowly defeated in a recent council election, but he still shows up at meetings to offer advice.
Mary, who died in 2014, and Mordecai never had children of their own, but they improved the lives of countless teens and adults just by seeing a need and doing something about it.
“There are two kinds of people in this world, Givers and Takers,” Wilson wrote in his memoir. “The Takers eat better, but the Givers sleep better.”
Mordecai Oneal Wilson should sleep very well.
