A Eudora Welty sory by Eugenia Summer

When Barbara Smith told Eugenia Summer that I am writting a book about Eudora Welty Eugenia gave me a book signed by Eudora Welty. It was a very generous gift in itself but then there was also a story to go with it. Here it goes. Eugenia Summer is now retired but all of her life and academic career is connected with Art and Design Depatrtmen of Mississippi University for Women.
Barbara Smith, then Whitaker, was Arts Student at "W" and she and Eugenia have been friends ever since.
Southerners like to talk and share their stories. Here is how Eugenia Summer shared it whith me back in Septmeber of this year. Eudora Welty was comming to "W" for Eudora Welty weekend. It was one of the weekedns dedicated to Southern Authors, she always came and stayed the whole weekend and she gave a talk to open the weekend. A friend of Eugenia Summer was flying from Washington to this event and Eugenia asked her to bring anything by Eudora Welty so that she would get the book signed. The friend was Mary Sharlote Stark, a renouned archivist, and the only book she could get was The Eye of the Story which she picked up at the airport bookstore. She wanted to get something with hard cover, but nothing else was available. As Mary Sharlote got on the plane she found that Eudora Welty was on the same plane and they got to talk with each other. When Mary Sharlote produced the book and asked for the signature Eudora Welty asked for the name and Eugenia's name was pronounced. Eudora Welty recognised the name since she met Eugenia in "W" during previous visits and signed the book.
When in "W" Eudora Welty was supposed to be driven around by another friend of Eugenia Summer but that friend's car would not start so she asked Eugenia if she would drive them around. Eugenia Summer gladly agreed. So at some point she found herself in the car together with Eudora Welty and she was overwhelmed for a moment and did not know what to talk about. "Eudora Welty sat in the front seat next to me . We had to wait about 15 minutes in front of some house. And all of a sudden Eudora Welty started to talk. She shared an experience she had once in a small airport (it might have been a city in Alabama or in Florida), where she had to change planes. There was one man there who took care of the airport and he and Eudora Welty started talking. He said that he was a farmer and that he liked to go fishing . Miss Welty asked him a lot of questions and he was happy to share about his life. By the end of their converstation the man was sorry his new friend did not have enough time otherwise he would have taken her to the farm. Eventually as they were parting he asked her name and she said "Eudora Welty". The man was pleased and said "That's a nice name. I have never heard it before. How do you spell it?". Eudora Welty was surprised but she did not show it. She really enjoyed the encounter, she said she wished she could go back and see his farm".
Eugenia Summer concluded her story: "I thought that here I am hearing a Eudora Welty story told in her own words. It is an ordinary occurance, but Eudora Welty really listens to everybody and she finds everybody interesting. I will never forget sitting in that car next to Eudora Welty and hearing her story".