On busy Highway 78, between the bustling cities of Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama, is the close-knit rural town that Allen McDaniel once called home. Myrtle, Mississippi, population 250-home to four churches, four service stations, and zero stoplights. There, he experienced his earliest memories, among family and friends, living a life familiar to many small boys brought up in small Southern towns.
From 1949 to 1970, McDaniel's life was shaped by the colorful people, places, and events that took place within Myrtle's borders-from a small business owner whose tax audit went terribly wrong to a retired railroad man with a love for guns, gold watches, and diamond rings.
In Small Town Big Memories, McDaniel shares a memoir of the years he spent living in Myrtle, including humorous explorations of the nuances of small-town life and how these early memories would shape his character and personality for decades to come.
The result is an enchanting rabbit hole of nostalgia and comical reflections that will appeal to Myrtle locals, country people, and the rural at heart-whether you were brought up in one of many "Myrtles" around the United States or wish you were.
About the Author: Allen McDaniel is a graduate of Northeast Mississippi Community College and the University of Mississippi. There, he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in education, with a focus on history.
After working as a classroom teacher at Milam Junior High in Tupelo, Mississippi, from 1972 to 1985, he went into business as a salesman, then bought the company Copywrite, Inc. with a business partner in 1991.
For more than two decades, McDaniel has been a Sharp copier dealer, working throughout northern Mississippi. He also served as the curator of the Tupelo Automobile Museum for six years, where he was able to put his lifelong passion for cars to work.
McDaniel is married to Betty Buse McDaniel. Together they have four children, twelve grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
