Early life of Mamaw Green AKA Cindy

These are pictures of our family through the years.




I was born Cynthia Diane Green to John Milton Green and Nellie Christine Shaw Green on June 23rd 1962 (that is me sitting on my mom's lap in picture below).

I was the third of five children and the second daughter.
When I was born Dad and Mom were the pastors of Russel Chapel Baptist Church we lived in Sylacauga (Five Points) in a little house that Papaw and Mamaw Shaw owned. At some point (around 2 years old) lightning struck the house (we were at church) and the house caught fire. It was extinguished but most of my baby pictures were destroyed.




At some point Dad and Mom went to be pastors of Mt. Sharon Baptist church. We lived in the pastoral house, this is where Paul and Scott were born. I turned 5 years old at this home and since Fayetteville school did not have a kindergarden program I did not have the opportunity to attend kindergarden.
Dad and Mom bought a piece of land in Five Points at some point and built a two story house we did not move into it until we left Mt Sharon Baptist Church. I must have been around 6 years old because I started first grade at B.B. Comer school.

My first grade teacher was Mrs. Blackburn. In the third grade the white and blacks were joined in the same school system.
Paul and Scott had to go to the former all black school in Walco and since I was in the third grade I continued to go to the former all white school Comer elementary. I remember the first little black girl in our class was so interesting to me. I wanted to have dark skin like her so I went home and rubbed charco all over my face and arms and went into the house and said "whats you alls a doin?" My dad fell over laughing and my mom grab me by the arm, took me upstairs, spanked me and put me in the tub to wash all that charco off me. My dad told that story over and over again throughout my life.


Because there were not any pictures of me when I was a baby I would always accuse Mom and Dad of adopting me and not loving me as much as the others. It bothered Momma so bad that one day she petitioned all her sisters, brothers, and parents for pictures of me as a baby. Well of course they gave her several... so I had to come up with some other attention getting thing. Dad always said I was the part of the washing machine that stirred up the clothes (the agitator). Yes I loved attention and to be included in what was going on. I guess I still do.


My mom (and many other women in the 70's) wore wigs. One day in the third grade my mom though it was a good idea to let me wear a wig to school. I loved the idea until all the kids at school made fun of me to the point of tears. At recess I took off the wig and sit on the curb crying. My teacher let me go to the bathroom with a comb and attempt to fix my disheveled hair. This attention was not the kind I wanted. I started falling into the background from this point on because it hurt less to be ignored than be made fun of. Paul, Scott, and I had a lot of fun at home playing together.