Barbara McMinis – Times Long Past

BY VAL SCHOGER; PHOTOS BY VAL SCHOGER

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What’s In Your Closet?

Closets hold heirlooms, closets hold secrets, and closets
hold treasures, dreams, and hopes.

We were not after dirty laundry when we asked local residents the question: “What’s in your closet?” The question quickly became a wonderful way to learn more about a person’s life and bits and pieces about their past, the paths they have taken, the lessons they have learned and the plans they had. Have a peek into local personalities’ homes and lives as they open their closets and share anecdotes and stories with us while showing off the items that have emotions attached, items that they will never part with and items that will always be vivid reminders of what once was and still is special. [/box]

Barbara “Barbe” McMinis, the Executive Director of the Martin Theatre in Downtown Panama City, radiates her long involvement and leadership in art, music, and play.Tirelessly, she has established The Martin as one of the cultural focal points in downtown Panama City.

On a sunny but freezing day in February, with an infectious smile and winking one eye, Barbe opens the door to her home and to her closet.

Hanging among clothes that you would expect in a Floridian’s closet, are three beautiful but surely much too warm fur jackets.Barbara explains that each of these belonged to a different relative.

Her mother, Bettye Beeman, owned the fox fur.It was bought during the time Barbe’s father was stationed in Okinawa.The second, a beautiful mink fur, belonged to Barbe’s mother-in-law, Ruth McMinis.

She points at the last one, a cream-colored fur jacket with a wide swing cut.“This fur is from the early ‘50s and belonged to my grandmother, Mary Beeman Barry.It was a gift from my grandfather and is made of agouti pelt. He brought it back for her from a trip to South America.Everyone wore furs in the ‘50s and ‘60s and it was just the height of fashion.”

There are not too many cold winter days here in Northwest Florida – so has she had occasion to wear these furs? “Yes, but only one once,” she says and follows with a vehement “And no animal has died in our lifetime for these furs.”

There are several other inherited pieces and they all speak tales of a wonderful life Among other treasures, there is a beautiful etui purse, manufactured entirely of mother-of-pearl, with small interior compartments for cigarettes, lipstick, and powder.There is even a small pouch that holds a tiny comb.

“My grandmother, Gommie, spent most of her life in Phoenix, Arizona.She was a descendant of the Meadows clan who were among the early pioneers. They traveled by Conestoga wagon from Alabama, to Arkansas, then to Oklahoma, and finally settled in Douglas, Arizona where the two oldest boys became pharmacists.”

She tells us that there are old diary pages of the pioneer days that one of her female ancestors wrote.Surely the fact that her grandmother lived to the old age of 94 can be attributed to her inherited pioneer blood.

As she takes the fur off its hanger and slides it on, she remembers, “Gommie was a school teacher and a book enthusiast. As a matter of fact, she introduced me to books and reading and it’s been a passion throughout my life. I called her Gommie, and, as I would find out later at a family reunion, the expression is a tradition in our family.”

“As a little girl I would visit with Gommie and play cards.She was so much fun.But we did not play regularly. We played for blood! She would be so mad if she lost and so would I if I lost.We were very competitive.I believe that is a family tradition as well and even to date, we often play cards when the family gets together.”

While it is clear how many beautiful memories these heirlooms hold, Barbara’s humor is relentless. With a smile, she adds “When Gommie died in 1987 at age 94, I assumed the stewardship of her fur and will hand it down to one of my daughters… let someone else figure out what to do with it.”

Barbe, too, is now known as “Gommie”. Her children, Jeremy and Mollye, have gifted her with four fabulous grandchildren. Jeremy and Jenny live in Livermore, California with Leigh and Adrienne, and Mollye and Dan are currently stationed in Mobile, with Chet and Lela Ruth.

 

[author image=”https://www.panamacityliving.com/media/2013/08/Val.jpg” ]Val studied communications and marketing in Germany and holds a marketing degree. She had a corporate career and has worked for nine years in media, PR and marketing internationally in Germany, England, the Caribbean and the United States. During an extended sailboat cruise n 2003, she traveled to the Gulf Coast and subsequently to Navarre, Florida and was immediately smitten with Northwest Florida. She started her first business in 2004 in Fort Walton Beach and as of July 2013, she became the sole owner and publisher of Panama City Living Magazine. She obtained her Merchant Mariner Credential (Captain’s License) right here in Panama City at SeaSchool and enjoys being on the water when she finds the time. [/author]