Like Father, Like Son

Mac Horton and his wife, Lancaster native Libby McCowan Horton, stand in front of Shelter Rock in Heath Springs. Horton’s father’s filling station sat on the other side of Flat Rock Road.

Horton Shares His Life Stories in 
'Tales From Shelter Rock & Beyond'

By Mandy Catoe
Sunday, June 11,2017

Mac Horton is a loyal man. He holds onto things for life, especially things that matter. Like memories and the people who made them.
Blessed with exceptional listening skills, a photographic memory and a knack for words, he wrote a book, “Tales From Shelter Rock and Beyond,” about growing up in Heath Springs in the 1960s.
James McMeekin Horton was born in 1953, the last of three children to Ward Beecher Horton and Mary Evelyn Caldwell Horton. He's been called “Mac” for as long as he can remember.

Ward Beecher Horton

His father’s service station sits right across the road from Shelter Rock, a unique rock formation on Flat Rock Road in Heath Springs.
“I spent all my summers at my daddy’s service station, sitting on a refrigerated drink box listening to what I call ‘real storytellers,’” Horton said. “A large part of my storytelling came from those guys.”

His father’s station was a place for the men to gather, reminisce and tell a tall tale or two. Horton learned a lot about life on that drink box.
In 102 short stories, most just a page long, Horton paints vivid pictures from his life. The charm and nostalgia rival “The Andy Griffith Show.”
With deep gratitude and eloquence, Horton writes about his father’s time in World War II, his mother’s fierce loyalty to her children, the mischief he and his friends got into growing up, his time at The Citadel, and a few more recent tales.
Horton retired in 2011 after 32 years with the S.C. Department of Employment. He eagerly returned his work cell phone and refuses to get another. But at the urging of his best friend, Dru Beckham, Horton got on Facebook and began to share stories about growing up.
“My friends liked them and commented on them and asked for more,” Horton said. “Several said ‘you should write a book,’ and so I did.”
Horton said he knew he had enough stories, so he began to write them down. His computer-savvy wife, Libby, helped him organize the stories in folders.   

Mac Horton stands in front of his father’s service station on Thursday.

Shelter Rock Service Station in the 1980s. Seated out front are a few “storytellers” – Harold Haile, Beecher Horton Sr. and Paul Bowers.

Childhood tales
Horton remembers every little detail from his life.
“I arranged the tales chronologically and started with Daddy, who was a huge part of my life,” Horton said. “He was a great guy, a good man, a good father and everything anyone could ask for.”
Horton said while his father was fighting in World War II, he “promised the Lord that if he ever got back to Heath Springs, he would never leave.”
And he didn’t. He remained in the small town, farmed, ran the Shelter Rock Service Station and delivered mail.
The adventures of the young Mac Horton played out on the rolling hills in southern Lancaster County, where a 4-acre lake spread between his home and the service station.
The land is rich with American history and Horton breathes life into the facts, making it come alive. During the Battle of Hanging Rock, Andrew Jackson once sought shelter under the rocks across from his daddy’s station.

Mac & Wup

In the book, Horton talks about his dog Wup, who saved his life twice – once from a rattlesnake and once from a charging bull.
Famous wrestlers, politicians and a NASCAR driver stopped by to gas up and talk at his dad’s service station. The Charlotte Observer and The Lancaster News visited to catch a glimpse of Sam, the alligator who lived in Shelter Rock Lake.
“Everybody in town knew about Sam and they would come and throw him marshmallows and cheese crackers and anything that would float,” Horton said. “If it would float, he would eat it.”
Many adventures involved his best friend, Dru Beckham.
“I went to his fifth birthday party and we have been best friends since before either one of us can remember,” Horton said.
Speaking by phone last week, Beckham agreed completely.
“I do call him my best friend,” Beckham said. “He is.”
The two now live about 10 miles apart in Columbia.
“He will do anything he can to help you,” Beckham said. “I’ve told people before, if I was starting a business and my livelihood depended on it, Mac Horton would be the first person I would hire. You never have to worry about him being honest and doing his best. He has the people skills. He is just a good guy from a good family.”
Horton’s brother, Beecher Horton, and sister, Sheila Horton Shores, show up in a few stories.
The Hortons were church-going people and never missed a single Sunday morning, Sunday night or Wednesday night.
Church was a big part of Horton’s life and he knew who sat where. The back pews on the left side were “unofficially reserved for daters…backsliders, lonely hearts and visitors.”
One Sunday in 1964, his teenage sister announced she would not be going to the evening service, because the Beatles would be on TV that night. After some discussion, the parents gave in and the whole family skipped church.
Horton said that was “a life-changing experience and the realization that a kid had options opened a whole new world up.”  
The book is full of short, concise stories that stand alone, but in their entirety describe a meaningful life of gratitude – one that Horton wouldn’t trade for anything.
“I am absolutely glad I was so lucky to grow up in the ’60s in Heath Springs, where everybody knew you and really did care about you,” Horton said.
While attending The Citadel, at least three families regularly sent letters to him with $5 or $10 stuffed inside.
“One was Mr. Manley Ellis,” he said, his eyes wide, still in amazement of their graciousness. “They weren’t family either.”  

From left, Mac Horton, Christine “Tennie” Joyner Trull, Phyllis Couch Hickman, Dru Beckham, Maggie Stover Rigby, Diane Pitman Cauthen and Doug Mackey (seated) gather for Horton’s book launch on May 6. Horton sold 70 copies that first day.

Positive Reviews
Horton has not had an official book signing, but he and his wife hosted a drop-in last month. He sold 70 books that day and that number has since climbed to almost 200.
Reviews on Amazon have been positive and much of the success of the book comes from its universal appeal.
Reader Bob Greene, originally from the North, praised the book.
“I felt like I was sitting in a general store with old friends sharing stories about childhood and how much fun we had,” he said. “You don’t have to be a Southerner to enjoy it.”
Greene, 70, is a retired criminal justice consultant who helped design jails in America and abroad. He lives near Horton and they often enjoy walks and good conversation.
“Mac is the most interesting, worldly, bright man I’ve come across, and he has an amazing sense of fair play,” Greene said.
Horton’s friends, sister and wife describe Horton as loyal and a man of integrity. None of them had any fear of being in his book.
His best friend Dru laughed about how Horton ran “a little innocent story” by him before publication, “to be sure I was OK with it.”  
His sister called three times last Thursday to talk about her brother, adding a little something more each time.
“He is very intelligent and never boastful,” she said. “He is humble and grateful for everything he has. He loves people.”
Horton and his wife have been married 32 years. They enjoy traveling and his Facebook pictures show them arm-in-arm and smiling in front of the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, ancient ruins in Greece, cathedrals in Russia and the streets of Italy.
His sister said when Horton talks about his travels to beautiful places, he comes back and always talks about the people he met.
“Always the people,” she said.
“He is honest and genuine, the same every time you see him,” she said.
“Anytime you need him he is there. He is very comforting.”
His wife Libby described her husband.
“If he says something, you know it’s true and if he says he will do something, he does it,” she said. “He treats everyone with respect, no matter who they are.”

Back home
Horton spent some time this past week visiting many of the sites featured in his book, some places he has not seen for over forty years.
He trekked through the woods to Hanging Rock, drove through Jimmy Horton’s land to where the Battle of Hanging Rock was fought, drove down C.B. Reeve’s hill, gazed over the lake, and stood under Shelter Rock again.
Horton reflected on his book and the reason he wrote it.
“The point is about my parents and my upbringing,” he said.
Horton was most influenced by his father, a man he says “was very likable, not judgmental and didn’t criticize. He knew everyone was doing the best they could.”
He said that listening to those men at the service station taught him that “all people are interesting and worthy of being heard.”
Horton said his roots are in Shelter Rock “and he has never been far away in his heart.”
When asked if he thought he was like his father, Horton smiled, hesitated a moment and said, “I wish I was more like him.”
His sister, wife and best friend clearly recognize his father in him. They used almost the exact words describing Horton as he used talking about his dad.
“People are drawn to him. He is very comforting and easy to talk with. He has a talent for words and he loves to share that,” his sister said. “He is just a good person. He is just like our dad. He is a jewel to many people.”

Follow reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152

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