Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #236
…In Herbert Love’s world there is only black and white; grays exist only in the clouds of a dreary day or the color of his favorite suit…
What can you say about Herbert Love? Certainly not enough can be put in earthly terms, whereby only God in his holy wisdom can fathom the depth of such a person as Herb. If it were only for his impact on a single family, the Campbells, or just A.O. for that matter, his time on this world was well spent.
But it goes well beyond helping to free a family from slavery, or giving the Tallahassee area a fine, fine physician. There is the legacy of his stint as Secretary of Agriculture. It has and always will be an example for those who have followed. He was a man of conviction, never once betraying his morals or beliefs.
In Herbert Love’s world there is only black and white; grays exist only in the clouds of a dreary day or the color of his favorite suit. There is right and there is wrong and very little in-between. You would be surprised how amazingly uncomplicated life is when you live within that reality. Straightforward, upright, just; three words that best describes the man who is sorely missed in the midst of his dear country’s most trying times.
Very the same can be said for his life’s partner, Phoebe. A wise man once said, ‘There is nothing on this Earth quite like a godly woman.’ And he could not have been more right. Her sweet quiet spirit touched everybody that knew her. Not high profile, just highly noble.
And the humbly and freely shared her wisdom with the young women of greater Quincy, some going so far as to suggest that she found a school for young ladies. The advent of the emancipated woman, so-called flappers, empowered by the right to vote and
generous exposure of the female knee, had really taken its toll on ladylike demeanor. Had she been younger, she would have welcomed that formidable challenge. Instead, a few lucky mothers were able to rest easy, secure in the knowledge that their girls rubbed elbows with the very best. That is why perhaps the finest acting performance of all time is her portrayal of Cinderella’s wicked step-mother, otherwise trivializing a glorious septuagenarian tenure.
The Loves were special people. Neither did one dwell without the other, happily consorted, having reaped their bountiful harvest and going on to the greater reward in the Heavenly Kingdom. The world of 1935 is a poorer place without them.
“Black and White” is a song written in 1954 by David I. Arkin and Earl Robinson. The most successful recording of the song was the pop version by Three Dog Night in 1972, when it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.