By Tony Farkas
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NIGTON — The hopes, dreams and power of community were and still are carried in the purse of Dr. Cassie Williams.
They returned to the tiny East Texas town recently during the Nigton Homecoming.
Dr. Williams was born and raised in Nigton; around her 15th birthday, she received a gift from her Bible School teacher, Ruth Williams (no relation).
It was purse, a simple black purse, but it had more meaning to the young woman.
“She was my Bible School teacher, but saw something in me,” Dr. Williams said. “I was so inspired and emotional that someone believed in me enough to give a gift like that. It was my first purse.”
She said that growing up, she had to be tough, and she also competed in sports, and was thought of as a tomboy.
“When I got that purse, I embraced that,” Dr. Williams said. “She taught me things about being a lady and valuing myself.”
Dr. Williams left East Texas in 1989 to “join the navy and see the world,” and for a better life for herself and her family. The purse traveled with her everywhere and is still in use; it still holds all the letters that the doctor’s husband wrote to each other, and it’s still going strong.
After leaving the Navy, Dr. Williams completed her doctorate in psychology with biblical emphasis.
“I don’t know how much that purse cost, but that was a small investment that paid big dividends,” she said. “Any time I have a moment where the world bears down on me, when I feel not wanted, I can go back and look at that purse and remember someone valued me enough, saw something in me that I did not.”
Latoya Walker-Hernandez of the Nigton Historical Development Project, the daughter of Ruth Williams, said the purse is a testament to the power of community, and Dr. Williams agreed.
“This is just a small example of what a community means,” Dr. Williams said. “When I was growing up, we watched out for each other. We took food to people that needed it; we shared food from our gardens with people. That spoke volumes to me, and I really miss it. It’s definitely a treasure.”
Coming home for the event, Dr. Williams brought the purse and showed it to Ruth Williams.
“I thought she had forgotten it, or that she figured it was thrown out,” Dr. Williams said. “I showed it to Ruth Vise Williams, and she remember; I showed her she invested in me and sowed seeds in fertile ground.”
Walker-Hernandez said the purse is a symbol — an example of people coming home, looking to the past while planning for the future. Dr. Williams said she came back in for Nigton Day.
“Nigton is still here, and the seeds planted have grown,” Dr. Williams said. “It’s a small Texas town with a big heart.
“I’ll keep this purse and pass it on to my children when that time comes,” she said.
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