After Reggie Crawford visits a patient in the hospital, if he’s still depressed, he really does need to be on drugs.

That’s what one of his friends said, adding that in many cases he’s better than a doctor or a pharmacist, for laughter is the best medicine.

Reggie isn’t an ordained minister, but he ministers to many people from many different walks of life. You’ll find him at the hospital visiting the sick, teaching Bible classes at the correctional facility in Tallulah or occasionally conducting funerals or pinch-hitting at Sunday worship for the preacher.

And he always does it with a smile.

He’s known for his happy countenance, but friends also know he has a good voice when it comes to a song; he’s a Bible scholar; and has a quick witty quip just about any time you see him.

He’s even got a good one for a discussion on the Bible: “You’ll find that in 1st Opinions, chapter 1, verse 1.”

He says he graduated from high school “in 19-none-of-your-business” when he was 17. In fact, he had a birthday last week, and he was “59 — 17 years ago.”

He was born in Sharkey County, graduated from high school in Glen Allen in Washington County and came here looking for a job. He spent most of his life in retail sales, starting with George Thomas in the furniture business and later managing White stores here, in Clarksdale and in Jackson. He repaired TVs, sold insurance and once worked for the government — “got on that gravy train, but got off in two years.” He also lived in Alabama and Brookhaven and has retired twice and is “glad I ended up here.” During those years, he earned degrees from HKU — “Hard Knocks University.”

Music is very much an important part of his life. He began singing at church when he was a child and sometimes leads the singing here at the Church of Christ. He often sings at funerals, joining with others from the congregation. They sing a cappella, but most who hear them don’t even miss the usual instruments.

Reggie studied music a little when he was a kid and can sight-read shaped notes “and kind of read the round ones.” When he leads a song, don’t expect it to drag. In fact, it might be wise to look for places to catch your breath. His favorite hymn is “Our God Is Alive,” followed closely by “On God’s Glorious Summit.”

His singing isn’t limited to hymns. For years, he was a member of The Magnolia Eight (or Seven, depending on how many showed up). They sang for fun, for public events and benefits. He still laughs about the time they were performing in Rolling Fork and one of the members, Mary Harris, who was leaning against a wall, lost her footing and slid down the wall to the floor, knocking over a table as she went.

The motto is, “The show must go on,” so the band kept up the performance while someone from the audience helped Mary to her feet.

The first band Reggie was in was a high school group organized at the suggestion of his shop teacher, who knew he could play the guitar, so “several of the boys formed a little hillbilly band. We called ourselves The Delta Clodhoppers, because you know there aren’t any hills in the Delta.”

They did some practicing and entered a contest (today, it might be called “Holly Bluff’s Got Talent”) and won. Reggie “remembers it like it was yesterday. We sang ‘Have I Told You Lately That I Love you,’ an Eddy Arnold song. People really liked for us to do ‘Old Rattler’ (a song made famous by Grandpa Jones). We performed in chapel programs at school. The band lasted about three years, until we graduated.”

It was during that time that Reggie wrote a song, one he said is not autobiographical, and one he doesn’t sing anymore — it’s called “Running Wild.”

It was at Glen Allen where he met his future wife, Duell. She also moved to Vicksburg after graduation. Reggie remembers the night she called him and asked him what he was doing. He lived with his aunt on Cain Ridge Road, “one of the few people here who had a television set at the time.” He told Duell he was watching TV, and she said, “I’d like to watch TV,” and though about all you could see was an outline and snow (the closest stations were Memphis and New Orleans) she came over. They were married about six months later, which was 57 years ago this past September, and she said, “I wouldn’t change him one bit.” They have four children — Jerry, Reggie, Tony and Tina.

Duell also sings, and when they lived in Alabama they sang together on the radio. They were living in Brookhaven when he was transferred to Atmore in South Alabama, and before he left Brookhaven he heard someone say that, “On good behavior, he’ll get out and come back.” There’s a prison in Atmore.

Hobbies take up some of Reggie’s time. He has always collected pocketknives, makes very original birdhouses, cuts grass and operates a ham radio, using mostly Morse code.

Much of his spare time is spent visiting the sick, especially cardiology patients, for he’s also been there. It was 16 years ago that he underwent heart surgery at St. Dominic’s, and even on the night before the operation, he joked with his doctor, telling him, “I want you to be on your toes tomorrow,” and the physician replied, “In other words, you want me to go home early from the party.”

“People ask me what I do at the hospital,” Reggie said, “and I tell them that first I make coffee, then I do heart surgery.” He visits with patients and feels he is the one who is rewarded: “How blessed I am to be able to sit and talk with people in need.”

A lady stopped him the other morning at the hospital and commented, “You’re always so happy.” He said he doesn’t know why, but he believes the old saying to be true, “Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone,” though he realizes “we have to cry occasionally.” Life, he added, is too short for gloom and doom, “especially at my age.”

There’s no philosophy behind his outlook, he said: “I just like life.”

He told Charles Riles at the funeral home, “When you get ready to fix me, put a little smile on my face, but he said it would cost more.”

Without a smile, though, nobody would recognize him.

•

Gordon Cotton is an author and historian who lives in Vicksburg.