Dade County History Book

Eddie Dewayne McBryar and Karen Dawn Pennington

Eddie McBryar, Karen Pinnington McBryar and sons, Jamie Dereck and Jeff David. Photograph taken about 1994

Eddie Dewayne McBryar, born 8-2-1951, is the second son of Thomas Hershel McBryar (born 2-20-1932 in Dade County Georgia) and Ramona Gail Hendricks McBryar (born 4-11-1932 in Jackson County Alabama). He is the grandson of John Herbert McBryar and Alice Annie Dobbins McBryar and Holmer Buron Hendricks and Ulis I. B. Scott Hendricks. He has two brothers, Thomas Lamar McBryar born 5-21-1949 Jackson County Alabama who married Deborah Rice from Dade County, and Rodney (Tony) Lebron McBryar born 5-23-1953, who married Regina Pell from Dade County. Eddie’s family lived for many years near Davis School. His father and mother are still in this home. His grandparents, Herbert and Annie McBryar, lived next door. Not only were they special to their children and grandchildren, but all that came in contact with them. Eddie’s father, Hershel, was named after Karen’s father. The families had lived near each other in the thirties. Hershel and Gail have a place on Weiss Lake and enjoy fishing, a favorite past time of the entire family.

Eddie graduated in 1971 from Davis High School where he participated in many team sports. He and Karen met through a mutual friend after a football game at a school dance. Eddie was a senior at Davis, Karen a junior at Dade County. Karen Dawn Pennington McBryar, born 6-22-1953 in Dade County, Georgia, the fourth and last child of William Hershel Pennington and Evelyn Dawn Moore Pennington. Mother tells a story about Karen, when she was about three. Mother said she talked all the time, asking questions and the like. Sometime mother would ask her to just let her mouth rest. Karen would explain her mouth wasn’t tired and would keep on talking. Her siblings are Kenneth, (Peck) James and Virginia (Ginger). Karen and I did a lot of playing and fighting when we were young. Peck and I picked on her most of the time. We operated on her dolls and generally made her life miserable. Mother once threatened to leave us kids if we didn’t stop fighting. Of course Karen and I promised to be good, but Ken and Peck were big enough to know she really wouldn’t leave us. Even if she did have an empty suitcase going toward the car. We looked forward to visiting Aunt Azilee or Aunt Edith in the summer. That would mean more cousins to play with. We loved to visit Adrain at Aunt Edith’s in Kingston. We were allowed to go to the lake to swim, but again Karen was the youngest and Adrain and I could usually make her mad enough to cry. Karen graduated 1971 from Dade County High School where she was involved in many school activities. Its hard to explain how my sister could have grown up to be such a fine woman, considering the hard time we all gave her as a child. She is a good wife and wonderful mother, but she no longer puts up with any foolishness. Eddie and Karen married 2-10-1971. They lived a short time with Karen’s parents, Hershel and Evelyn. Eddie began working with his father-in-law, Hershel, in the construction business. He has remained in this line of work and now owns a successful business, McBryar and Son Construction. Eddie and Karen moved to the Davis Community and lived near Hershel and Gail for a short time. They returned to New Salem and built a home on property obtained from Karen’s father, Hershel Pennington, in 1972. Karen is employed by the Dade County School System as a bus driver and para professional. She shares a birthday with her Aunt Effie Street Moore, June 22nd., She enjoys the same love that Aunt Effie had for flower gardens and spends any extra time working in her yard. Karen and Eddie celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii February 1996. They visited Waikiki, Kohala district, and Kappa. They have two sons, Jeffery David McBryar and Jamie Dereck McBryar.

Jeff and Jamie were very fortunate to have parents that were always dedicated to each other and their sons. Eddie and Karen have spent their lives nurturing their boys, always there for the sporting events or any other thing they were involved with. Their home was often filled with the many friends of their boys. Eddie and the boys belong to a hunting club in Glascock County, Georgia, where they enjoy several days a year hunting. (Submitted by Virginia (Ginger) Pennington Scruggs).