Focus back to the 20th Century for a few minutes, and some people may still recall the name of the late Joseph Newton Hadden, a well-known farmer whose last name also provides the name for Hadden Mill Road north of Elkton.
Mr. Joseph, affectionately called “Papa Joe” by his family, also served for over 30 years as a Todd County magistrate. The father of several children including the late Carl and Randolph Hadden and Patsy Joe Hadden Thornhill, Mr. Joseph was known as a community-oriented individual, one who is said to have worked from “can until can’t.” Move into later years of the last century, and the name of Mr. Joseph’s oldest son, Shelby Newton Hadden, surfaces as he and his wife, the former Georgia Mae Morris of Todd County, became the parents of four children with the youngest being a daughter, Mrs. Annette Hadden Valentine.
Ms. Annette, the wife of Walt Valentine and the writer of a fictional trilogy honoring her Todd County roots, her grandparents, and her family as well, in earlier years taught at Purdue University in Indiana and worked as an interior designer prior to her retirement. Ms. Annette now owns a home and decor business in Franklin, Tennessee, which is very appropriately named “Valentine House.” Ms. Annette’s My Father trilogy, which includes Eastbound From Flagstaff, Down to the Potter’s House, and Sufficient Sacrifice, also shares a common thread of the influences of the Mighty Shepherd in both her family’s life as well as in her own life. In recent months, Ms. Annette has debuted Sixty-Six Books of the Mighty Shepherd, a beautifully bound and illustrated hard cover book which is a compilation based upon the 66 books of the Holy Bible. The gift-sized collection, which was published by Carpenter’s Son Publishing of Franklin, Tennessee, and printed by Jostens in Clarksville, Tennessee, is designed to immerse the reader in content revealing the love Jesus, the Mighty Shepherd, has for His people.
The Valentines are the parents of two adult children, the older being Kenneth Valentine and the younger, Jenifer Valentine Hofmann. Ken, a graduate of Purdue University and the Mississippi College School of Law, worked 10 of his 24 years as a Secret Service Special Agent in the Presidential Protective Division, shielding three sitting Presidents including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Ken’s face may be familiar to many as he in recent months has been asked to appear on various news shows because of the recent assassination attempts and his knowledge of the Secret Service and their work protecting our national leaders. On April 16, 2024, Ken debuted Cheating Death, a book described by his uncle, Dr. Hal Hadden of Brentwood, as a book pulling “‘together the most timely and necessary words of wisdom we need to hear right now—for such a time as this. This book is the one-stop shop for you to know how to ‘cheat death’ in your life beginning today.’” In his book Ken also shares with his audience a mixture of his life stories, revealing in one chapter how his wife of over 30 years also “cheated death” as she has battled breast cancer and all that entails.
The Valentines will be the first authors to appear at the new Todd County Public Library located at 507 South Main Street. Plans are for both to share background information about their writings as well as both authors being available to sign copies of their books. Obviously, they both will have their books available for sale. Time for the event will be from 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM on Saturday, November 23. The event will be held in the Community Room of the new library, a room with a seating capacity of 150 people that was designed especially to accommodate the needs of the library as well as provide meeting spaces for civic organizations and small groups. Ms. Amanda Hayes, the new director of the Todd County Public Library since October 15, messaged, “We are so very excited to host a double book signing from two remarkable authors with Todd County ties. We definitely hope to see you there. We also feel assured you will enjoy the event as well as the spaciousness and beauty of the new library.”
~ Article by Carolyn L. Wells
November 2, 2024
