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                    "Charles \u201cLala\u201d Evans stands in front of Lala Land, a memorial to his late wife, in this 2011 Catfish Alley file photo. Evans, a longtime resident and advocate for the Needmore Community in Starkville, passed away Wednesday at age 93. Dispatch file photo\t\n\t\t\tIn most of the world, the phrase \u201cLa La Land\u201d is used to describe someone who is out of touch with reality or lost in fantasy.\nThe exception is Starkville, where Lala Land is recognized as the domain of Charles \u201cLala\u201d Evans.\nEvans, who turned his modest home in the Needmore Community into a museum honoring his late wife and became one of Starkville\u2019s best-loved residents in the process, passed away Wednesday at age 93.\n\u201cThere could not be anybody who better represented the kindness, optimism and generosity of Starkville than Lala,\u201d Mayor Lynn Spruill said. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a thing about Starkville that he didn\u2019t love and have memories about. He was a real treasure.\u201d\nA veteran, letter carrier (the first Black postal service employee in the city), shuttle bus driver, scout master (again, the first Black person to hold the position in Starkville), Sunday school teacher, folk artist and avid dancer, Evans\u2019 fame spread far beyond his hometown when the New Orleans rock group Mutemath wrote \u201cMonument,\u201d a song and music video based on Evans\u2019 tribute to his late wife, Louise, who passed away in 2011.\nThe music video focused on Lala and Louise\u2019s life together by showing poignant moments in time through Evans\u2019 old home movies, footage of Lala at his Starkville home (walls plastered baseboard-to-ceiling with photos of Louise and himself) and images of him strolling through his \u201cUmbrella Grove,\u201d an assortment of brightly-colored umbrellas along with a roadside shine bearing inspirational messages.\nThe song and video, along with Evans\u2019 perpetually sunny outlook, landed him an appearance on \u201cThe Ellen Degeneres Show\u201d in 2016.\nOpen heart, open home\nLala Land was but one of the aspects that made Evans a treasured resident of Starkville, particularly the Needmore Community where he became the de facto curator of the stories of the city\u2019s first Black neighborhood.\nHis home was more than a tribute to his wife. It became a gathering place for the community, especially the children who Evans entertained with stories and games. He hosted graduation parties, birthdays, holidays and celebrations for years.\n\u201cDad believed young people deserved to be celebrated, and he helped create memories that many people carried into adulthood,\u201d said Shaun Evans, the younger of Lala\u2019s two sons. \u201cThat\u2019s a beautiful thing I will always remember about my father.\u201d\nShaun said it began to dawn on him as a kid that his father has a special gift.\n\u201cEverywhere we went, somebody knew Lala,\u201d Shaun said. \u201cHe knew no stranger, whether it was the grocery store, church, a sporting event, or just walking through town, people always seemed happy to see him. As a kid, I thought that was normal. As I got older, I realized my father had a remarkable ability to connect with people and make them feel very special. He wasn\u2019t just my dad. In many ways, he belonged to the entire community.\u201d\nAlong those lines, Charles was an unapologetic advocate for Needmore.\n\u201cHe helped us as we developed plans for the improvements at the community center and park in Needmore,\u201d Spruill said.\nThe city and community reciprocated the love he lavished on his hometown through a proclamation declaring Charles as \u201cEternal Optimist, Humanitarian and Irrepressible Humorist.\u201d\n\u2018It\u2019s all good!\u2019\nUpon his death, tributes began to pour in from the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, the Oktibbeha County Unity Park, the Black Prairie Blues Museum in West Point and countless family and friends. Spruil said the board of aldermen will announce a resolution honoring Charles Evans at its next meeting.\nShaun Evans said his father\u2019s legacy is described by his response to every life circumstance: \u201cIt\u2019s all good!\u201d\n\u201cI think that captures his spirit perfectly,\u201d Shaun said. \u201cThe greatest lesson my father taught me was the power of optimism. The motivational quote he always told me was, \u2018If you put your mind to it, you can do it!\u2019 That didn\u2019t mean everything in life was perfect. It meant you could choose how to respond to life\u2019s challenges. As I\u2019ve grown older, I\u2019ve come to appreciate that optimism isn\u2019t just a personality trait. It\u2019s a way of living.\u201d\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tSlim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email\u00a0protected].\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n      \n      \n        Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community."
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