In most of the world, the phrase “La La Land” is used to describe someone who is out of touch with reality or lost in fantasy.
The exception is Starkville, where Lala Land is recognized as the domain of Charles “Lala” Evans.
Evans, who turned his modest home in the Needmore Community into a museum honoring his late wife and became one of Starkville’s best-loved residents in the process, passed away Wednesday at age 93.
“There could not be anybody who better represented the kindness, optimism and generosity of Starkville than Lala,” Mayor Lynn Spruill said. “There wasn’t a thing about Starkville that he didn’t love and have memories about. He was a real treasure.”
A 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’ fame spread far beyond his hometown when the New Orleans rock group Mutemath wrote “Monument,” a song and music video based on Evans’ tribute to his late wife, Louise, who passed away in 2011.
The music video focused on Lala and Louise’s life together by showing poignant moments in time through Evans’ 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 “Umbrella Grove,” an assortment of brightly-colored umbrellas along with a roadside shine bearing inspirational messages.
The song and video, along with Evans’ perpetually sunny outlook, landed him an appearance on “The Ellen Degeneres Show” in 2016.
Lala 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’s first Black neighborhood.
His 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.
“Dad believed young people deserved to be celebrated, and he helped create memories that many people carried into adulthood,” said Shaun Evans, the younger of Lala’s two sons. “That’s a beautiful thing I will always remember about my father.”
Shaun said it began to dawn on him as a kid that his father has a special gift.
“Everywhere we went, somebody knew Lala,” Shaun said. “He 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’t just my dad. In many ways, he belonged to the entire community.”
Along those lines, Charles was an unapologetic advocate for Needmore.
“He helped us as we developed plans for the improvements at the community center and park in Needmore,” Spruill said.
The city and community reciprocated the love he lavished on his hometown through a proclamation declaring Charles as “Eternal Optimist, Humanitarian and Irrepressible Humorist.”
Upon 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.
Shaun Evans said his father’s legacy is described by his response to every life circumstance: “It’s all good!”
“I think that captures his spirit perfectly,” Shaun said. “The greatest lesson my father taught me was the power of optimism. The motivational quote he always told me was, ‘If you put your mind to it, you can do it!’ That didn’t mean everything in life was perfect. It meant you could choose how to respond to life’s challenges. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate that optimism isn’t just a personality trait. It’s a way of living.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].