3 weeks ago
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CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Some telephone him the ‘unofficial politician of Clovis.’ To everyone else, he’s ‘Cousin Mel.’
79-year-old Melvin Mason spends astir of his days walking Old Town Clovis, making caller friends.
He chats with anyone helium sees and ever offers to sing them an aged state classic.
Friendliness has been his full-time occupation for astir 12 years, and it’s turned him into a spot of a section celebrity.
Ross Lucas with Jeb’s Blueberry Hill in Clovis says, “It’s similar the amusement Cheers. When helium comes astir – ‘Mel!’ That’s what it is.”
“I would spot a mates locomotion up… So I inquire them wherever they're from. Next happening you know, ‘you person a favourite artist?’ Next happening you know, I'm singing them a song. That's however it started. And I've been doing that for astir 12 years now,” Mel said.
Cousin Mel has guitars hanging successful aggregate Old Town businesses, truthful erstwhile the temper strikes, helium tin drawback the nearest instrumentality and play his caller friends a song.
The astir communal petition is thing by Johnny Cash.
“I get much backmost than I give. It's – I don't privation to get affectional here, but I, I emotion sharing myself and I, I conscionable bash it due to the fact that I emotion doing it,” Mel said, choking up.
During the afternoon YourCentralValley.com spent with him, each idiosyncratic was delighted to chat and perceive a song. They each accidental they profoundly admit his endowment and willingness to stock it.
However, for Mel, it’s much than a hobby; it’s a ministry.
“I'm not 1 to effort to merchantability anything, but I’ll stock what I judge in, due to the fact that I'm a existent believer,” Mel said. “Some radical deliberation they request to spell successful and sing Christian songs. No! They privation to perceive Jerry Lee Lewis!”
He says helium fell successful emotion with music, singing to his Navy buddies during the Vietnam War.
When helium came home, helium fell into the ‘burning ringing of fire,’ and joined his beloved Peggy Mason.
The 2 person been joined 56 years.
“I person the champion matrimony successful the world. God gave maine the champion pistillate successful the world,” Mel said.
He says they are “Mr. and Mrs. Average,” ne'er having overmuch money, but ever affluent successful love.
“I'm not educated arsenic acold arsenic formal. I conscionable drove a motortruck for a living… I ne'er was the people president oregon the prima connected the shot team,” Mel said.
He spent 38 years down the instrumentality of a semi, but helium says status was not the extremity of his race; it was the opening of a marque caller one.
“I deliberation it was a acquisition from God, and He wasn’t done. He wasn’t done with maine yet,” Mel said.
He abruptly had escaped clip to observe a caller purpose: making friends and showing radical love.
Cousin Mel was inducted into the Clovis Hall of Fame this year, fixed the ‘Spirit of Clovis’ grant – an grant helium profoundly cherishes.
When asked what the tone of Clovis is, helium said, “It's erstwhile you judge successful thing and you privation to beryllium portion of it… You're down present smiling astatine everybody, talking to everybody, singing to everybody. That's the spirit. Doesn't outgo anything, does it? It costs nothing. It's free.”
He says, erstwhile helium started doing this 12 years ago, helium was the lone one.
Now, others person picked up their guitars and started doing the same: embodying the tone of Clovis and the affable cognition of Cousin Mel.
