By Mollie Beth Wallace

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — When The Dart landed on College Street, it found 2-year-old Gabbie Brooks playing in her yard with her grandfather, Ronnie Brooks Sr.

Basking in the smiles and kisses of her “PawPaw,” Gabbie ran through her yard pointing out cars, trucks and some scary bugs. Each time she saw the latter, she would look to her PawPaw for help.

“Gabbie is a fifth generation,” Brooks said. “When I go visit my mother or my grandmother the first thing they ask is ‘where’s the baby?’”

Family is something Brooks said is very important to him, and having five generations in Natchez is not something he takes lightly.

“I try to visit my grandparents at least once a week,” he said.

Brooks said he makes the effort because he wants to keep his family as tight-knit as it was when he was younger.

“(My wife and I) never needed daycare,” Brooks said. “My parents loved keeping the kids.”

Emulating his parents, Brooks said he loves spending time with his first granddaughter, and he said he even took her to work with him one day to show her off.

Brooks is a recruiter for Alcorn State University, where he was hired in 1992 just three days before marrying his wife, Angela, who is a teacher at Natchez High School. Ronnie and Angela have two children, Ronnie Jr., 19, and Angel, 16.

He said his time in the education field has taught him a lot about the importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s lives.

“I think the parents should be involved not just when their child’s in trouble but all the time,” he said.

“I took my kids on a lot of my trips so they could see different parts of the country,” Brooks said, explaining that despite his frequent recruiting trips he made an effort to keep his family close.

Brooks said exposing children to different environments can open up many different opportunities for them.

“Used to I would bring Ronnie Jr. baseball hats from my trips,” he said. “Then I would bring Angel a present each time.

“Now I bring something back for Gabbie, and Angel gets a little jealous,” he said, chuckling.

As a recruiter, Brooks spends a lot of time talking to young adults.

“I hear people talking all the time,” he said. “I’m more of a ‘show me’ person.”

Brooks said he worries that the younger generations have had everything given to them and don’t know the value of hard work.

Still, Brooks said he chooses to be optimistic about the education system.

“I could probably find something I’m unhappy with,” he said. “But I choose not to.”

Brooks said he places more responsibility on the parents, and his advice to them is simple.

“Patience is key,” he said.

Brooks is a deacon at Forest Aide Baptist Church where his father is a junior pastor, and his mother is the head of the choir.

“First time I took (Gabbie) to church I introduced her,” he said.

The great part about close-knit families, Brooks said, is that not only does Gabbie have the love of her parents, but she also has doting grandparents and more relatives close by.