Albert Browning now divides his time between homes in the Delbarton area and near Holden Beach in Brunswick County, N.C., but the way he spends that time is far more relaxing than the years he worked to support a family.

Browning visited the Williamson Daily News office this week to share the fact he has written his third literary product, this time a collection of his poems, “Precious Moments.”

As he explains on the back cover, the book consists of a collection of his poems concerning various moments and situations during the latter part of his life. He said that interactions with family, friends and students as well as challenges from other poets created the inspirations for his poems.

“After all, we are the sum total of all the interactions that we have with other people during the course of our lifetime,” he said.

#Browning’s life changed drastically when his beloved wife, the late June Gail (Randolph) Browning, was stricken with a terminal illness. He had a varied work career in his lifetime and was employed with the Mingo County school system as a teacher when he retired in order to attend to the needs of his wife, who was well-known as a Mingo County Magistrate. She resigned from that post some months before her death.

Albert Browning previously wrote two books concerning coal mine safety before turning his talents to writing poetry. He was teaching at the Mingo County Vocational School (Career and Technical Center) during the latter part of his working career.

He was one of 12 children born during the early years of World War II (1941-45 era) at Puritan Mines to Dan and Ruby Browning. His father worked as a coal miner until disabled in a mine accident.

The author mentions that his mother was a stay-at-home mom, a fact that is easily understood when considering the size of the family and the difficulties of the time. He recalls that the family lived through many difficult times because of his father’s disability.

Even such things as hot and cold running water were unavailable until after Albert was graduated from Burch High School in 1961. He and his twin sister attended elementary school at Caney Branch in Mingo County and Dunlow Elementary School in Wayne County.

Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, he was stationed aboard the USNS General Maurice Rose, a transport ship operating out of the Brooklyn Army Terminal in New York during his four years of service.

He met June Gail Randolph at Laurel Creek, near Lenore, while on leave in the Navy. They wed in December 1964 and lived in New York until his discharge in 1965. Their first son (they had three children) was born three months later.

Returning to Mingo County, the Brownings settled in the Williamson area while Albert joined his father-in-law’s business as a roofer, sheet-metal worker and heat and air-conditioning mechanic. He later worked for 10 years in the Appalachian Power Company’s line, substation and meter service department.

He taught electrical trades at the Boone County Career Center while completing his bachelor’s degree at West Virginia Institute of Technology at Montgomery. He later taught classes in the mining program for the Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College at Williamson, also continuing his education at Marshall University where he obtained his master’s degree while working in the mining industry.

During the same period, Albert formed the Mingo Mine Academy, a school dedicated to educating local coal mining personnel in specific areas of the industry. He retired from the mining industry and resumed teaching in the county school system so as to spend more time with his wife as she retired because of her illness.

The author stated he is enjoying his retirement, writing, playing his guitar, drawing and painting, gardening, and walking on Holden Beach when he visits his home there. He said he has enjoyed time with family members and has even resumed a social life.

The inspirations for many of his poems, according to his comments in the book of poetry, have stemmed mostly from real life situations. As one example, Albert said he wrote “Death of a Twin” while returning home from the funeral of his twin sister, Pauline, who perished in a house fire at Shallotte, N.C.

“Fighting Cancer” was written as a result of his talking with numerous patients at chemotherapy sessions he attended with his wife. Some poems, such as “War” and “Wrongful Death,” were the result of inspirations he received while listening to daily news broadcasts.

“Diapering Boys” and “A Walk on the Beach” sort of tickle the reader’s funny-bone. But all of the poems reflect Albert’s feelings in various situations of his life. There are 37 poems written on varying subjects.

The collection of poems was published by AuthorHouse (TM) of Bloomington, Ind.