VIDALIA &8212; Kathleen Whitehead, 77, said she has always felt a deep connection with the Mississippi River.

&8220;I respect that river because it is beautiful yet mysterious and frightening,&8221; Whitehead said.

Whitehead said her father, Capt. Gilbert Savoy, is the reason she has such a fascination with the river.

&8220;Daddy was a steamboat captain for the U. S. Corps of Engineers,&8221; Whitehead said.

Even after his retirement, her father would listen to hear the steamboats come down the river to Natchez, blow their whistles and he would be able to tell which captain was on what boat, Whitehead said.

&8220;He&8217;d immediately leave the house and go down to the landing to meet them,&8221; Whitehead said. &8220;He knew them all personally, you know?&8221;

But her father&8217;s experiences on the Mississippi weren&8217;t the only ones that piqued her interest, Whitehead said.

In 1939 the Mississippi River flooded, causing the Savoy family to move from Ferriday to Vidalia, then to Natchez.

&8220;I remember having to attend three different schools when I was in the second grade,&8221; Whitehead said.

Whitehead said she also remembers when the city of Vidalia was on the eastern side of the levee, which wasn&8217;t as high as it is now.

&8220;The stores and houses had to be moved,&8221; Whitehead said.

Whitehead said houses and stores were hoisted on logs and rolled over the levee until they were far enough away from the water.

&8220;Stores still operated too,&8221; Whitehead said. &8220;I remember having to walk up a gang plank (ramp) to go and buy milk or eggs,&8221; Whitehead said.

After the flood and after the ring levee was built around Concordia Parish, Whitehead&8217;s family settled back in Vidalia.

Later, she moved into the Sheriff Campbell House across from Vidalia Upper Elementary School until the house burned in 1991.

Unfortunately, Whitehead said, all of the photographs and memorabilia from the flood burned with the house.

But Whitehead said she still shares her father&8217;s obsession with the river.

&8220;It&8217;s such a magnificent river,&8221; Whitehead said. &8220;There is an appeal to it like nothing else.&8221;