MEMORIES

Send us your memories of old Gastonia from the 1930's through the 1970's. Send them in the following format: "I remember when...." to trentoncreativeenterprises@charter.net. Selected ones will be displayed (anonymously, unless you wish otherwise) on this page. Preserve these perishable treasures in an imperishable form...by sharing them.

(Pictured above is Main Avenue looking east, just west of the

South Street intersection.
From Gastonia and Gaston County North Carolina: Past, Present, Future, February 1936 by Joseph H. Separk.)

Re: Nancy Kreloff's comments about Reggie Grigg:

I worked for Reggie after school and on Saturdays delivering groceries on a bicycle with a very small front wheel and a very large basket from 1945 to 1947. When I turned 16 and got my drivers license Reggie let me drive his black 1949 Ford sedan, which I promptly scratched pulling out from the apartments behind the 1st Baptist Church on South & 2nd. Reggie wasn't happy that I damaged his car but didn't give me too much grief. During the summer months when school was out I worked six full days and learned much about the grocery business including how to cut up a chicken, grind hamburger and cut pork chops.

My time at Grigg's Food Store on Broad & Franklin wasn't my first encounter with Reggie. Before his store on Broad Street he worked at a local grocery on Oak Street just south of East Third. It was owned by the Moss family and was, of course, called Moss Food Store. He ran every operation of the store and as far as I recall was the only employee. I grew up on Oak Street in the next block south of Moss Food Store and was sent by my older brothers to buy Lucky Strike cigarettes that sold then for twenty cents per pack. When Reggie opened his store on Broad Street my mother followed him and became a regular customer. Reggie's dealings with my family as well as his watching me grow up lead him to offering me a job at his Broad Street store. BTW, my pay was $15.00 per week no matter how many hours or how many days I worked. That was the beginnings of my learning how to manage my money.

I remember Nancy's mother Alma as well. Reggie and Alma were married, as I recall, while I worked for Reggie on Broad Street. If I recall correctly they lived on North Marietta Street across from the now county courthouse. I remember Alma as being a lovely, quiet young lady.

Don Howe

My father, Reggie Grigg, Sr., owned Grigg Food Store at the corner of Franklin and Broad Streets. In the early years of the 1950’s and early 60’s, he cut meat and sold groceries. We, my brother and I with dad driving, also delivered groceries on Saturday evenings. In the 1960’s, my dad added a sandwich business in his store. He made huge sandwiches and named them crazy names like the “Nixon-wich” which was a bologna sandwich. My whole family worked there at times though my mother, Alma, worked in the children’s section of the public library. I remember it was hard work and in the summer with no air conditioning, it was brutal, but this humble store and my father’s exhausting work paid for a good life for my parents and put my brother and I through college. He always insisted that we go to college so we could work smart, not hard. My dad closed his store in 1974 due to his poor health but he loved his customers and being called, “Big Reggie.” Dad passed away in 1997 and Mom died in 2006. I am grateful to them and my hometown for my memories.

Nancy K. Kreloff

I remember when Sammy's Grill, the Do-nut Dinette and the Little Pig Restaurant were the after-hours hangouts. The State, Carolina and Lyric theaters were not the best theaters in uptown. The drag races at Black's BBQ after closing, the drag races at every traffic light in town, the oil-soaked parking lot and the passion pit at RO’s, hiking to and then up Crowder's Mountain for a two day camping trip.

The memories go on and on.

(The years referred to in my post were the late 1950's and early 60's. As you know, each of us has different interpretations of the same experiences and that makes for great stories.) Bob Quinn

I just found your site. Thank you. I've had a nice time browsing. I live in York but my family, from my mother's side, has a long Gastonia history. My Grandparents on my Mother's side were Floyd Vollie Brimer and Jessie Edna Eddleman Brimer. My Great Grandparents from my mother's mother's side were P. C.(Peter 'Cash') Eddleman and Daisy Belle 'Nan' Ewing Eddleman. You may recognize the Ewing name. I've got a 5 generation picture of them.

My Great Grandparents from my mother's father's side is only partly documented. Floyd's Mother was Rebecca Brimer, daughter of Coats Brimer, full blooded Cherokee Indians. Floyd's Father was never named but it has always been thought that it was Richard Wooten. Rebecca was a hired worker/servant in the Wooten home.

Anyway, Cash and Nan originally lived out in an area off what is now New Hope. I've got some newspaper clippings where he was once selling a cow and another when he sold a car. The New Hope house still stands. They later moved to Gastonia on West Airline. Their Daughter, Jessie Edna, later married Floyd, and Floyd and Jessie moved to York to work at the Cannon Mill. They raised 10 kids including my Mother. In 1946 Floyd and Jessie moved back to Gastonia at 1136 West Airline, next to Cash and Nan. Four of their married children's families also moved back to Gastonia. They occupied five houses in a row on West Airline. On the east end was son Floyd 'Toyd' Vollie Brimer, Jr. and his wife Aileen and on the West end was Jessie Brimer Huffstettler and her husband Coit 'Frog' Huffstettler. If you know much about the area, this is directly behind, and across the tracks, from what people called Greasy Corner. And if you recognized the names 'Frog' and 'Toyd', it's because they opened 'Frog's Lunch' in 1950. In the 50's.

'Frog's' was in a small place about 9' or 10' wide and about 25' deep. In the morning they would make sandwiches for the onslaught of Firestone Mill workers at lunch. Typically the had egg salad, baloney, banana, and cheese sandwiches. I remember watching one morning as they made 72 baloney sandwiches, but they said egg salad was the best seller.

I think it was the ‘70's when 'Frog's' moved a few doors east to a larger place. Frog closed its doors for the last time in 2004. Frog passed on a couple of years later and his wife Jessie died shortly after. 'Toyd' fell a few years ago while crossing the railroad tracks and hit his head. Toyd now lives with his daughter in Dallas. All five houses still stand.

I notice that you mention the Loray Baptist Church on your site. You might recognize some of the names from there.BTW, Cash and Nan loved to fish. If you ever go to the Gastonia Gazette, you'll see lots of pictures of fish they caught. Another thing, Cash owned a taxi service in the late 20's and 30's. I'm going to attach a scan of his business card You can post it on you site if you wish.

Regards,
Jerry Blanton

A previous memory mentions the two Blacks' Barbecue establishments and another mentioned Tom's. I liked them all but frankly I think Tom's had the best minced barbecue sandwich. Then again, maybe it was because I was usually on the way to the Bessemer City Drive-In on a Saturday night when I stopped there ;)

Someone also mentioned Frog's Lunch at Greasy Corner. I'm very proud to say that the business was opened by two of my uncles, Coit 'Frog' Huffstetler and Floyd 'Toyd' Brimer, Jr. in 1950. Although it moved a few doors east in the 70's, it remained open for over 50 years. Someone mentioned trading comics there. You didn't have to trade. In the 50's for 10¢ you could get a 'dope'(soda) and a pack of 'nabs'(crackers) and sit on one of the stools at the back of the place and read comics for as long as you wanted.

A few things no one has mentioned, 1) In the 50's the favorite drink was Double Cola because it was 16 oz. but most people didn't think economically when they bought a candy bar. Most people bought a Bit O' Honey, Black Cow, Bonomo Taffy, Hershey, Mr. Goodbar, Mars, Sugar Daddy, Three Musketeers or Zero. I preferred to load my bag with penny candy. Silver Bells (2 for1¢), Bikes (2 for 1¢), Cherry balls from the jar (3 for 1¢), Kits, BB Bats, Chiclets ... etc. But when I wanted a candy bar I wasn't going to pay 5¢ for one of those listed above. They had a candy bar called 'Lunch Bar'. It was initially 2¢ and later went to 3¢. Instead of whole peanuts like the Mr. Goodbar, the Lunch Bar had a bunch of tiny crushed peanut bits. It was in a dark green wrapper with dull silver print.

Does anyone remember these? 2) In the 50's there was an amusement park on the right side of #74 heading toward Charlotte, before you get to the river. Our family couldn't afford to go there often but when we did I had a good time. They had a small train that covered about two acres. I've got some pictures from there.

3) Does anyone remember chewing tar balls? As I said, my kin owned Frog's and my Grandparents lived on West Airline. If I remember correctly, there were eight sections of tracks across the street, between their house and Frog's Lunch. We'd wait until the rail workers got done and then grab us some tar.

Regards,
Jerry Blanton

BACK TO "EPHEMERA"

I remember when my father, Guy F. White, was foreman of the composing room at the Gastonia Daily Gazette. He held that position from 1928 until 1939 when our family moved out-of-state. The men of the composing room, the owners, and the staff of the Gazette were like our extended family.

My brother, Guy, Jr., was 2 years old when I was born in April 1928 on N. King Street. In 1933, our youngest and last sibling, Frederick Grover (Bucky) White, was also born, on N. King.

Our mother, Grace, had a son by a previous marriage who lived with us. His name is William David (Billy/Bill) Maurice and is now 90 years old. He is a disabled veteran of the WWII Battle of the Bulge and lives in Charlotte. As a teen-ager, Bill worked part-time at the Gazette in the composing room before going to work as an usher at the new Temple Theatre.

I remember when I was in the 1st grade we moved to N. Cherry Street across from North School. Our neighbor on one side for the 5 years we lived there was the Dixon family. The youngest was Bess who was brother Bill's age, and the others were older and out of school. Mrs. Dixon was a widow and one of my favorite people. She would invite me to her house for tea and cookies and have me read to her. Her older children: Jack, Ellen, and Nell.

I remember when the house on our left was home to the Parsons family whose sons were A. B. and Billy. When they moved away, the Jumper family lived there and their children were Bill, Floyd, and "Hinky". They moved around to N. Morris Street so we still played together and visited.

I remember when the house across the street to the right of the school was occupied by the Woody family whose daughter, Marian, was also the age of my brother Bill. They had a small rental apartment and the first year we lived there, the tenants were named McKee. Their little boy, David, was in my first-grade class and his older brother was in the 7th if my memory is correct. When they moved out, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Ellington and their little daughter, Thelma, moved in. Thelma and I are still in touch after 70+ years. Mr. Ellington was an official (?) of the CCC Camp nearby.

I remember when the Woody's house was the only one on that side of the school, and the Charles Wilson family lived on the corner facing W. Airline. On the opposite corner of N. Cherry and Airline was The Hoke Davis family which included Mr. and Mrs. Woodbury Lynch and their sons, Benny, Alfred, and Dicky. Mr. Lynch worked at Ferguson Gear on Airline. We kept in touch with the Lynch boys for many years after we moved away. During WWII, Benny was in the Navy and came to visit us in Williamsburg Va. In later years, his business brought him to see us a number of times.

I remember when Mr. Hoke Davis, who was an insurance salesman, was murdered and his car was brought to Cherry Street next to their home. The car was filled with blood, and as children will do, we kept going up the street to take another look.

I have a lot of Gastonia memories I would like to share, but will wait to see if I am accepted and, if so, if I am doing this correctly.

Thanks so much for making this "meeting place" possible for those of us who love Gastonia and remember living there in the 1930s.

Carolyn White

GUY F. WHITE IN "EPHEMERA"

When I was growing up in Old Gastonia, Thursday was a big day Downtown, as it was payday for many of the mills. Folks would dress in their Sunday best and go shopping. That was a ritual for many years with my mother, and, except for the times that I accompanied her (The route would include Morris Jewelers; Eagles, Woolworth's, and Kress dime stores; and then Marietta News Stand before concluding with Matthews-Belk and the Diana Shop.), Dad and I would pick her up for supper. We might eat at Sweetland, Sara's Grill on South Street above the courthouse, R.O.'s, Tom's on Bessemer City Road, or The Beacon at East Franklin and Willow. Several times, as we waited for Mom to complete her rounds, we waited in front of the Realty Building on the south side of West Main Avenue. I remember looking at a miniature water tank perched upon the massixve cornice above the doorway of the building. I was fascinated by that little tank, and I remember Dad saying that it was there to advertise a tank company, whose offices were in the building.

A while back, I began to think about that little tank, and I wondered what happened to it when the Realty Building was demolished to make way for the new home of Gastonia Mutual Savings and Loan Association (now Park Sterling Bank). On a whim, I called R.E. McLean Tank Company on Highway 321 South and spoke to a very nice and helpful lady. She connected me to Ed Jackson, who not only remembered the little tank but had it there in the building. He sent me a picture of it, and I share it here with any others who might remember that tiny bit of long ago. TCE

I got carried away thinking about the Gastonia of my youth. Also attached is a copy of a 12/25/11 Gastonia Gazette article about my search for any information about the Gastonia B-24 which I reference in my memories. Anything you can find out about it would be greatly appreciated.

My brother Michael and I are new fans of your Vintage Gastonia website. At our age it is not surprising we are the last surviving members of our Gastonia family. Our paternal grandfather Ed Quinn was a building contractor Quinn Construction Co. that built many buildings around town, many in the city area. He lived on N. Weldon St. and had a business on Ransom Street behind his home. Our maternal grandfather Mike Shealy was a Gastonia Prudential Life Insurance executive who lived in a two story home he built in the late 30’s on the first block of Jackson Road. It still stands. Our parents Paul and Winifred Quinn went to Gastonia High School, Class of ’39. Mother was the first female drum majorette for the GHS band. Dad was a self employed cotton broker. Quinn Cotton Company was first located over Spencer’s, then after the big fire moved to second floor over Carson’s Sporting Goods on Main at York St., then in the 60’s he moved to a converted garage apartment behind Gray and Daniels Cotton office in the second block of South York Street and 2nd Street beside Carothers Funeral Home. Brother Michael lives in Charlotte but still works in Gastonia for Cargill Cotton, next to Tony’s just off East Franklin Ave. behind the P&N RR. Michael is a second generation cotton man who has a great knowledge of Gastonia’s textile industry and its sad decline.

Again, I appreciate all you are doing to keep Gastonia memories alive for us old folks and anyone else who is curious about the great old days in the Spindle Center of the World.

Paul Quinn

My brother Michael and I grew up on Jackson Road and Home Trail in the 50's and early 60's. Jackson Road was not paved in the early 50's. We use to walk down the Jim Taylor's small one cash register grocery store to buy baseball card bubble gum. The store was on the SE corner of York Road and Dale Ave. (the building is still there). Across the street on the NE corner was Henry Rockett's Esso station, which later became Phillips 66. Neighborhood kids would work there when they became teenagers washing cars on Saturdays, even in winter when we would have to dry them in the wash bay because the water would freeze if they were outside. Henry always kept a wad of cash in his pocket, a cigar in his mouth and took off every Tuesday to go Crappie fishing on Lake Wylie, or the river as it was called back then. Our Dad was a cotton broker with an office over Spencer’s office supply store. In 1959 during a rare snow storm the building caught fire and burned to the ground.

That was the second big downtown fire. Earlier in the 50's Kennedy's Drug Store also burned to the ground, taking almost the whole block with it. Mom and dad took us uptown to watch the fire fighters battle that blaze, what a sight. Birthdays were celebrated by going to Belk's to get a Scout item from Mrs. Adams and then over to Sweetland's for a grilled cheese and milkshake or a fountain coke. Haircuts were every two weeks at Pete Quinn's Barber Shop on South Street, where barber Mr. Vic Guin would give us a stick of Spearmint chewing gum as a reward for sitting still. To get to town we would often ride the 4-Ridge bus, don't ask me how I remember that designation.

Dad, Paul Quinn Sr., was a flight instructor in WWII and loved to take us to Linwood airport to see his old friends and watch the planes come and go. Later dad would take us out New Hope Road to the Municipal Airport where a WWII B-24 Bomber was on display. It had been donated to the local Air Scout Squadron by Allen Sims, a local business leader (Sims Legion Park named for him). Mr Sims donated the plane in memory of his son Albert who was killed flying a B-24 in WWII. Since dad was an Air Scout leader he had the key to the chain link fence that surrounded the behemoth of a plane and we would climb all through it, sit in the cockpit and work the controls to fly imaginary bombing missions. To this day I am on a mission to find pictures and information about the Gastonia B-24. In the mid 50's the Piedmont Boy Scout Council sold the plane to a company that supposedly was going use it to haul freight in South America. The federal government sued the local Scout Council because their agreement stated the plane was to be sold only for scrap, and never to be put back into airworthy condition. The suit was dropped in 1957. If anybody has information (or pictures) about the Gastonia bomber, please let me know.

Building airplane models we purchased at Carson's Sporting Goods store was a favorite past time. One side of Carson's store was for hobbies/ models and the other for sports merchandise. That store was heaven for us kids, would love to stand at the front window to admire the finely crafted model airplanes on display. When they put a Stromburg wooden model of a B-24 there I had to have it and it is still on display in my basement hobby room.

Paul Quinn

[BOMBER UPDATE MARCH 19, 2023]

Tim,
Very much enjoyed your presentation at the library Saturday. We’ve talked before about my search for the B-24 WWII bomber owned by the Piedmont Council of Boy Scouts that was located at the Gastonia Municipal Airport from 1947 to approximately 1954. With help of an aviation historian/ author we were able to determine the plane’s identifying serial numbers tracing it from Gastonia to Dallas TX to Mexico, where it served in the Mexican Transportation. On April 15. 1957 Mexico’s most famous entertainer- movie star, singer, race car driver, pilot- Pedro Infante hitched a ride on the former Gastonia bomber to go from Merida on the Yucatán Peninsula to Mexico City, when the plane crashed shortly after take off killing Pedro, two crew members and a child on the ground. To this day, April 15th is observed in Mexico in remembrance of their beloved Pedro Infante. And until now, no one knew the connection between our Gastonia Boy Scout Bomber and the tragic end of Mexico’s Elvis.
All this was documented in the September ‘22 Air Classics Magazine and subsequently written about in the Sunday 8/29/22 Gaston Gazette front page story.

Paul Quinn

[BACK TO BULLETIN BOARD]

GASTONIA GAZETTE B-24 ARTICLE REFERENCED IN THE QUINN ARTICLE

Being raised on the Firestone mill hill on West 5th Avenue in the 40s and 50s, my best memories are of the places I loved the most: the Linwood airport; the old Carolina theatre on the west end (Greasy Corner), where the movies were 15 cents on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and 30 cents on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for a double feature. Popcorn was 10 cents and 10 cents for a Coke; the Temple, the Webb, and the Lyric theatres downtown and the summer Friday night movies we watched while sitting on the grass at the Firestone park in front of the mill. In the spring we would build wagons from parts we would find or trade for to ride the hills around the village. In the summer going barefoot (except in dog days), trading comic books (2 for 1) at Frog’s Lunch Stand, and hair cuts bi-weekly at the Otis Jones barber shop at Greasy Corner. I, now as then, still love the downtown area of Gastonia and memories of places like Sweetland’s, Miles, Littlejohn’s, Johns, Sara’s Grill and the dime store lunch stands. I remember the ball games at the Firestone ball park .We lived behind the grandstand next to the back gate and I can almost hear the sounds and see the lights of the night ball games. I loved the hot dogs from Dunlevy’s on 2nd Avenue next to the mill and from Rish’s cafe on 7th Avenue (what is now Garrison Blvd.)..We had plenty of sidewalks to roller skate on in the summer. On Sundays I could hear the sounds of people flying model planes on the Wray Jr. High school play ground and would run there to watch. I can still remember one of the guy’s name that flew models as “Skip,” and that makes me remember another Skip who was then an old man who ran the South Street news stand next to the railroad downtown. I lived on the mill hill until the age of 14 and always had plenty of friends. While living there, I attended Abernathy and Wray schools. I am 70 now and still have a good life. I run into an old friend every now and then, and that brings back a lot of great memories.

I still live in Gastonia, my hometown.

William Demurel (Bill) Calhoun

I grew up in Clover, and going to Gastonia on Saturday was the highlight of my week. We shopped for shoes at Matthews-Belk and for clothes at the Children's Shop. I remember the old x-ray machines that they used to see if your shoes fit, and I think a lady named "Miss Gladys" always fitted my shoes. After shopping, it was either cream horns at Pat-A-Cake Bakery or ice cream at Tony's. I loved to talk to Tony and Miss Janette. I wish I had a recipe for the cream horns. They were the best I have ever tasted. I remember digging the cream out with my finger! I was born in Gastonia and most of my family lived there. There are so many good memories of going there for family holidays. My first teaching job was in 1967 at Victory School in Gastonia, and many of my students came to my wedding at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Clover. I moved to Columbia when I got married, and we have lived here for 44 years.

(Mary Anne Glenn Robinson, Lexington, S.C.)

In 1965 Public Service Company of North Carolina moved into new offices at the intersection of Cox Road and Interstate-85. I worked for company vice president Bronson Zeigler in engineering. There was a fierce rivalry between this natural gas supplier and Duke Power, the electric company, so much so that Public Service had no electric lines connected to the property. There was a natural gas-powered generator (located along side the north-bound Interstate ramp) that supplied electricity at a higher cost than Duke's rates. The office was connected to Southern Bell, though.

Mike Davis

As I recall, there were eventually 2 screens at the Diane 29 Twin location.

Competition was the Monte Vista, also in West Gastonia, and the Tower Drive In which was replaced by Akers Trucking terminal and later the present Akers Shopping Center.

Mike Davis

My grandparents’ house stood on Airline Avenue.

[A brief recollection by Charles L. Wilson III (Chuck) prompted by the demolition of his grandparents’ home on the northeast corner of West Airline Avenue and Cherry Street.]

I'll work on the memories [for future publication]. Very saddened that Grandmother's house was torn down. Somehow even in its dilapidated state it seemed a symbol of a simpler time and place, standing alone on the block that housed my childhood memories. It had grown smaller with time and my aging. That huge old garage with its coal room/muscadine wine cellar :-), workshop, attic, and animal cages for Sunday dinner must have been much smaller than I remembered. I felt one of my roots wither when I saw that the house was gone.

***

One major oddity of returning to the neighborhood and the home I grew up in: it shakes me up a bit that it is all much, much smaller than I remembered. The house, the lot, the neighborhood all seem so small. I suppose that while I was young the whole world revolved around those locations and the ceilings, the garage, the backlot, the school [North, later Wilson, school was located on the east side of Cherry Street.] were large to the boy in me. (Chuck Wilson)

Growing up in Gastonia from the late 40's to 1960 was the best time of my life. My first recollection was of living on Linwood Road across from the old airport. I went to elementary school at Abernethy Elementary. My mom and dad both worked for Firestone.

I can remember walking to school every morning till I got my first bike. We always played softball or football or shot marbles till classes began.

I remember playing Little League baseball at Todd Field right about the same time as the new YMCA was built. I played for Sunrise Dairy. On weekends we would have pickup games at the old Firestone Park. We had to climb over the fence, but that was never a problem.

Later we moved to South Weldon Street, and I started the 7th grade at Wray Jr High. Before I could finish out that year we moved and my heart was ripped out. I loved Gastonia and everything about it: movies at the Webb, going with my mom every Friday to the A&P. The smell of fresh bread from the bakery close to town, sorry I can't remember the name [Holsum], The lights at Christmas time, the parades, sneaking into football games on Friday nights at Ashley ("The Green Wave") High. Great times I will never forget and all my friends.

I was not able to get back for a lot of years and it's sad that some of those places are gone, but I will never forget them.

(Michael Sneed--Marietta GA)

As soon as I could work there was a job for me at the Webb Theatre as cashier. While all my friends came to purchase tickets, I was in the booth selling those tickets and noting all the coming and going of Gastonia’s best.

After the theatre closed at night, I recall climbing up the stairs to the small office and counting out the money with the manager. Can’t recall a ticket cost, but it would be laughable now compared to what we currently pay. This is where I saw “Ole Yeller” for the first time, as well as my first and LAST horror movie. I don’t recall the name, but when a wheelchair bound person was pushed into a swimming pool to drown with creepy music playing, it was my last horror. Those who attend horror movies likely wouldn’t even consider this horror. Times, they have ‘a changed.

Later, I changed employment to Efird’s, is my memory. This store was near the middle of the block of the heart of the downtown, seems like next or very near Belk’s. As a very young teen I was entrusted with selling hosiery to all the ladies who frequented the store. The hose were NOT panty hose, of course. I remember sliding my hand inside the hosiery to demonstrate to my customers what the color would look like covering their beautiful legs. It was a fun thing to do, though I personally hated those garter belts we had to all wear with those snaps to hold the hosiery up. We must have been much less active in that era, as I can’t imagine trying to move around like the busy lady does this day in time with those things hanging down my legs.

Gloves were in my department also and it has only been very recently that I’ve thrown away many pairs of elbow length, wrist length, and half length gloves. These were in all colors, as women wore matching gloves with their outfits.

Across the street from the department store was a Five and Dime (I think it might have been called) [possibly F.W. Woolworth]. That is where lots of students met for hamburgers and milkshakes. You typically had to have a job to be able to walk in and order a lunch from the lunch counter. I was happy to stand on my feet working to be able to go out to lunch.

Several years later, it was on to the Paul Rose Department Store. [Akers Center] Remember downtown businesses started getting lots of competition? This was a good experience. Mr. Hill was the store manager; a quite employee-friendly manager. The newness of the store and all the different departments spread out in a strip shopping center was really big for the residents.

My younger brother was starting his first job about this time. He went to work at the new McDonald’s which is still on East Franklin, near the previous site of Shoney’s restaurant. When he started flipping burgers they sold for 15 cents. You got a hamburger, catsup, mustard and pickle. Cannot recall the price of French fries, but everyone sure went there a lot. Can’t imagine how many have been sold since. Of course, due to cholesterol count the doctor won’t allow those of us who grew up in Old Gastonia to continue to enjoy these past treats. In fact, there’s not much at our ages we do get to eat that we used to enjoy. My Daddy used to always say, “If it tastes good, I know I’m not supposed to eat it.” I’ve lived long enough to learn that is true.

(Sandy Bigger Mishoe)

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MEMORIES