Mattie’s Corner
Today is July 2, 2012. The birthdays for the week are: July 2: Connie Spann, Mrs. John Dean Windham, Bertie Koonce and Betty Heard. It was the birthday of Gene Hogan.
July 3: Pam Phelps, Randolph Lout, James Chionsini Jr., Judy Taylor, Noah Gene Warr, Keith Miller, Peggy Samford Midkiff, Wanda Smith and Bodie Dockens.
It was the birthday of Alvis Howard. It is a wedding anniversary for Rodney and Denise Matthews.
July 4: Bro. Henry Hughes and our nation’s birthday. It was the birthday of Mamie Lou Woods, Annice Monroe, Margie Crawford and Larry Ware. It is the wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Top Hufferd and Dr. Danny Paul and Sally Windham.
July 5: Debbie Snider, Grant Johnstone, Mark Herndon, Barbara Allen, Nancy Dickerson, Connie Wilson, Janet Ivey. It was the birthday of my brother Maurice Bartow McLendon born 1924.
July 6: Mrs. Bill (Sue) Kimbro, Betty Fausette and Randy Grissom. It was the birthday of Martha Motley. It is a wedding anniversary for Randy and Cherie Rudd.
July 7: Kim Mahan and Carolyn Parrish. It was the birthdays of Vernon Bartle Sr. who died 1992, Jeff Noble and Dorothy Parker.
July 8: Tom Steele, who will be 76, Richard Hughes, Jason Lisk, William E. Ford, Bobby D. Watson, Jimmy Mc-Swain and my great nephew Bobby (Tiger) Jones Jr. It is a wedding anniversary for Mr. and Mrs. Joe Shofner.
July 9: Tanya Grissom Andrews, Mary Masterson, Heath Hagler, Kay Campbell Garner, Sally Windham, Adam Kimbro, Gay Kimbro Fausette, Bobbie Alford, Keith Kraemer, and Billy McSwain. It was the birthday of Johnny Palmer and Troy Yarborough. It is the wedding anniversary for Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rushing.
••••••• My favorite TV programs are the Pawn Shop with Chumley, The Pickers and Storage Wars. I’m learning the value of old junk. According to these shows people in our area have a fortune in their old trunks, attics, garages and junk heaps. According to the shows, I notice the value in thousands of dollars for an old rusting gasoline pump.
I like to watch The Pickers as they explore old junk yards and pay hundreds of dollars for an old rusting piece of machinery or bicycle frame. Then there is another TV show that deals with the restoration. He takes and makes over the old things to make them look new. His price for doing the miracle make-over goes into the thousands of dollars.
••••••• Chris Mayfield is selling Russell’s home-grown peaches at the Farmers Market on the square and he expects them to last a while longer. Becky keeps in touch about the products there. She is the go-between for a number of us shut-in customers for the produce. All the vegetables and fruit sold there are of top quality.
••••••• I’ve been told that the Texaco Service Station at the foot of the hill on Cora Street has been closed for some time. I have been unable to contact Tom Swearingen by phone to confirm the closing. Tom has been the operator of that station for a long time and has had a successful business.
I don’t remember when that station was built but it may have been in the early 1930’s.
Weldon Sanders was one of the first operators. Weldon and Ruth ran a big service establishment there and his motto posted on the door and in all of his advertisements was “If we fail to clean out your ash tray, we’ll give you a free tank of gasoline.”
••••••• I remember seeing ash tray dumpings on the parking lot at H& S Grocery when I was trading there. I wonder if careless folks still do that?
••••••• Someone needs to tell radio newscasters how to pronounce interment when reading obits. In my media production days, when there was a question about spelling a four-bit word, I just used a nickel word.
The word burial could be used easily instead.
••••••• I was glad to see Mrs. Joe (Linda) Anderson in her choir seat at the First Baptist Church. She had been absent due to illness. Linda was my Sunday School class teacher of the Conway Bible Class. The class had to be closed as members died or were unable to attend. That class was first named “The Young Matron’s” and was taught by Mrs. Minnie Jewel Rogers.
Later Mrs. Tula Bell Conway became the teacher and we had become older women by then, so the name was changed to Conway Bible Class.
I miss seeing Patsy and Bob Fairchild in the Sunday TV church services. Illness has been keeping them at home. I also miss seeing Mrs. Chadwick in her regular church pew. Also, I’m always glad to see Thelma Scates in her regular place.
••••••• Jimmy Matthews called me Tuesday after reading my column. He said he knew all about the dog story and told me about his part in it.
Jimmy was in high school and working after school and Saturdays for Western Auto Store on the west side of the square for the Henry’s. Their son Freddy was also working with Jimmy.
Mr. Henry would put a nickel in a little paper sack for his pet dog to take in his mouth and go a few doors down the street to Mr. Brice’s grocery and market and Mr. Brice would open the door, let the dog in, take the nickel and put a nickel carton of ice cream in a sack and give to the dog.
The dog carefully carried it back to Mr. Henry who took off the lid and let the dog eat it.
“I’ve seen that done several times,” said Jimmy. Jimmy was a 1958 CHS graduate.
••••••• Do you recall the dog that we called “the Post Office dog?” The dog hung around the Center post office and accompanied Bill Henry, one of the house mail delivery men. (Postmen used to have to walk to deliver mail).
Bob McDonald remembers all about this dog, so I’ll have to call him and get revived about this. I think Mrs. Alma Liem was Post Mistress and clerks were Arthur Taylor, a Mr. Ramsey, Shorty Baugh, Mrs. Ann Chestnutt and Barfield Burrows. Edwin Ross, Auvy Childs and Edwin Rogers were later clerks and Post Masters.
••••••• The Grover Hicks home on Field Street was referred to in by-gone days as the J.S. Kennedy home. The basic part of that 2-story house was built in Flat Fork Community by James. W. Truitt. We’ve been told that Mr. Truitt had it moved to the Field Street location by oxcarts and added onto. It has always been known as one of the prettiest residences in Center.
••••••• Remember that no piece of paper can be folded in half on itself more than 7 times, no matter the size of the paper you use.
••••••• A.J. Procell’s big fig crop is ready, and he and his crew are standing by ready to sell them for $5.00 a gallon or in large amounts wholesale.
“My fig crop harvest is larger than I thought, and they are of good quality,” said A.J.
I have ordered a gallon to make me some old-fashioned fig preserves. A.J.’s place is in Joaquin near the town square. It isn’t hard to locate. His phone number is 269-3565.
“Lord, put your arms around my shoulders and your hand across my mouth” -copied.
– Mattie
(Editor’s Note: Mattie Dellinger’s “Party Line” column was a regularfeature in Center newspapers for decades before her death in 2013. The original columns are reprinted today without editing to reflect her style and commentary. All references are to the original date of publication noted at the beginning of each column, not today’s date. Send letters and comments to: Editor, The Light and Champion, 137San Augustine Street, Center, TX 75935.)