Please overlook all my errors on the last post. I am not too good at correcting my mistakes. I need to learn to use the spell checker or whatever it is.

It is now spring of 1944 and life is good. The past several months have been full of activities such as having fun with my friends. The picture shown and the girl on the right is a good friend of mine who lives a couple of doors from me on 7th street. Her name was Janet Protho. She came by the drug store one day with the girl on the left. She introduced her to me and her name was Kathleen Riley. Little did i know that day that this would develope into more than just someone i had just met. The next few weeks we got better acquainted. She went to church with Janet and after some invites i begin to show up at the 4th and State church of Christ. Sunday afternoons would be a time when we do a lot of things together. I met her parents and everything about them was great. I had not attended church anywhere during my childhood up until this point. I recall very vividly about the hayride to the Old Mill. It was this night when i ask her if she would go steadt with me and she said yes. Her brother Garland was on this hayride also and he went home and told his mom that he has seen me kissing his sister. After all, I was 16 now and i knew what i was doing. Her parents and herself begin teaching me about Christ and the church. It was in the early summer that year that I was baptised by E.R. Harper at The 4th and State church in Little Rock. One of our activities during that summer was to ride our bikes to Willow Springs or Jennings Lake to swim. This was about a 15 mile trip. At this point now, none of the girls that i liked before really meant any thing except being friends. Kathleen and I would spend as much time as we could together. I still worked at the drug store and since she lived in North Little Rock made some difference. I recall alot of nights i would go to her home and stay later than i should and miss the last bus home. I have walked many nights from 714 West 22nd st in NLR to 7th and Schiller in Little Rock. Kathleen attended North Little Rock Hi School and was a Wildcat and my Little Rock scholl were the tigers. This was a major rivalry and our big football game would be on Thanksgiving day each year. Her loyalty would change because i convinced her to start attending Little Rock Hi. in Sept of 1944. This is just the beginning of a life time committment. 

Some one said that time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. My time at West Side Jr Hi passed and I started at Little Rock Sr Hi school. This was before it became Little Rock Central Hi. During this time there were only two high schools in Little Rock. The other was Dunbar Hi School where blacks attended. When i left West Side i had not passed Algebra and had to take it again in high school. This was the most boring subject i ever had and just hated going to class. Also i have never found an occasion in my life where it mattered. Anyway the other aspects of school were fun and intresting. I looked forward to study hall in the afternoon so i could take a nap. The early morning paper route and the after school job was not designed for a lot of sleep. As i look back to those days and the many friends i had, it makes me wonder what has happened to them. I know some have passed on and at one time in recent history i would see one occasionally.One of my closest friends was Bill Westbrook. Bill and I often talked about how we could become rich and have the world by the tail so to speak. Even after Kathleen and i were married, Bill would spend time with us and we would go places together. Bill and I bought a printing press and even planned on going into the printing business. As i recall we paid 50 dollars for the press ( it was obsolete) but that was the extent of that venture. When i got out of service, Bill had disappeared and i never saw him again. Charles Phillips who owned Phillip's Mens Store also knew Bill but he did not know what had happened to him. I just mention this because time gets away from us and as we look back, often we wish we would have stayed in touch with those who had an impact on our lives. Wouldn't it be great to just take a few minutes occasionally and call a friend and ask how they are doing and to let them know you are thinking about them.We do get caught up in our own little world and often forget about someone who has been an influence in our lives. Anyway, i had better stop before i start preaching. Take care and more of this verbage will be on the way.

This picture was made in front of the Baptist Hospital, which was a couple of blocks from where I worked. Pictured are three who were in the group that spent a lot of time together. The redhead sitting next to me was one of my neighbors. We were good friends, but that was all that we were. I think maybe she felt differently, but that would all change a little later on. My work allowed me to make a lot of friends. The drug store was a popular place because of the soda fountain and because it was real close to school, as well as the hospital. Our pastime was just being together since there was not a lot of activities available in those days, especially with the war going on. If we went anywhere, it would require walking or catching a street car. Thinking about street cars, one of our pranks would be pulling the ropeon the back of the car that connected the car to the power line. The conductor would have to get out and put it back on. We would stand back and listen to a few choice words from the conductor. I know this was not the right thing to do, but something would have to be done occasionally just to have something to do. On a lot of nights, after the drug store closed, we would sit outside in front and just spend time talking. Most of the time it was probably about girls. When I would get home, my mom would be in bed but not asleep. When she would ask me what time it was, I always replied, "It's plenty past eleven." Plenty sounded like twenty to her. We did not think of ourselves as being mean, just mischevious as a part of growing up. One of the most important things I learned in my childhood was loyalty. I never wanted to be late for work, nor did I ever speak negatively about Mr. or Mrs. Wade, whom I worked for. They helped me in more ways than one. As I look back on my experiences during these years, I often wonder what would have taken place had I not been fortunate enought to have found this job when it was badly needed. Today, I know God works in mysterious ways and possibly led me in the right direction. More to come later. 

These two pictures are from my beginning employment at the Battery St. Drug Store. The one on the bike was for my early morning Gazette paper delivery and the other was taken in front of the drug store. I really enjoyed my time working for Mr Wade. He was a source of encouragement to me. It was here that i begin to realize that i enjoyed being around people. It was easy to get acquainted with so many on a first name basis and also meet elderly as well whom i respected so much. Mr Williams who ran the bicycle shop was a big help to me. I would go by every chance i got and just watched him work on bicycles. Of course i got a lot of work on mine at no cost. The Baptist Hospital was 2 blocks from the drug store and at that time there was a dorm there for nurses in training. The drug store was a place they came to frequently just to enjoy the soda fountain. There were several that became good friends and like for me to wait on them. It could have been because i saved wrigleys gum for them. Everthing was rationed but we would get a couple of boxes with our candy orders and i would hide some gum back for the nurses. It was during this time also i met three soldiers from Camp Robinson who were dating three of the nurses. They become good friends also and on a couple of occasions they invited me out to camp on Saturdays and would explain all the different types of artillery they used in training.
My job changed somewhat after a while on the job. With Mr Wade being the only Pharmicist, i would wait on customers other than the soda fountain. I also made ice cream used for shakes and malts. Also made Pimento cheese for sandwiches and the clear syrup used at the fountain. There were no other drug stores near so business was good. At the time, i did not realize it but the experiences i had working here would benefit me later on in life. I relied a lot on others like Mr Wade to guide me in the right direction. Not having a father figure sometimes made it difficult in decision making but i looked to others for their guidance. Like the time as a prank i padlocked the Ship Ahoy restaurant a couple of doors down from the outside so noone could get in or out. Later on Mr Wade had a Detective talk to me just enough to convince me not to do that again. I spent a lot of time at the restaurant with my buddies playing the pin ball machine. We knew how to cheat it so we could play for hours without having to put money in it. Anyway this was a part of growing up and i had a lot of growing up to do. Later, i will tell about a young lady i met at the drug store that helped me to grow up in a hurry.

On the previous post i mentioned that my older brothers had gone into the military and left my mom and me without any immediate income. The house we lived in at 7th and Schiller was a large house with a large hallway that separated two living quarters. The family that lived in the other side actually rented the whole house but rented half to us. Our rent was $11.00 per month which compared to todays prices is about the same as a normal meal. I was attending West Side Jr. Hi. and knew a girl who's mom had a drug store. She had mentioned to me that her mom needed a delivery boy to work at night delivering orders. Since i had a bicycle she hired me to work from about 5 in the afternoon till closing time at 10:oopm. She would pay me 15 cents per hour. I took the job and started making deliveries of whatever someone would order and also do some work at the soda fountain. The wages was not much but we could buy some small amount of groceries along. Needless to say this interfered with my school work but that would become secondary. This next statement is something that i have never told anyone, no not anyone in all these years. The only reason i mention it now is to make a point. On this job i was confronted by a homosexual man whom ordered something frequently from the drug store. This became a situation in which i dealt with the best i could on my own. I could not talk to the store owner since she was a woman and also her daughter worked in the store also at night. I sure could not let my mom know nor did i know how to tell it. While going to school i would not eat lunch everyday and would occasionally stop at the Battery St. Drug store where i could get a coke and some crackers for 15 cents before going to the other Drug Store to work. I got to know John Wade who owned the Battery St. drug store. I told him about working out on 12th st. and how much i made. He said if i would go to work for him he would pay me 25 cents per hour to work the soda fountain. This was only 2 blocks from school and much closer to home. I did not realize it then but as i have grown older i now feel that God had a hand in taking care of the problem i had encountered at the other place. I would no longer have to deliver to Mr. Wofford and encounter his perverted actions. Today, i still harbor a hatred for the actions of people who practice this type lifestyle. We are taught that we are to love all people and yes our enemies. This is something i still wrestle with and find it most difficult. This is all i will say about my encounter and will not discuss it any further with anyone.
After starting to work for Mr. Wade i also started delivering the Arkansas Gazette in the early morning. My drug store hours would be from 4:00 pm till 10:00 pm. I would get up at about 3:30 am and go to 8th and Battery to meet the truck for my morning papers. Since we had to walk delivering the papers my route took about 2 hours. It would give me time to get back home and get ready for school. There was a young man that was i n college that had a paper route and needed someone to deliver his route weekly. He hired me and paid me $7:00 a week to take care of his route the 9 months he was in school. This became then enough to pay our rent and also buy groceries along with my drug store money. After about 8 or 9 months my mom began to get an allotment from my bro. Bennie. My school work really suffered but the experiences i gained while working at the drug store was well worth it. It helped me to become more of a people person which would help me greatly in later life. Mo on my drug store years next.

Living at 7th and Schiller in L.R. was a lot of fun. The family next door had a son my age and we became good friends. We also lived near Lamar Porter Field and i got the chance to play some baseball. Not really good at baseball but in my career i only recall two errors i made. One i fell off the bench and the other was spitting in the water bucket. One of our passtimes was catching slow freight trains coming out of union station and grabbing on and riding to the 14th street viaduct and jumping off as they begin to gain some speed. We always welcomed big rains so we could swim in the drainage places at the train station. Our neighbors a block away were good friends also. They were African Americans and owned a little eating cafe called Kidds Place. A 16 0unce Town Hall drink and burger cost a quarter and boy did they have good fried pies. Their boys played ball with us cross the street at a vacant lot. Also cross the street on the south side was a mattress factory and i would go in there occasionally and watch. I recall the day that Mr Smith who owned the place hung himself inside the place and it never operated again. All these places have disapeared over the years and all this now is state capitol grounds. We lived 21 blocks from Main St and in those days we didn't think anything about walking that distance to see a 10cent double feature at either of 3 different movie theaters.
My brother Bennie got me my first bicycle. It was a Schwinn and boy if you had one of these you had something. I think he bought it from someone he worked with. Anyway that bicycle became a very important part of my life. I will tell more about it in the next post.

In 1938, we made the move from Liddieville La. to Little Rock, Arkansas. As i had mentioned earlier my oldest brother Jack was living in Little Rock. My brother Leo was working somewhere in Nevada with the WPA. WPA was a program started by Roosevelt to provide work and some income to individuals. Bennie, Mom and myself made the move. My brother Johnnie remained in Louisiana to graduate from Ogden Hi School. I was in the 6th grade at the time and started school at Pulaski Heights Elementary. We moved to 624 Schiller St in L.R. and i attended West Side Jr. Hi. starting the 7th grade.
My brother Bennie started working at the Lafayette Hotel as a maintenance person. Our lives became much different from the previous farm life. School was much different and offered things that i had not had before. In the 7th grade we had a shop class where we could make different things. My first project was a hot plate. Later in shop it was wood work. We still have the table i made in the 8th grade, but the fondest thing in Jr Hi was the model planes we made for the Air Force. These planes were scale models of real aircraft and used by the military to train personnel in aircraft identification. My favorite was the P-51 Mustang. This program was just after the war started.
Everything went well until the war started in 1941. My bro. Johnnie was in L.R. and worked at the hotel with Bennie. In early 1942, they both were drafted into the army. Bennie stayed in the army but Johnnie was assigned to the Air Force. Jack had already been drafted and Leo was already in the army before the war started. Needless to say, this left me and my mom at home with no means of support. Next post i will go into how we made it thru the ordeal.

One more bit of info before going back to my childhood. After a bad weekend of not really feeling good, i made a journey to my doctor today to see why i hurt all the time in my neck and right shoulder. X-Rays revealed a broken clavicle. I had noticed back sometime ago that i had a bone on the right side of my neck that protruded more than the left side. With the discomfort i felt something was wrong but i have no earthly idea what has happened to break a bone. I have an appt on Thursday with an orthopedic Dr. Hopefully something can be done to correct the problem. The only concern i have is the length of time the break has been there and the protruding bone. I sure don't want to be cut on nor do i intend to be. I know it has been a few months that i hurt when laying on my right side. Anyway, hopefully i'll find out on Thursday what can be done.

Another corner of the porch. The coco cola drapes underneath the table is Izzy's private area. 

This is another picture of our back porch with the coco cola stuff. We have the 1957 chevy design booth and my 1951 Seeburg jukebox. This is really izzy's room but we enjoy eating most of our meals here as we once did. 

 

The picture is the corner of our back porch after we re arranged everything. Will show other views later.

Thanks for the comments. I will let everyone know how the event at Harding went. Tracy, are you a Hannity fan?
George, Don't ask me how to edit. I still have trouble turning my computer on.

I just watched Greta Van Susteren's interview frpm Lambeau Field with Bret Farve. His Mom's home was destroyed by Katrina and she still has not moved back in. The pictures reminded me of the area along the Mississippi Gulf Coast that i had just seen after a year. Those people have had a heavy load to bear. Incidently, the packers are my favorite pro team.

Well, its been rather quiet lately. I suppose i have ticked some folks off. Hope not, i have some strong convictions and probably should keep them to myself. Just to let everyone know, i have been invited by a Harding Univ. Board member to go next Thursday to hear Sean Hannity speak at Harding. He will do his daily radio broadcast from Harding. At 5:00 pm we will have dinner with him. At 6:15 he will speak at Benson Auditorium. Hannity and Colmes TV telecast will be from Benson Aud. Colmes will not be here but thats OK. He is not one of my liking but Hannity is. Those that attend the dinner will have reserved seats. Sean is the type of person that stands up for my beliefs, and i look forward to the occassion.

As i pause and reflect on this day and what happened 5 years ago, i suppose i am more troubled today than i was on that terrible day. As i listened to the President tonight i realized the passion i have now is more dedicated to catching the terroist than before. I am troubled about all the indifference i read about those who feel their capture is not important. They continue to bash our President in his efforts to keep this country safe. I know he is not perfect in all that he is trying to do and neither are we perfect in our indeavors. He is our President and i pray for him as he leads our nation as well as others you are serving along side him. I wonder how many of the bashers pray for him and our country. Freedom is something that is important to me and i pray that our country can and will continue to fight for that freedom regardless of who is President. I am thankful to God that efforts are being made to round up all these thugs and hopefull that will get what they deserve. This is my story and i am sticking to it.

While thinking about going back to the old homeplace where you lived as a kid, i realized while there that there is something about the old cottonfields back home. I remember very vividly the cotton field and trying my hand at picking cotton. Needless to say, i didn't like it. Besides they complained about my not keeping the cotton clean of leaves and trash. I had to stop and watch a mechanical cotton picker back home. They get leaves stems and everything else as they go down the rows. So, what was the big deal years ago? As i recall the price for clean cotton was better so thats the reason they didn't let me pick much cotton. I know there is a cotton picking song that was recorded but can't remember the title but i recall a line or two. My main job as a kid was carrying water to the fields for the pickers. I didn't like that job either. I did hear that if you put some vinegar in the water they would not drink as much. I never got enough nerves to try that because i knew what the consequences would be. Anyway, just reminiscing about them old cotton fields back home.

I had intended to comment about my dad's grave in an earlier post. I need to go back sometime and raise this marker up. It has settled about three or four inches below the surface. It was about 6:00 pm when i was there. No one was around and i did not have anything with me to raise it up.This is the bronze marker my Father in Law made me back in the early 60's while working at the Foundry. You can tell i tried to clean some of the dirt off. This is a good reason for me to go back next year. Who knows? I may get to go back there to do some work next year. Heres hoping.

While i was in Mississippi i went back to the home i remembered the most about. While we lived here i started to school. My first year was in the primer. I suppose this is similar to what we call kindergarten now. Anyway, the place looked a lot different than when i was there several years ago as shown in previous postings. It looks as if someone may be living there now since the grass was mowed and the yard area was cleaned up. Previously when my wife and i went there before i had remembered a porch cross the front of the house which was not there. Since the place has been cleaned up i spotted the brick pillars in front where that porch was supposed to be. Some time over the past 70 plus years the porch was removed and the front entrance moved to the side. My previous visit, we had to crawl under the fence to take pictures. Now the gate is still there but is chained up. I was not going to climb over the gate but i sure wanted to know who was living there. The thought occured to me that maybe someone who was displaced because of Katrina had moved there, maybe so maybe not. Anyway, i was pleased to see the old place still standing after all these years. I sat there thinking about all the things that my older brothers and myself got into that probably caused our mom a lot of misery. Maybe next year i will go back one more time since there is some interest by Cindy and George to see where i spent my early childhood. I suppose the older you get the more nostalgic some get and look to the past. There is a lot of contentment in looking back and remembering the good times you've had. Maybe we dwell too much sometimes on the bad times and fail to enjoy those things along the way that have helped us the most. I can't complain, i have had a good trip thus far.

My trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast was intresting as well as distressing. There are a lot of people there who after one year are still struggling with the aftermath of Katrina. I met with individuals who are working hard to regain some of what was destroyed. I had intended to take some pictures but after seeing some of the dire situations and the devastation these people still face, i felt it was best not to. They still have years of hard work ahead of them but i witnessed determination to make it happen. Those families i met with were an encouragement to me because of their dedication to the task that they still face. Sure, there is something better to look forward to than the FEMA trailers, and especially to those who are still without even a trailer. God Bless them.

I had mentioned that i wanted to go back to my roots and look maybe for the last time at some of the places where i lived as a child. I did go to the cemetary where my dad was buried in 1928. He is buried at the Montgomery Cemetary near Summit Ms. The Montgomery Baptist church was started in 1893 and its where my mom and dad went to church.