Earlene Brown –
July 27, 2013
Stanley you are a very good writer the story on Mrs. Davis was very on target you forgot to tell what terrible grades she gave you. When I went to meet with her one of the things I told her was the reason you watched her so closely because you wanted to make sure you understood what she wanted you to do. I had to hold on to my composure because I did not understand an adult treating a child that way. I was amazed when the very next report card came in you had a B.
Earlene Brown –
August 8, 2013
My sister Shirley was one of the most interesting people I ever met.
she had a mind of her, when she was born doctors told our mother she would not live to be one year old. She suffered all her life year after year she proved the doctors wrong. When Shirley was very young mams told me that Shirley was not afraid of anything.Mama said,”tell her the devil is out side and she would have to go out to see what he look like.”My brother Duke and I lived with my father’s mother and Shirley lived with with Mama’s mother 3 miles north of us. One day we were sitting in the dinning room
a knock on the and there stood 8 year old Shirley. We were so excited to see her she begged to come see us all by her self.mama Lil had to threaten to come get her before she would go back home.One day when we were letting out students at the elementary school,I was in high school, I looked out of the window and there Shirley was sitting on top of a little girl beating her,I put the window down and yelled get up from there and be have your self I was amazed when she got up.I never saw her sad no matter how sick she was she always made me laugh.Shirley and Archie raised a wonderful family They are the most loving family crazy but wonderful. Well maybe Brother (Archie ) who love snakes, women and Bikes. Shirley was gifted with knowing things. One day a friend of the family (Mr Pat) was visiting Shirley, when he got to leave Shirley said Mr. pat please do not go the back way home I saw you hit a tree.
Mr laughed left went down the road and hit the tree. He had the nerve to get mad and blame Shirley for his messed up car.I have the gift of the unknown I tried to pray it away there are somethings we would rather not know about.I thank God for my sister and her family.Shirley died May 1979 at 52.
Linda Reece Jones –
August 13, 2013
Mr. Brown I read your memories from your post from Baby Jim’s.
My name is Linda Reece Jones ,I started the What was your favorite ?
I have read them often . I worked there with my Momma & sister till I was 21. Saturday nights were so busy. We 3 had worked at Baby Jim’s Wheel Snack Bar til it caught fire on the other end of town.
I think your story is similar to my growing up in Culpeper County. My daddy worked on a dairy farm off Route 15 . We’d ride in a taxi to town on the 1st or 15th to pay bills, go to the grocery store at A&P on Main Street and get to go to JJ New berry’s. We kids were given a $1.00 to spend. But everything cost so much because I thought I couldn’t afford the $1.00 items. To me it was a million. G C Murphy’s came to town then there was variety.
My kids shopped at Glens on the corner when we took our trips to the bakery on Davis Street.
The steam table hot dogs are red, I take mine with ketchup & onions (chopped by hand). Hot bun sets it off. We have a great hot dog here in Greensboro, NC. It too is a steam table hot dog with a hot bun. The place is “Yum Yum’s” near UNCG campus. They have home-made ice cream.
Down the road about 45 miles is Lexington, NC. Famous for their Bar-B-Q Festivals. They close Main Street near the end of October and the local restaurants feature the Bar-B-Q. But my favorite is the red-hot dog. The town has live music and the Amtrak even stops to let people sample the food. Look it up on-line.
Thank you for listening to my memories. I’m a story collector I’m told, by the older folk. I love to listen to stories from the past.
Certainly did enjoy reading your’s. Linda Reece Rabago
Growing Up Colored 