Fiction can’t hold a candle to some of the REAL people found in a small Southern town in the 50s.  Follow along for just a few of the quirky, but loved, natives.  No gender bias here, but note that they are all male  !!!!!!!!!!

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Local banker :  president of the only bank in town, located on the square.  Times were changing and progress (?) was being made by adding a sidewalk in front of his bank and other businesses along the street.

Banker was not happy with the plan, and he NEVER walked on the sidewalk.  His home was approximately a block from the bank, and he walked in the road :  to work,  home for lunch, back to the bank,  home for the evening……… for years until he died.    You could set your watch.

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Older gentleman :  lived alone on a comfortable residential street.  In the late 40s or early 50s, he purchased one of the first televisions in town.  He enjoyed watching, with the rabbit ears and the antenna, finding it to be a delightful form of entertainment.  However, on a given day, he had to run an errand in the middle of one of his favorite shows.  He turned the TV off, made his trip, came back home to finish watching the episode.  OOPS, it was gone, never to return.

He promptly threw the television out the door, never to purchase another one——-or even to watch a show for the rest of his life.

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Challenged middle-aged adult :   lived a fairly dull life except for his moment of glory on the Friday nights that Lavonia High played football.  And then all attention was on him during half-time because his only talent was his ability to run !

Lavonia High School had no band, so half-time entertainment was cheering on this man as he ran from goal post to goal post until he  “scored “.  Some upstanding citizen of Lavonia had a stopwatch, so betting on his time was part of the fun.  High stakes aside  ( actually, the stakes were very low ),  it was innocent fun and win-win for the fans .   Best of all :  this man  had a night and place to shine.

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A very special person :  two drugstores side-by-side on the square in Lavonia.   Hicks Drugs happened to be the place that the men in town gathered daily to catch up on the news  ( if it were ladies, it would be called gossiping ! ).

One of the funny stories that came out of this drugstore was when a slightly  ” different ” gentleman came in one morning to join the guys.  On this particular day he was excited because it was his mother’s birthday, and the family was planning a celebration.

And so he said,  ” Today is Mother’s birthday.  She’s 66 and I’m 33.  When she was 40, I was 20, and when she was 20, I was 10———–HELL, THAT AIN’T RIGHT !!!!!!  ”    This tale traveled the town and made everybody happy.

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My uncle Crit :  married to my daddy’s sister ,  Rebie Haley Crittenden,  Crit was a South Carolina boy who attended Auburn University with only $50 in his pocket.  He graduated with an engineering degree and $500———–thanks to much success at the poker table.

He worked for the highway department and drove a Henry J,  the only one in town then or since.  He also wore a small gold earring in his left ear, unheard of in Lavonia , but accepted.

And he was the proud owner of  a Cocker Spaniel named ” P MO ”  ( for obvious reasons ! ).   His potty training of ” P MO ” consisted of spanking him with a newspaper, opening a window, and throwing him out.

“P MO” learned !  He promptly did his business in the house and jumped out the window…………

Although Crit walked to his own drummer ,  he was much loved and  highly respected by all who knew him.

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Small town characters.  They make up the quilt that gives variety and color.  How dull life would be if we all  were simply clones.

May these gentlemen rest in peace, knowing they gave our hometown a smile and a memory.

 

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