Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutEastgate Panel 5Eastgate Oral History Group 5 Raymond Gorzycki Joe Ferreri Tom Jones * *Tom Jones has yet to return his corrected transcription. Remarks: City of College Station Memory Lanes Oral History Project Memory Lane: G s.t (Qat Interview No. Name T 0'6 of S Interview date / _' i -, Interviewer 73; I / Le Interview length Interview Place C. 5. fn.n fe.ve,7ce. Ce,i - - %J; . /f ,i Special sources of information Date tape received in office # of tapes marked Date Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd Describe Photos Interview Agreement and tape disposal form: Given to interviewee on Received Yes No Date Signed Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes No Transcription: First typing completed by Pages Date (name) First audit check by Sent to interviewee on Received from interviewee on Copy editing and second audit check by Final copies: Typed by • Oral History Stage Sheet Proofread by: 1) Pages Date 2) Pages Date Photos out for reproduction: Where to: Date: Original photos returned to: Date: Indexed by: Date Sent to bindery by Date Received from bindery Date Deposited in archives by: Date (name) (name) Pages Date Pages Date Pages Date I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to be returned unharmed. Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of, any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of action in whole or in part are covered by insurance. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE City of College Station, Texas 77840 ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET /31/ C.. Ia% Interviewe,>E (Please Print) f Interviewer Plac6 of Interview List of photos. documents. mans. etc. Interviewee (Please print) Signature of Interviewee Date Initial Name Addres Telephone )476) Place Date of Birth ' Place of Birth2,6)— - ,e INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed .0"-/-t 6.1 In progress Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property, arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in whole or in part from the negligence of city. Remarks: City of College Station Memory Lanes Oral History Project Memory Lane: Ea 5+ ( - ra+E' Interview No. Name ;TL e Fe.Irr e e I Interview date 7�z 7/9 Interviewer - 5;11 La I Interview length Interview Place C . S . (, n f e,,revn c u. C'e tir + ek - Z_ ill • ) (1 - i Special sources of information Date tape received in office # of tapes marked Date Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd Describe Photos Interview Agreement and tape disposal form: Given to interviewee on Received Yes No Date Signed Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes No Transcription: First typing completed by Pages Date (name) First audit check by Sent to interviewee on Received from interviewee on Copy editing and second audit check by Final copies: Typed by Oral History Stage Sheet Proofread by: 1) Pages Date 2'- Pages Date Photos out for reproduction: Where to: Date: Original photos returned to: Date: Indexed by: Date Sent to binciery by Date Received from bindery Date Deposited in archives by: Date (name) (name) Pages Date Pages Date Pages Date I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to be returned unharmed. Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of, any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of action in whole or in part are covered by insurance. F /� �/-- EL Inte viewee (Pie e print) !C2?. gnature of Interviewee Intervieier (P ease Print) Signatur4 of Intgrviewer Place /of Interview HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE City of College Station, Texas 77840 ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET List of uhotos. documents. mans. etc. Name reS j 4 7 �- S s � 9 - 9 77 Telephone Date of Birth Place of Birth , /7/7 INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed In progress Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property, arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in whole or in part from the negligence of city. Date Initial Remarks: Memory Lane: East Interview No. Name ( <x m e A ci Gc r 7 K; Interview date r / /q Interviewer - 8111 La ul I nterview length Interview Place C, S, CoIA -i c e. C",t - , , , rr I, Special sources of information Date tape received in office # of tapes marked Date Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd Describe Photos Interview Agreement and tape disposal form: Given to interviewee on Received Yes No Date Signed Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes No Transcription: First typing completed by Pages Date (name) First audit check by Pages Date (name) Sent to interviewee on Received from interviewee on Copy editing and second audit check by Pages Date (name) Final copies: Typed by Pages Date City of College Station Memory Lanes Oral History Project Oral History Stage Sheet Proofread by: 1) Pages Date 2) Pages Photos out for reproduction: Where to: Date: Original photos returned to: Date: Indexed by: Date Sent to bindery by Date Received from bindery Date Deposited in archives by: Date Date Signature /ofIrerviewer Plad'e of Interview List of photos, documents, mans, etc. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE City of College Station, Texas 77840 ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to be returned unharmed. Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of, any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of action in whole or in part are covered by insurance. r , // ,/ Interviewer (Plda5e Print) Inter viewep ase prt) ikr Sig . - ure of Iii er • ' = wee Ate for D C. ( ,'CK - i Name I Dad v Kiz t ►/.k N :e. OR- Address Telephone r2-7.. 12-4h Date of Birth Place of Birth egb1J INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property, arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in whole or in part from the negligence of city. Date Initial In progress We will try to keep it up until the 50's that's when I didn't get here until then. I am 53. We'll take your info anyway, you got here about the time I left here, where were you; we have some boring chores to attend to; these are some official documents which will go in: BL- My name is Bill Lay; today is September 27, 1995; we are interviewing starting at 10:17; we are interviewing Mr. Joe Ferreri, Mr. Raymond Gorzycki, Mr. Tom Jones; the interview is taking place in room 104 at 1300 George Bush drive College Station Tx.; the interview is sponsored by the Historic Preservation Committee and the Conference Center Advisory Committee of the city of College Station Tx.; it is part of the memory lane and history project. BL- At this time I would like each of you to introduce yourself if you will, mainly so we can get some information about you as identifying you so we will know what the voice sample attached to the name, but I ask you at this time not to be giving us a great deal of info, what your name is and when you came here and basically your original; if you were in business; or your original contract with the city was and then we will go into some more detail after that. So if you might start out with Mr. Ferrreri. JF- Hello, my name is Joe Ferreri, we moved to College Station in 1961. I believe we bought the car lot, on University and Texas Ave. and Mr. Gorzycki home, ah, and built the Ramada Inn. RG- I am Ray Gorzycki. I was born in Bryan and moved to College Station at an early age in 1933 and practically raised up on campus, my dad was a barber at the YMCA barber shop for years and was known as Harry and went to Consolidated school and, I think I was in the graduating class, the first graduating class of Consolidated after they moved here on Jersey street, went to A &M, went to the service and got back here and that's about it. BL- Mr. Jones TJ- My name is Tom Jones, and I was born in Comanche county the year 1902, and I moved to College Station in 1923. And (Doug? and us)? went to work for Mr. Black in his store, and I guess that's all. BL- if we mentioned earlier, what we are trying to do is get some early history of things that happened here in College Station, and each of you is going to have some time, you are going to want to tell us of some early history and everything, I would remind you the recorder has a different time, not Chris, but the recording machine has a different time, different between two different between two different people when they are talking, so if you have got something to say if you will just hold it until the next one, the first one finishes then we will get on to that, but we want to give each one of you plenty of time, we will try you run the program until, the program, get it up until 12 noon. Oh, can understand Ray that you got something you need to do possibly before 12.(Ray) -just a little bit before 12; so you will be here roughly till 11:30. yes we will try to time it so that we get everything rung out of you by that time. Joe why don't you tell us about only some of the early happenings, when you came here to College Station. JF- Well Bill let me ask you ask you something. I used to own the Ramada Inn; I mean the Triangle Drive in, which is now Chicken Oil, right, and that is related to the east gate. Bill- Let's put that in because that is history, when you talk about Triangle Drive in, I remember the Triangle drive in and that is ancient history. JF- Well that were we started out in 1948, The Triangle Drive in, which is now Chicken Oil, oh and then from these we moved up and added on a dining room to serve the hamburger and beer we were selling and ah built a dining room on and later on we moved and built what is now where Tom's BBQ is Triangle drive in restaurant and banquet room. And then in 1961 or 60 one afternoon General Rudder approached me at about 1:00 p.m. after our lunch run to sit down at a booth and I have a picture of where that booth was, and told me and complimented me on what a good job I was doing with our restaurant, but knew it was ready for me to move on, and I didn't quite understand what he was saying at that time, he says that we need, we can't get any funds on campus on continued education seminar and convention, and he says that we want you to go into the hotel business, a convention center and he assured me that this would be an asset to the university and that they will help in all ways to inform me of all the things I would have to do, some of the requirements that the General wanted for the campus and that we must have a meeting room, a banquet room that would hold 1000 people, we must have an olympic swimming pool for the professors at A &M and their families, we must have a faculty club which was illegal back in those days, but he made it legal and ah Briarcrest country club had already approved and this would be a compliment to the country club for the professors, anyway he said to me that we have a piece of property already picked out...and we had the planning and zoning change the zoning and a former student in the insurance business that will make a loan to you for the building of the hotel, and before I realized it I was in the hotel business, and you don't say no to General Rudder, and he said all you have to do is get yourself a franchise, we did build it, and it was an asset to the campus it held all the seminars of continuing education and conventions naturally when you have a convention center. It takes professors to go to others seminar, and bid them TAMU it takes roughly 5 years circle until you can get it to your place when they vote it in. Ah, so the first two or 3 years were very lean and result in that we had to have help in some way, I then built a Roadway Inn, in Bryan, less money then borrowed and then supported the Ramada Inn, which made it all come out right and the end result was fine. That was my experience in that one stage, it did help start the growth of Texas A &M University campus. BL - and that was the first quote big hotel in College Station, yea, I think there were some other quote motels around was it the Bluebonnet; old style motels TJ - next door to me was the ah Sands Motel; and that was it, basically as far as College Station was concerned. BL - and all that happens in about the early 60's TJ - about all the accommodations we had at that time. We had to have things that would bring in professors, ah we couldn't get professors to come to a small town, there were no facility, for their wives and children, although we supplied all that for them to help stimulate to get the best professors. BL - I think its interesting the things it takes to be a great university so to speak, and we don't think of that sometimes but the community provides more services to attract communities professors and other things. TJ - General Rudder couldn't get any funds from the federal government or the state there were no funds available right after World War II. You know no one has that in mind, but he could foresee a big university and he also foresee which basically what we have today. Senator Bill Moore and Congressman Teague brought in funds to build what you have now. BL- Ray tell us about your early experiences in College Station. RG- Well, oh it was as a matter of a kid growing up and going to school here. And remembering particularly the North Gate area. Business such as Luke & Charles grocery store or, Charles & Luke. I don't remember which name was first, the variety store next to that, the drug store on the corner, and the photography shop, and the barber shop, the old College Station State bank, John Bravenec Service Station, St. Mary's east of that. Then from this point to all the way to Texas Avenue (or the old Highway 6 or the new Highway 6) were nothing but an old gravel road which is now University Drive. Just a lot of fond memories growing up around College Station. BL- Can you think of one specific thing that sticks in your mind? RG- Yeah really there was Lilly Ice Cream Parlor right in North gate next to the grocery store, and they sold triple dip ice cream cones for a dime, and that goes a long way back, and that 's about it. BL- You say your dad was a barber at the YMCA on campus. RG- Yes, ah, he was in World War I then went to Houston and got his barbers' license then came back here, and was a barber on the first chair by the shine chair for years and years at the shop that was known as "Bert's" Barber Shop in the YMCA and then later he had his own shop at the South Gate area next door to the Madeley's Pharmacy and Southside Food Market. BL- When would he have left the YMCA? RG- That would have been around the 1940's, early 40's and he continued to run that shop until he retired, and I lived and did all my walking back and forth from school and what have you, I lived out where Holleman is now where Doubletree Apartments are, between Wellborn and the 2818 West by pass, so watched all the Aggie football games, baseball games, track games, and all that was going on in the afternoon all my life. BL- That's probably the most exciting thing that happened around here are the sporting events. RG- Oh - it was. BL- Mr. Jones you mentioned that you didn't come to College Station until the early 50's TJ- Yes, no I came to Bryan in 1947. BL- OK then what brought you to Bryan? TJ- I bought a drug store down there on Main Street. I operated it for about 4 years, I lost my lease and moved out on the Highway and sold. I went to work for Mr. Black at the East Gate. BL- It was called Blacks Pharmacy then. TJ- Blacks Pharmacy, yes a very good fellow to work for, and oh I remember Joe opening the first place to eat a lot of it, and oh but my first time in Bryan, College Station! I came down here in 1945 to register my son in college, and in 1947 we moved down here and bought a business and have been here ever since. Later we bought Mr. Black's store and ran it, it was the only pharmacy till I retired in 1968. BL -Well you've been retired since 1968. TJ- Yes sir. BI- Well it doesn't seem like it's been that long since you left the drug store business. TJ- I had some mighty good years and pleasant years in the drug store business in College Station. BL- Can you think of some early episodes in the drug business you might want to tell us about? TJ- Well. BL- Here in College Station is what I am specifically speaking about TJ- I opened my fist drug store in 1923 in a little town of about 365 miles northwest of here and stayed there until about 1944, I got enough money together to move, the town was so small, and I moved around twice, I moved to two different places and then I finally came to Bryan and bought a store. BL- Are these pictures of your store? TJ- These pictures are No, I don't have one of my store. These are of the Blue Top court. That was over there in East Gate. BL- Yeah, the blue top, that's it. TJ- Mrs. Gramms gave me those this morning. BL- Is Mrs. Gramm here today? TJ - No she is sick and couldn't come. BL - Oh I'm sorry to hear that, I use to work for Ms. Gramm. Jones - You use to work... Lay - Ms. Gramm use to work over at the registrar office, I believe didn't she? Jones - Oh yeah. Lay - And I worked with her over there for a number of years. Jones - Yeah. Lay - Well, good if we could we'd like to keep these for a day or two. And have copies made and get them back to you would that be satisfactory of should we talk to Ms. Gramm. Jones - It's Ms. Gramm, I told her I'd bring them back this morning. Lay - Well we'll make a note of that and see if we can't talk to Ms. Gramm. We certainly want pictures of these places, they don't exist anymore. Well as I recall we've talk to some other people there was a number of drug stores in town. remember there was one in North Gate, one in South Gate, by the time that you went into business there you were about the only one left in town weren't you? Jones - Here, now. Lay - Yes. Jones - Yeah and Madeley's still living. Lay - Madeley was still in the South Side. Jones - Yeah. Lay - Most of the druggist things have been taken over by the big grocery stores. Jones - That's right, not very many independents anywhere. Lay - You and Madeley were the only two independents, I guess at that time. Jones - Yes sire, will after I retired I worked for Madeley went he wanted to get off and take a vacation or something. I worked at different places. Lay - How long Did Mr. Madeley keep his drug store open? Jones - I don't he was open when I moved here and he closed in, I really don't know, about 70, 1970 or 71. Lay - Ray you said you live over where Doubletree is now. That was country then wasn't it. Ray - Oh you bet. The only thing out in that direction was Uncle Eds on Wellborn Road and then the next thing which was known as Jones' Crossing which Wellborn Road use to cross the railroad tracks there at Jones' Crossing and continued on down to Wellborn and huh a quite interesting little area there. A nice place to grow up. Lay - And did you, you graduated in the first class where the new high school, here on Jersey Street. What year was that? Ray - We had a high school in the old Pfieffer Hall which was just south of the Academic building between the Academic Building and the Physics Building. It was condemned by the College so we use it for a high school I went there the first 3 1/2 years and then finished the last half of my senior year there at the new school on Jersey Street and that was the class of 1940. Lay - Joe you mentioned you came here and opened up the Triangle what year was when you came to College, you were not a native College Station. Joe - No, I'm, a native Bryan, I was born in Bryan on October 20,1919. And in 1946 I went into a second hand furniture business with my uncle, Jimmy Clayton. And a year later I bought him out and from there my cousin Johnny Morrell had bought this Triangle Drive In Properties, 12 acres and asked for me to go in partners with him. Later on, I sold my furniture store and concentrated on this drive inn because it was a cash business. I later on bought my cousin out. (Johnny Morrell) Lay - You and Tom, Ray excuse me are native people to the area. And Tom you just a new -corner here I guess. Jones - Yeah, I guess I was a new comer in Bryan till I left main street. You didn't get to be an old timer down there did you? You had to be born here. Lay - Joe did you remember any of the early experience, I 'm sure there's always been some rivalry between College Station and Bryan are any of interest that we may want to record on the Oral Histories that may have occur in this area down here. Joe - Will, I know this when I had the Triangle Drive Inn that when Bryan Air Force Base was still open as you remember by the Brazos River. And there was an awful lot of fighting going on with the Air Force people coming in with the Aggies and huh. Everynight somebody had a battle out there and so we decided let's see how we can separate them. So we built the Sugar 'N' Spice in Bryan, near highway 21. and that did separate the Airman from the Aggies and we then started having peace. But that was one of the funny things that happen. remember back in those days the Aggies didn't have any cars. On Thursdays when they had drill practice, the whole battalion would walk down old College road and they would be there for the next six hours. And then march back. The biggest thing that happened was when Earl Rudder came into my restaurant. Lay - And that's interesting to hear how the Ramada came about. What are some of the things that might be of interest to people who may be looking back to College Station in years to come. What are some of the other things that you think might be of interest. What happened along highway six, Mr. Jones that might ;be of interest to other people later on down the line. Jones - It was a barely a two lane highway, you could hardly get down the road at eight o'clock just like it is now or seven. But it was built up so they had a four lane road. Back most of these places were cotton patches, farms right on down by the side of Bush Drive south of that was a farm and it was until 19 oh 60 or 70 some where along, maybe later. And it be a surprise how many people drive through then would certainly be a surprise. All this building going on. Especially south of College, all the residents home, about 4 or 5 thousand people when I came around in the College area, now its 40 thousand or more. Lay- Ray, you said you live out there in that area around Doubletree. Is any of your Homestead left out there? Ray- Sorry to say it's not. There was two houses there on our property and it was torn down. Doubletree was built. And the old existing wind mill was gone. Visibly there's not anything structurally there except a tank that I use to fish at as a kid. And that's about it. The 2818 West Bypass divided the place, part of it is on one side east of the bypass and the other on the west of the bypass. It was really close in College Station but yet it was far enough away that you really had a country atmosphere. Lay- Part of that is open pasture still. Is that part of your old place there? Ray- Yeah, we don't own it anymore, a lot of it is still open pasture. Lay- Did you have any close neighbors there or any other people live out in that area with yall? Ray- Well yeah, there was a family by the name of Shemberra. Lay- Do you know how to spell that? Ray- No I don't. Lay- OK. Ray- And the boy was named Alton and the oldest boy was named Thomas. And I think he was Valedictorian of the class and I think also Valedictorian of the graduating class of A &M. and huh basically and of course Uncle Ed Hardliches lied on Wellborn Road. And the entrance to our farm was Luther Street, there at Uncle Ed's, turn right go west on Luther Street and then turn left and your there. Lay- What was summer time like around here at that time? Ray- Well not as hot as it is now. Really we had a story and a half house and my brother and I had control of the attic part. We had our windows open up there and before morning, even in the summer time, you'd have to close the windows. The heat never did bother us at all. We couldn't do anything about it because we didn't have any air conditioning. Lay- Joe you lived in Bryan did you live quote in the city or did you live on the out - skirts. Where did you live in Bryan? Joe- I lived near Coulter Drive, East 27th Street. After World War II I got out of the Navy and we stayed there and we moved around 2 or 3 different houses until finally we moved into College Station, on Spring Creek Drive. Going back to the Ramada Inn, I told you that there was a group of five professional people who were trying to stop the building of Ramada Inn from being created in College Station and that was not an easy deal. And they were trying to undermine sale of my great uncle Gorzycki from him rather then me. He called me up one night and said he would like to talk to me, he said there's a group of people that offered me twice as much for this land. And I told them that I had already a commitment and they said well we'll give you twice as much. Well if Mr. Ferreri turns my offer down then I'll sell it to you I knew how to protect myself from that time on. And we made out a deal. But that was quite a big deal at that day and time, prices are whatever you want to call it. We huh it was something really exciting to build a convention center not knowing anything about it and remember when we built the hotel we did not finish the parking lot and it rained all that day we had red clay. And it was the first football game. And cars got stuck in that clay and then tried to get into there room. All our first floor carpeting was all red and it was chaos. But we came out of it. We had one man on the second game he booked a room for the Saturday night game. People came in we had all kinds of fights. One man came up to me on the second game he got so mad at me he punched me on the nose. I said hey wait a minute there's got to be an easier way to handle this deal and that's when we came up with the two night reservation to protect ourselves and the people trying to get them out was chaos. I think they are still doing it in College Station in order to not any problem people checking in on Saturday and Friday. Serving banquets for one thousand people was easy at the old Triangle. We had a lot of boo boo's when we first opened up the Ramada Inn. With in a years time we could serve one thousand people in seventeen minutes and at that time it was pretty good. A lot of trial and error on it. Lay- I can well imagine, Tom? Mr. Jones, you wanted to tell us something. Jones- This is not important to College Station, it's just something that happened to me in College Station. One time Mr. We didn't serve any foods much just the drinks. But I remember going when Joe opened that Drive Inn, my wife and I going nearly every night after we got off work at eight o'clock. I'd get a hamburger and a sandwich, we'd eat in the car and go on home. Lay -Get one of the 15 cent hamburger Jones- Yes, I don't remember I know it wasn't much, but here's the picture on it that snow. Lay - Is that the Blue Top Courts there. and what year was that? Jones - Yes sir, that's 1949, when did we have that big snow? Lay - We need to make sure and get Ms. Gramm to let us have that so we can make sure and have a picture of that. We have some pictures I know of some homes in South Side, I saw some pictures the other day of a big snow, probably the same snow but a different part of town anyway. Talking about those fifteen cent hamburgers, there was a guy by the name of Pop Shaw had a hamburger joint on campus. Huh in a little old building probably about 8/10 feet now, that's about the size of it. all he had in there was a counter and his grill. And he served many a many of dime hamburgers and when I was going to high school that's where I ate a lot of hamburgers at. That might have given me my cholesterol today. Joe - You know I have a deal that might be interesting to you. At the time I built the hotel & Mr. Rudder said we wanted to develop ;things outside of campus that would help A &M, huh so and huh one day I had a phone call from a young lady who had a restaurant at East Gate and she said "Joe, I thought you told me that Mr. Rudder was to help us establish ourselves so we can better serve the people on campus. "Sure that's right. Will that's not true they've got signs posted all over campus. Breakfast 75 cents all you can eat. And she said come on we can't serve a breakfast for 75 cents. O.K. let me call Mr. Rudder up. and I got on the phone & called Mr. Rudder. Mr. Rudder I said I thought you said were going to help the people on the outside of campus to keep on developing and to and you've got signs all over campus saying breakfast 75 cents . He told me I'll take care of it and I think 15 minutes later there was not one sign on the campus it was amazing, like magic. Lay - He was a man of his word anyway. Joe - Yeah. Lay - We were talking a lot about the early times here and about the business things are, there things you would like to share with the community are put on record for prosperity about things that may have happened are things that you thought were going to happen but didn't. are any of the early experiences you may have which you want to record. Joe - All I can remember is going back to the hotel part of it is that we needed more rooms after 2 years in business. So we added another 44 units on the back end and huh that looked like things were starting to more again. And to go back in debt again it looked like I stayed in debt all the time always borrowing money to keep it going, expanding it, the things that were happening on campus don't look like it ever catch up with itself. And I guess not only me but other people that were in business on campus, the same thing. Lay - I think going back I think it's interesting the effect the business men had on the university. We sometimes over look that I think in the sense that it draws people in and yet has support facilities which is just as important as bringing in professors to teach certain areas and things like this. So I think its real important that yall have been in the business area and have been involved with the growth of A &M through the business aspect for support people and this king of thing. Joe - If it wasn't for the people investing on the outside of campus, I do not think the campus would be as big as it is today. That's my honest opinion. Lay - And I think of something, I know I have often overlooked it does take a hugh support around the university to help it grow and to provide the services that it does. Joe - See what hurt an awful lot too when you cater to the university only and I had to learn the trick real fast when I had the triangle drive inn, is the fact that you only had nine months of school and then after that it died. And a lot of people in business didn't know how to get their cash and have a lot of money left over for the slow periods and they went bankrupt all of a sudden, and somebody else came in. And they kept on doing that but I was able to stay in business at all times. So when the high peak was in there, I saved the money for the low peak and so I was able to slide right on through. A lot of people in business did not do that and this hurt an awful lot. Didn't know how to take chances around the campus. Lay - Were you effected by the same phenomenon, Tom in your business. Tom - Mine was a little different. Most of my business, 85% anyway was family business. And during the slow months it was July and August it was better, because families would have more time and the kids would have more time. When school started, I didn't have a lot of students and it would sometimes slow it down some for a week or two anyway. Everybody would be so busy. Lay - Ray I don't recall asking if I did I didn't write it down, I know what your father did but what business were you in after you got back out of the service. Ray - I majored in accounting. My first job was with R.B. Butler Construction Company in Bryan. And I moved to Houston with a Public Accounting Firm out of Houston and did primary school audits and business audits out of the Houston area, bay area. And huh, then the company I was working for bought out a small accounting firm in Huntsville and I went down there to manage it and I did for a while. I married a Huntsville girl and I moved back to Bryan. Lay - And you came back to Bryan in what year. Ray - Oh, I think in '52 -'53 something like that. I got out of public accounting and was in commercial accounting then. lay - You mentioned again the fact that your dad was born here, your quote a native. How far back does your family go in the Bryan /College Station area? Ray - Well... Lay - Do you remember when your ancestors may have come or...? Ray - All of his family was born in College Station, I think my grand -dad Henry Gorzycki came over from Poland when he was a young boy. Worked in the coal mines of Pennsylvania for a short period of time and then got to Galveston by boat. And then infiltrated in up here and settled here and married here and raised a family. Lay - Joe your a native of Bryan. When did your family first come to the area? Joe - I was born here, my mother was born here but her mother and father were born in Italy and they came in through New Orleans and started migrating along the rivers and that's when they hit the Brazos River. And went up the river to this part here and that's where a lot of Italians settled here. Lay - About what period late 1800's? Joe - 18 something, I forgot now exactly maybe 1830 - 1880 something like that. Of course, I think my grandmother on my mother's side had eleven children and so that's the reason we have a lot of families, relatives. Lay - And Tom you migrated from West Texas? Tom - Yes sir, I was born in Texas. Lay - And you came over to here to open up your drug store over here. Tom - I was born in Commanche and then we went out further West. My daddy was a farmer and a and the bolweevils in Commanche county so we went out beyond that area and we went into business in Kenton County, farming and ranching. And we had a gin out there too. Lay - One thing about it. We all migrated sometime from somewhere anyway we all evidently all like the area or we wouldn't have stayed so all. I thank yall all for coming in this morning and sharing yall's experiences with us. We will have this typed up in 3 -4 weeks and get it to you. Look it over and correct any errors or add what ever you want to. Don't feel you are limited to what's on the page there. If we can we'll contact Mrs. Graham to see if maybe we can get some copies pictures. Joe, I see some pictures there. Joe - See I didn't know how far to go back. See this is the Triangle Drive Inn back in 1948 which is now Chicken Oil. The Triangle Drive Inn where it still exits and up ahead of it is the huh where Tom's Barbeque is. And this is where Mr. Rudder cornered me where that x is. And this is where we had it under construction. lay - If we could we'd like to use these, well make copies of them and return them to you. Joe - sure Lay - If we could do that Again we thank you for coming and your now part of the History of Bryan /College Station of the East Gate part of College Station and we thank you for that.