HomeMy WebLinkAboutSouth Side Panel Group 02Group 2
Marilyn Hrdlika Fugate
Jack Fugate
Betty Dean
Jack Dean
I N
SouthSide Memory Lane
March 24, 1995
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Moderator:
Transcriptionist:
Interview Group:
Lisa Burns
Sylvia Martinez
Betty Dean
Jack Dean
Jack Fugate
Marilyn Fugate
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This is Lisa Burns. Today is March 24, 1995. I am
interviewing for the first time Marilyn Hrdlicka Fugate,
Jack Fugate, Betty Dean, and Jack Dean. This interview is
taking place in the Teen Center of the College Station
Conference Center at 1300 George Bush Drive, College Station
Texas. This interview is sponsored by the Historic
Preservation Committee and the Conference Center Advisory
Committee of the City of College Station, Texas. It is part
of the Memory Lane'Oral History Project
I am Betty Dean of 304 Grove Street College Station. I am
her husband Jack Dean at the same address. I'm Jack Fugate
formerly of College Station now of Burleson County,Texas and
I am Marilyn Hrdlicka Fugate of Somerville.
Lisa - Well, let's begin in the formative years, Let's find
out when you came to College Station, maybe where you grew
up. Would you like to begin?
Betty - We came to College Station in 1957 and we moved in
and bought the ho se that professor Brooks built on 304
Grove Street.
Lisa - OK and what year was that?
Betty - 1957, August of that year.
Lisa - OK, and how old were you at that time?
Betty - Oh my goodness I am going to have to do some
arithmetic
Lisa - how old were you when you moved here?
Betty - I'm 86 no subtract 30 years.
Lisa - 30 years o d. So where did you spend your childhood
years?
Betty - My childhood? Well, I was in Florida when I met
him, before that 'I worked for the Red Cross as a nurse in a
blood bank for the war and I graduated from the New England
Deacon's Hospital in Boston and I was born in Boston so I
was raised up there.
Lisa - OK very good, Jack?
Jack D. - Well, I came here from Houston, Texas. I was with
the Houston Press down there which was a scandal sheet in
those days. And everybody who did anything in Houston or
any of the places that were out of line, why, it didn't
matter what it was whether they had a lot of money or didn't
have any they went in the paper and they were really
sometimes were almost ostracized. Well from that time that
I came up here and,got a job with the Eagle too, I've always
been on the business side not on the editorial side and I
stayed with them for about five years and then I went into
business for myself. My childhood, I was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in North Dakota,
Minnesota and South Florida and then during the war I served
in the South Pacif c and that's about it.
Lisa - OK wonderful, thank you, Jack Fugate?
Jack F. - Well, I came here in 1935, a student at A &M,
entered and stayed on. Took me five years, but I managed
it, got out, and after that, back to Houston. I am from
Houston originally and I stayed there a year and went into
the service. I had a commission from the ROTC training here
at A &M. Went into the service and made several different
posts around the state two or three Louisiana maneuvers and
in 1943, Marilyn and I decided to get married. In fact she
asked me to. We were married in the YMCA Chapel on the A &M
campus on Thanksgiving Day of 1943. From there we went to
Hattisburg, Mississippi. I was stationed at Camp Shelby. We
were there only a short while and we headed to Fort Bragg
North Carolina and from North Carolina, I eventually went
over to Europe, spent several months over there in combat
and then came back to the states, because I was injured.
Went back to general duty in 1946. Went to Japan and later
got out of the Army. Came to College Station, settled down
and went in the printing business. Stayed in the printing
business for a number of years 'till 1973 and sold out to
Newman printing company in Bryan. I had started a little
rubber stamp business. A little business with the late Bill
Moon and I had a hand shake partnership which you won't find
anymore. After fifteen years we worked together on that.
And then in 1979 Bill decided to get out, I bought him out
and continued on operating it and eventually moved into
Bryan in 1985 an& there we stayed seven years. And then I
sold, we now live over at Somerville Area at the lake.
Lisa - OK thank you, Marilyn?
Marilyn - That do1esn't leave me much to say. I was born
February 22, 1922 The old home place was one mile south of
Kyle Field on the old Wellborn Road which later became the
Houston Highway 6 and I went to Consolidated School.
Lisa - Can you tell us something about the area that you
lived in what else was there?
Marilyn - it was a cotton field and pasture from George Bush
Boulevard to Luther and was owned by Kana and then Daddy's
property started. The area was undeveloped and he built the
grocery store here. He was the first Gulf dealer in Brazos
County. And he later became the first person to get a Beer
License in BrazoE county.
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name?
Marilyn - Ed Hrdligka had the grocery store there. Later we
rebuilt it.
Lisa - In today's structure of the town where would that
have been?
Jack F. - One mile south of Kyle Field on Wellborn Road
where the Picnic Pantry is now, do you know where that is,
and the Chinese food place?
Lisa - Yes.
Marilyn - Do you know where Fish Richard's was?
Lisa - Yes.
Marilyn - I was born in the wine room of Fish Richard's.
They bought from us and they turned it into a restaurant.
Jack D. - What was the name of that grocery store the
Shamrock Oil Company purchase up there on the corner of
University and Highway 6?
Jack F. - Oh, that was Louis Maes.
Jack D. - Louis Maes, yea.
Betty - Marilyn, you know the song "I'd rather be a Texas
Aggie "? How does that refer in that song?
Marilyn - Let's go out to Ed's and drink our cares away.
That was written at Uncle Ed's by Jack Littlejohn. Colonel
Dunn wrote the music to "Spirit of Aggieland," but that was
before Uncle Ed's..
Mary L. - And you dad's store was in that song and the
singing cadets still sing that song.
Marilyn - Well I haven't heard it in so long. I have the
sheet music to it.
Mary L. - And the name of it is "I'd rather be a Texas
Aggie." You haven't heard that song?
Lisa - No, but I'm going to have to now, yes.
Marilyn - They don't play it very much.
Mary L.- I wonder why. I think the singing cadets sing it
almost every year. I wonder if they'll sing it at their
last concert with Mr. Boone.
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Mary L. - Well its a real cute song. Where can you find a
record? Is there one?
Marilyn - I don't I cnow, I have the sheet music.
Jack F. - The singing cadets sold that, y ou can get it at
the book store, I imagine.
Lisa - so you said,that surrounding your house at that time
were cotton fields?
Marilyn - Yes, and pastures. The property went all the way
to Holleman, which was county road then but it was renamed
Holleman, He started selling lots and if I'm not mistaken
he gave the property for the church, St. Matthew's. Where
the Lincoln Center is was all my dad's.
Jack F. - Hrdlicka property was on Fairview east and all the
way from up here down to the Holleman drive now which was
county road at that time and now back over to joining the
Swartz's property. In fact there were 304 acres in the
track if I remember correctly reading over these things
here.
Marilyn - On Dexter or there about was a big tank or a lake
and I remember mother told me that she had to go all that
distance to get our cows before they can milk them. From
close to Wellborn road all the way that's where she had to
go. That was part of our property.
Lisa - Is that were the park is now?
Marilyn - They had to drain the lake finally, the city, I
think.
Betty - Why did they have to do that. It would be so pretty
if there was a lake there nowo
Marilyn - Health easons, I guess.
Jack - The colleg had influence on that at that time
because it wasn't!, the city. It was done before the city. It
was done in the 30
Mary L. - Well, you know when they decided to drain that
lake Mrs. Clark who lived next door to the Lancaster's sat
on the damn with the butcher knife and they had to get the
sheriff to come and remove Mrs. Clark because she did not
want them to drain the lake. Do you remember that?
Jack F. - No, I read about it or seen or heard them tell the
story of it. I don't know how true it is.
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Betty - It took about 30 minutes I think.
Jack F. - F.B. Clark was the economics professor there at
A &M and he was one of the persons, F.B. Clark, the
Lancasters, the Bu tons, the Scoates.
Lisa Well � �Y
just be one more thing. Can You tell us
just some typical things about living in that house at that
time? Like where did you shop for food?
Marilyn - My daddy had a grocery store. There were two
wholesale grocery icompanies in Bryan, and one in Navasota.
Lisa - Well that's true. How did he get goods in?
Marilyn - We had a Delcoplant at the store and he wired it
over to the house.) I always say as soon as I was tall enough
to see over the counter he put me to work. Some of my
fondest memories are in that grocery store.
Betty - What was the grocery store called? What was the name
Of it?
Marilyn - Hrdlicka Grocery. I remember Gypsy's coming by in
big touring cars, and I was scared to death of themo I had
heard that they Ldnapped children.
Betty - Way back then.
Lisa - How did you get to school? Where did you go to
school?
Marilyn - The bus came from Wellborn. But usually my
brother, he had almodel A and he would take me. He was four
years older than I was and he would take me to school and
then come, get me at noon and take me home, and then come
pick me up. But I ride the bus, some.
Lisa - And was school on the A &M campus at that time?
Marilyn - it was at the end of new Joe Route Boulevard,
that's when it was in the big stucco building and the whole
school was there. Grade 1 up through high school.
Jack F. - Right to the north of what we call the new dorm
area, I guess it'was just to the north later became the band
hall was just built, the Aggie Band Hall. of course after
they built those new dormitories over there it didn't really
move this way as far as campus is concerned
Marilyn - but then from that building they moved it to
Pfeuffer Hall on the campus right next to the academic
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building. I think it was condemned but we still went to
school there until they built this over here.
Lisa - So how many of your school years did you go?
Marilyn - I think after they completed this school I think I
was here one year but the rest of it was either in the old
school or in Pfeuffer Hall.
Lisa - And who owned the property that this school?
Jack F. - I think this was Dobrovolny property.
Marilyn - I think so, the Holik's were in here somewhere
too.
Lisa - OK great. Let's go into different types of
businesses in the area. You said you came here with the
Eagle, correct, and you lived in the South Gate area. Can
you tell us a little bit about your neighborhood, your home?
Betty - The trees,were very small. I remember that because
I have pictures of our house when we bought it and I can't
believe the trees have grown in 38 years like they have.
But since I've aged the way I have I guess the trees have to
and we loved Soutli Side. You could do anything and
everything on South Side. The building that is now a drive
in not a drive in but a combination garage, not garage, but
gas station and convenience store is on the right as you
look from George Bush on the corner of Highland. That was a
doctor's office and it was wonderful to have it there. In
case of an emergency you could just walk over there and then
on the other side, some the buildings, some of the companies
are still there, but didn't you have a place there in that
group that South Side building and we had a barbershop up
there. And we had Mr. Pruitt is still there, you could go
buy material for 4 dress there was that wonderful grocery
store on the corner, you could get almost anything you
wanted, There was a dentist on the second floor, you didn't
need to go anywhere.
Lisa - can you remember some of the names of the doctors and
the dentist and who owned the stores?
Betty - Cathecar , Dr. Cathecart. He was there for a long
time. He was a dentist. Yeah, and I've got the teeth he
took out for me to prove it.
Lisa - To prove it?
Betty - Yes, and I wish he was still there and let's see a
doctor who had a very short name. Was it Hoyt?
Jack D. - Dr. Hol.t and Dr. Andre.
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Betty - Oh, Dr. Andre the original lived there. That's
right because he owned a house one block down I remember and
let's see. . .
Jack D. - Madeley also.
Betty - Madeley's Pharmacy, didn't I say Madeley's Pharmacy?
Oh I used to go ug there when he was out of town at noon and
get myself a banana split and it did me in until supper
time. Boy that banana split was good! And my son grew up
on their tomato soup. Really, they had little
luncheonettes, Didn't they?
Jack D. - Yeah.
Betty - Later, I had a daycare center and once a week their
treat was to walk'to Madeley's and get some ice cream, an
ice cream cone. And I remember those high places around the
booths and the kids couldn't look over them. And people
were always amazed, these children weren't standing on the
seat looking over. Not one of them ever did it and several
people would often times come to me and say, I had about
eight children. How can you possibly keep these children
from and I'd say well they know that seats are to sit on and
not to stand on. They'd been brought up that way in my
daycare center. And they were so well behaved that everyone
would tell me about it, of course that came later in around
the 80 Let's see I was, I quit when I was seventy.
Jack D. - Late 60's in the 70
Lisa - Did you have a name for your day care center?
Betty - Tauntie's Tiny Tykes, Tauntie means aunt and I was
to old to be called by my first name and I didn't want it to
be so formal to be called Mrs. Dean. So I thought well I've
always been taught to call elders tauntie when I was growing
up because my folks came from Europe. Well, we'll just call
Tauntie's Tiny Tykes so that is the name I used a little
different spelling. I didn't have a sign or anything
because I approached my neighbors and asked them if they
would object to my having it there. I said there won't be
any sign. It will still look the same, It won't change the
residence. So they agreed that it was all right. In fact
they used me whenever they had an emergency, visitors came.
But those place and the grocery store was called. . .
Jack F. - Well, Ray Oden had the South Side Grocery, the
original owner if I'm not mistaken. Ray Oden.
Jack D. - Is he the one that had Food Town later?
Jack F. - Yes, I,think so.
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Jack F. - And then Sam Rizzo came later.
Jack D - I remember Sam's place.
Betty - Once a week I took my children to one of the
businesses there and one of our treats was to the grocery
store. I said now we're not going to buy anything but make
believe we're going to buy something and see if you can find
it. So we'd walk around and people would say your kids
aren't touching anything. They'd always walk with their
hands behind their backs and they'd love the outing day.
And then we went to the yard good store and we pretended we
were going to buy 'a suit or a blouse and what kind of
material would they like. And they'd go around and they'd
pick the material and we'd talk about that material. So
they got around an education I think we even went to the
barber shop to see where they wanted to get their hair I
can't remember.
Marilyn - They didn't go to the print shop?
Betty - No, it was before the days.
Jack D - No, the print shop was there, oh yea.
Betty - It was there and I didn't get them to your shop. Oh
my goodness me.
Jack F. - Depends on when it was because I left there in
170,
Lisa - What was the name of your print shop?
Jack F. - Fugate Printing Company.
Betty - I started my day care.
Jack F. - I moved the business back to the house in 1 70.
Jack D. - You did?
Jack F. - And then sold out in 1 73.
Lisa - Was there a business there before Fugate Printing or
were you the original?
Jack F. - No, there had been several. I think the first
thing that was in there was Youngblood Clean and Press Shop.
Marilyn - Was that where Dave's Pizza is now, is that the
same building?
A
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Jack F. - I believe so right, And then, let's see, Joe Faulk
Auto Parts was in there. He and what was commandant
assistant name, Joe Davis. Joe Davis and Joe Faulk open up
a store there and then they moved it into Bryan.
Betty - Where about South Gate was it?
Jack F. - Where my,,shop was, at 330 Jersey.
Betty - Oh really?
Jack F. - Yes ma'am. I was still in the service at that
time. The reason I knew is I had to buy a trailer hitch
there. I had to buy an old trailer, carry the baby bed
around and I had to put a hitch on it.
Jack D. - I remember Joe Faulk down in Bryan. Didn't know
he was out here.
Jack F. - They started out here.
Jack D. - 'Cause I think he bought a piece of property,
residential property on Montclair° It's about the second
house from the end and I remember different ones saying,
well they're gonna have a bunch of aggies there. And you
won't be able to park and the neighborhood is gonna
deteriorate and everything else. It was a two story, two
decker and probably, I don't know 7 or 8 maybe 10,15 guys
living there at one time. You remember that?
Betty - It had an outside staircase.
Jack F. - It's right across from the grocery store.
Jack D. - Yeah, And they didn't have a gas station there
either and then all of a sudden, Texaco came along, I can
remember Mrs. Colson saying they slipped that over us, there
wasn't supposed to be anything else built in that area of a
commercial nature. And some how or another that gas station
came in there and'I think it was a Gulf Station first I'm
not sure and then it became a. . .
Jack F. - It was Texaco.
Jack D. - Was it?
Jack F. - Gulf was on the other corner.
Jack D. - Yea, Texaco OK.
Mary L. - I remember too that upstairs where Dr. Cathecart
and Dr. Andre were, one of the leading Architectural firms
L 6 started, Mardel Rollins and Scott. And they became one of
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the leading architecture firms of the world. With offices
in Houston, New York, London.
Lisa - I didn't know that they'd gotten that big!
Mary L. - They designed this round school auditorium. They
specialized in schools, I know, for the first part.
Betty - I didn't know they had gotten that big.
Jack F. - Oh yeah, they were world wide.
Mary L. - They designed this round school auditorium here.
They specialized in schools I know for the first part.
Betty - Those blu' roof mobile homes what was it called?
Marilyn - Blue Top
Courts.
Betty - Blue Top Courts they had little houses that you
could stay at and they had blue roofs on them. And I
remember my mother and father were with us and we were
looking for a place to live over in Bryan. And he liked it
because it was next to emptiness and it was a gravel road
and everything. And I said but its not big enough and it
had wallpaper instead of other things on the wall and he
thought that would be real nice in a "Florida" room and I
said what are we gonna do with only one bathroom, we've got
kids going to school and he said well, we'll buy one of
those blue top cabin that are for sale over there across
from the campus and we'll add it on here. And that will
give us a bath and an extra room. So that's how I remember
those blue, that Was the only thing across the street.
Where city hall is around that area.
Jack F. - The Hollywood shacks.
Lisa - The Hollywood houses, OK.
Marilyn - Before the dorms.
Jack F. - Over the area where Lawyer and Puryear Halls are.
In that area there, there were 20x20, 16x16 frame buildings
and they housed Students.
Jack D. - They weren't very big.
Jack F. - Well, 16x16 tent but they were called the
Hollywood shacks.
Marilyn - They were called Hollywood shacks. They were
painted brown.
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Jack F. - I don't know just what year they moved them off of
there because Law and Puryear were both built when I came.
But when they sold them off, her brother bought one of them
and moved into the back yard down there at the house. He
lived in that while on campus. They had a latrine you know
just a common latrine, just strictly GI stuff. There's
still one down there on Montclair at the Hamilton house.
Remember that old house back there where Ms. Hamilton lived
back on the right side on the south side of her house there
was one of those Hollywood shacks.
Jack D. - On Montclair, I can't place it.
Jack F. - A big house, one of those old college houses.
Betty - Oh where Don lived for a while, kinds back?
Jack D. - No, Don lived back this way further. No Miss
Hamilton. . .
Betty - Hamilton, yea.
Jack F. - They had a Mrs. Hamilton boarding house there.
Betty - Didn't he become a sheriff or something?
Jack F. - He was sheriff, for a number of years.
Betty - Yea, I remember that it was the last house on the
left. It was remodeled.
Jack F. - To the right of that on the south there was a
little house back there a little one room deal and that was
one of those Hollywood shacks.
Betty - Oh that little house that's back there. Oh is that
a fact.
Marilyn - See it isn't so small, its pretty large.
Betty - Yea, they had a little apartment that they'd rent.
Lisa - How did the big events at Texas A &M, you know, like
the football game . How did that effect your lives here?
Marilyn - On Friday night there was t he organization ball
and on Saturday might there was the Corps dance.
Jack F. - Organization balls, Artillery ball, Infantry ball,
Engineering ball and in addition to that they had the Cotton
ball. That was your real entertainment and your
organization dances and always were big bands. They made
the college circuit, you know the big bands did and of
course it was SOP that if you had a date with a girl for
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the artillery ball for instance, you automatically had a
date for the Corps dance even if she was going steady with
you or not, that was automatic. That was the way we started
dating. Her friend was in the Cavalry. He couldn't take
her to the artillery ball and I did so I had another date
Saturday night.
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Betty - Another thing for entertainment that we did was go
to the drive in movie. The drive in remember the drive in
and we'd eat there.
Lisa - Was it the circle?
Betty - Yea it was the Circle it was up where Skaggs used to
be. You know, where that business is now but that was a big
event for the kids they loved to go. And we went not quite
often, but we went once in a while.
Jack D. - The Ags used to always go to Denton to get their
dates too because there weren't any girls at A &M at the
time. And it, just a lot of guys would leave when the
weather was bad and they'd still go to Denton to get them a
date and they'd have to bring them back.
Jack F. - They'd run buses down here from Denton and the
girls stayed in a vacated dormitory, and they stayed in the
dormitory. And you'd shack up with somebody else you know
you'd go to another dormitory that wasn't vacated with the
weekend guest.
Betty - Did they ever ask some of the residents to take some
of the girls in?
Jack F. - oh yes always.
Betty - They did.
Jack F. - Ms. Lancaster always did and the Laudersteins that
had a tailor shop. Mr. and Mrs. Lauderstein they had a
nice home over here at College Hills. And they rented out.
I think it cost you a dollar and a half a night or something
and they stayed there.
Mary L. - Ms. Lancaster used to put her boys in the attic,
on the third floor and rent out their rooms on the weekend.
And one weekend a young woman came whose named was Katherine
Grandstat. She stayed for the weekend and had a date and
went to a dance and later she changed her name to Katherine
Grant and became Mrs. Bing Crosby.
Betty - I read about that one day, I think that your husband
wrote something and I read it in the paper.
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Lisa - Well that 4 interesting. You said there was the
drive in movie and dances. Can you think of any other kind
of family entertainment?
Betty - Well the churches always had things you know. The
church always had something going on. our church always had
programs during Lent and things like that.
Lisa - And what churches were here at that time?
Betty - St. Thomas Chapel, The Episcopal church was here
when we came now I don't know what was here when ya'll came.
Marilyn - I went to the Methodist Church which is now First
United A &M Methodist Church. It was then just A &M
Methodist.
Jack F. - The Tabernacle Building too.
Marilyn - Yes
Betty - The Baptist Church was right next to it.
Jack F. - St. Mary's Catholic was on the corner.
Marilyn - Yes, the Catholic Church.
Jack F. - And the Presbyterian Church was in the YMCA
Chapel.
Marilyn - That's where we got married.
Betty - of course there were churches down in Bryan too, we
used to go down to that one in Bryan we still do after we
went to St. Thomas for a while. While the kids were in
school we went to St. Thomas because their classmates went
there. Then after they left home then we went to St.
Andrews. Well, we still go down there. And then when the
neighborhood began to grow and students and things began to
move in. We had an area I don't know it started after you
left I guess they started what they call the neighborhood
area, neighborhood committee or area. And they used to have
buffet suppers, meetings and things in that park, to try to
help preserve so we wouldn't get to. Did you ever go to any
of those, Mary? The gatherings that we had. We had a
president and everything. It went on for about 4 -5 years.
I don't know what happened to it.
Marilyn - I can' # remember
Betty - Yea I have a real nice picture of Mr. Laverty.
There was a Japanese boy living with us and he came and took
some pictures and he got real nice picture of Mrs. Laverty
and I meant to bring it. She's not very well I guess. I
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don't know whether she'd recognize it or not, but I think
the daughter would like to have it. So I think I'll just
put it in the mail for the daughter, since I have the
address. I've been meaning to bring it over there, when I
would walk around with the children during day care I'd
forget to take it with me, and drop it by.
Lisa - And this was Billie Goat Park or Hensel Park.
Betty - Yes, there's where we used to meet, we discussed a
lot of things. And I thought it was really going to go
somewhere but all of a sudden it peated out. Which I
thought was real good, because with students, so many
students living in the area now it's not the nice dutiful
neighborhood we moved into. Our street happens to be very
nice we happen to have people there that are caring, but
when you have kids driving up on the lawn in muddy weather,
and there's ruts in the lawn and because there isn't any
parking they feel that they can drive on the lawn. And if I
see them I'm real bold but you know age is bold, old is
bold. You can do anything and get by with it. So we had
some circulars printed. Ms. Pugh, she's here you'd know
her, and what do I want to say, they used to live behind us
they had the lumber company over there.
Marilyn - Helen Pugh
® Betty - Yea, and she had some printed and I have copies of
it and when I'm on my tricycle, I'll go around if I see a
car on the grass, I'll put it on. There's a fine, there's
an ordinance, there's a fine for it and I'll say does your
family own a home back home? Yes. Would your mom and dad
let you park your car on the front lawn? And they say "no ".
And I'll say this is your home away from home why do you
park your car in the front lawn, we'd like the neighborhood
to look nice. And so they'll thank me for it. I'll tell
them there's a fine for it. I haven't done it lately
because I haven't been on my tryke that much. And another
thing they let the lawns grow, so I'll rap on the door and
say "Did you know if you don't cut your lawn pretty soon the
city is going to do it and they'll charge you $50 to do it ?"
And they'll say they will? And I say yea. If you want to
do it Saturday I'll get my lawn mower and come over and help
you and of course I'm an old lady. So they see that and say
well I plan to do it this weekend I was going to rent a lawn
mower and it gets mowed.
Lisa - Were there any special challenges about having a
business in South Gate?
Marilyn - Oh not in South Gate, I'm thinking of North Gate.
Lisa - There you go. There weren't really any difficult
hardships about having a business in South Side. What about
14
WW II? I know boWerhefthe you
effects mentioned
of WW
Il were
maybe
and after. What
community?
Jack F. - Well you had quite an influx of students after the
war with the GI bill and temporary housing and everything
else on campus.
Betty - Wasn't housing hard to get during that time?
Jack F. - Oh definitely.
Betty - Because I know when we moved up here he had a hard
time finding a place to live and you finally got
apartment down on college Avenue across from Duncan Street.
And we had two kids and two dogs and we got lucky they were
going to take us and then in the mean time he found what was
our landlord's name. Up at the end of Duncan by the
railroad tracks there were 2 houses, I think an A &M graduate
lived in one of them. He was a bachelor and he was renting
the other one out and we were able to get that. And I
remember it was $75 a month rent and I took such good care
of the yard he gave me some money to go buy plants and
things like that. Then I started taking care of his yard
and taking care of his flower box and it was real nice
because he reduced our rent a little bit because of the
things I was doing. We were lucky to get that.
Marilyn - There w�s an air base here even after the war for
a time, Bryan Air Force Base, and that made housing very
hard to find didn't it?
Jack F. - I believe, in 1951 wasn't it, that they
reactivated out there?
Jack D. - It closed up about the time we got up here.
Jack F. - They even housed freshmen out there for a couple
of years. Those dorms they had out there for the cadets,
the Air ForcverabetA &Nthat
now trained
air
base
hasf course its all
been taken o y
Marilyn - It was one of the first jet bases wasn't it?
Jack F. - Night training too, navigator night training also.
and they will, I think. Did they train out there or do you
recall.
Jack D. - I think he did seems like, he had something out
there the first, the first time around seems like he trained
out there, I'm not sure.
v
15
Lisa - Now with the businesses you said your dad extended
credit and probably cash, what about your business on South
Side, how did people buy, was cash, credit?
Jack F. - Paid on delivery or else there was credit. But so
much of it was institutional type.
Lisa - Where did you get your supplies and your inventory
materials and. . .
Jack F. - This was 1 58. Well I had opened up there at the
house. See I went in business there in the back yard and I
got my supplies out of Houston or San Antonio, depending on
the salesman that came through. Paper salesman, equipment
salesman and there wasn't any problem getting that. The
main thing was paying for it when the bill came through.
Lisa - What about shopping for clothes or different things
like that, did people. . .
Marilyn - When Lester's moved to Bryan, they took over.
Betty - We had Montgomery Wards and Sears didn't we?
Jack F. - But you had to mail order.
Marilyn - Sears - -mail order.
Betty - Montgomery Wards had a store didn't they? Down town
that burned? Weren't there a couple of stores?
Marilyn - Edges on the corner.
Jack F. - Well there's a men's store on this end.
Marilyn - Waldrop, it's still there (Heritage).
Jack F. - Conway's, WSD.
Betty - The most beautiful jewelry store's down there. I
use to love to go to Bryan.
Jack D - A pretty nice little town.
Marilyn - The Palace Theater.
Lisa - The palace, was the Queen there too?
Betty - And the La Salle Hotel. Do you remember when it was
turned into a residential. That was a very nice place
because they had different floors and different levels. Is
that after you moved from here? Where they needed care. A
nursing home on 2 floors and as the floors went up less and
OF less care was necessary and the top floor was a residential.
16
And a lot of retired people who lived up there it was really
nice and I hate to see it the way it is. I was hoping
they'd restore it.
Jack F. - Did Mrs. Roundtree, the Bryan Eagle publisher,
live there, Jack?
Betty - They had a good restaurant.
Jack D - She died before, when I came up here.
Jack F. - Oh I see, she lived at the La Salle Hotel.
Jack D - I know when I was interviewing for a job I came up
here it was in the winter time and I stayed over night at
the La Salle and it was cold. I remember that. Practically
no heat there. And I think I paid $5 for the room. And I
slept with all my clothes on I think because it was so cold.
And then when I got up in the morning and everything seems
like I went downstairs. I forget where I ate breakfast.
Betty - They had a cafe, they had a nice place to eat down
there.
Jack F. - Gosh during the 1 30's La Salle's was a first rate
place. There's no question about it a first rate hotel. My
parents would stay there when they came up. My dad would
stay, some short courses from Houston, you had a party and
they always stayed at the La Salle.
Lisa - So those were the two hotels, the LaSalle and. . .
Jack F. - The LaSalle it was the Shamrock if you want to
call it that and then you had the Bryan Hotel.
Marilyn - Right across the street.
Jack F. - Then there was one up over the of Hews office
Supply.
Marilyn - Charles.
Jack F. - Charles Hotel.
Betty - Yea I'd forgotten about that one.
Jack F. - Blue Top was the first one. Ed Garner put in
Sands.
Marilyn - Ed Garner put in Sands.
Jack F. - And then the Saber went in, that's all in the
4 W 1 50's and 1 60 1 s.
17
Jack D. - There's several of them up and down main street on
Texas Avenue I forgot the names of them and what's their
names?
Mary L. - Schulcies- Schulcies son, daughter and son -in -law
had a motel.
Marilyn - Yea, Ed Garner.
Jack F. - That was the same one. All right- I did their
printing. In fact I still have one of their own logos that
we used on their stationery.
Marilyn - Well, I bet he'd like to have that.
Mary L. - You know Ed Garner designed the first Aggie cap.
Marilyn - I didn't know that.
Betty - So that he owned a sporting good store and that is
all recorded I think in the North Gate Section of the
history. So he designed the first A &M baseball type cap and
made it and sold it.
Jack - Ed was a gb getter.
Betty & Marilyn - Yes he was.
Betty - In the early days when ya'll were up here did you
have many snow storms in this town?
Marilyn - No, well it was after 1 48 I guess when we had that
big snow storm. I think that's the only one we've been in.
Jack D. - 1 50 - 1 51 we were in Houston. Everybody's pipes
froze up.
Marilyn - That's the only one I can remember.
Jack F. - Yea in 1 51 was a big ice storm all the lines were
down, our butane froze, water froze. We didn't have city
water at that time.
Betty - Since we've lived here we've had a 5 inch storm and
I happened to take a picture of it. I measured it there on
top of the picnic table. It started to melt real fast
before I got the snowman built, you can see the grass.
Lisa - In 1984.
Betty- Yea, that's pretty recent.
4 0 Lisa - you can get a snowman out of it.
Betty - Yes, I got a snowman out of it, but I was wondering
if the climate had changed much since those early days.
Jack F. - Not predictable just like it is right now. I
think in 1 39, winter of 1 39 we had a pretty heavy snow storm
here because we had just moved into the new dorms on campus
what they called the new dorms at that time and that's corps
area. Now that's corps area. Those dorms opened up in the
fall semester of 1939.
Mary - My husband Bill still calls those the new dorms.
Students laugh at him because they were built in 1 39.
Jack F. - I lived in #8 room 101, right off the street. Oh,
it has changed through the years but I tell you.
Marilyn - Eugene Oats, he just passed away. Jack's room
mate.
Jack F. - He was a counselor after he retired from the
service he was a counselor and also set up the bus system.
Jack D - who was that?
Jack - Eugene Oats, Colonel Oats. His wife was Lou Collier
from Houston. And she worked for the old Triple A. And he
met her when she was working for Triple A, remember that big
old frame building out here where we'd have all these girl
stenographers. When the Agricultural Administration Act
first opened up. They had typewriters and computers I mean
computers and all that stuff down there and they just went
out and recruited stenographers and typists and everything
else. There was lots of ladies there, lots of girls.
Mary - They were �ucky girls on this campus.
Jack F. - They never wanted for a date I'm sure.
$etty - Wasn't a bicycle in the area?
Jack F. - Didn't have an automobile, you couldn't take them
anywhere.
Marilyn - A lot of them had cars.
Mary - Well, it was fun for you Marilyn, growing up with all
the boys.
Marilyn - Yes it was.
Betty (To Mary) - When the college began enlarging I
remember your husband calling me. He knew we had a little
C old apartment built for my mother in the back and mother had
died. Boy how he had to work to get me to rent that to the
M
students. He didn't last very long, I told him to get out
he was a fire trap. Oh he was really something. I was
afraid he was going to set fire to the place. He smoked and
smoked and smoked and, I remember they were destitute for
places for kids to stay. It really grew real fast.
Mary - Yes and students were just going up and down the
streets asking people at their doors. I can remember in the
early 1 70 1 s. It grew so fast.
Lisa - Well you all have brought pictures and it looks like
maps - would you be willing to share any of these with the
project? They say the copies of the originals would be made
and then returned to ya'll unharmed. Would you be willing
to share those. Great!
0
Jack D. - His boy is, works for Buddie's appliances now.
Betty - No, not the architect's son.
Jack D. - No, No.
Betty - Price's son.
Jack D - Yeah, not the architect's son, but somebody else
that was there, what was their names? They went to school
with Andy.
Betty - Yeah Price, no, it wasn't Price because Price had
moved to West TeXas.
Betty - Yes, I know but his kid can come back here to work
he'd be about working age. There also was a I think it was
a Masonic meeting place and it's still there and it's still
used for that purpose. I don't know when it was built, when
was it do you know? The Masonic place?
Marilyn - I think it was built before 1 51. And then Park
Cleaners has always been there.
20
Betty - Oh yes that's right. I had forgot all about Park.
They are still there.
rip
U
Jack D. - Pruitts and Park and, Mason's.
Betty - Seems that that end stayed. It was this front and
the other East end changed hands but the west end stayed.
Lisa - Do you know who originally owned that building? The
strip at west side?
Jack F - Who originally owned it?
Lisa - Owned or constructed it.
Marilyn - Dan Russell.
Jack F. - No, he bought it from somebody.
Jack D. - I think Hershel Burgess and it could have been
Burgess and Russell. I know Russell owned it when I was in
there from 1958 to 1970, Dr. Russell, Dr. Dan Russell owned
the building. He passed away along about that time I moved
out of here. I believe somewhere along in that area.
Lisa - OK let's talk a little more about Grove Street.
About who owned your house before you bought it.
Betty - Professor Brooks, I don't remember his first name,
built the house and lived in it for about 6 years & then it
was rented to an Italian woman that had some children. Do
you remember her name & her little girl contracted measles
and they moved away and she finally died after home care for
years and years. Do you remember who that was?
Jack F. - Stelley.
Betty - Stelley, yes that's who that was.
Lisa - Randall Stelley.
Jack F. - Yes Randall Stelley.
Betty - Yeah, they were renting it. And it was a vacant
when we purchased it, but they were the last. I think they
were the only renters after the Brooks moved.
Jack D. - That T.D. Brooks he was a decent one.
Betty - He was a professor at A &M.
Jack D. - He was Dean T.D. Brooks.
21
Betty - I can't remember his first name we never did meet
him because he had already. . .
Jack D. - he was already in Illinois.
Betty - Illinois r Michigan I don't know where in another
university.
Jack F. - The only thing I can think of is T.D. Brooks when
I was in school here. Mr. Bardin Nelson handled.
Betty - Yea, he is here.
Jack - The real estate.
Betty - He would know more about it because he is here today
and Grove Street had just let's see on the corner, Ms. Maria
Ashton lived and their house was moved off of campus. Next
to us we had a little modern house. It was modern for that
day it was built by an architect and I don't remember his
name. Do you remember his name? He built on the corner of
Grove and Highland. It's real small but very modern type
house very open type house. I mean the kitchen and the
dining area and the hall and the living room were all open.
Jack D. - It wasn't Masburn was it?
Betty - No, Masburn rented for a while, I think they bought
it for a while. And then our house and then there was an
empty lot and we dickered quite a while with the Murphy's
who lived on the corner Mr. Murphey died recently. Did you
know that?
Jack F. - I was thinking about him. I saw where he passed
away weeks ago.
Betty - Real quickly, he was killed in an automobile
accident, he had a heart attack while driving. And we
wanted to buy one half of the lot. So we could keep it
open. You know, and we consulted with the Murpheys to see
if they were interested in the other half but they had so
much land on the south Side of their house they didn't want
any more land. And we went to Ms. Ashton, she owned the
property and talked to her about it but she wanted more than
what we had at the time to get it. And the Mr. Byers,
Milton Byers moved over from Pladitty over there and built a
house next to us, and they're still there. And on the
opposite corner from Murphey's is still an empty lot. The
Colson's who lived in the house directly across from us had
planned to build a home there some day and that's why it was
never built on but they never got it built. And the Bolsa
Colson's are gone now.
61
22
Jack D. - The Colson's controlled the Grove Street, that
particular area, and we wanted to have it curbed and
guttered because they owned three fourths of the property on
that area, they got their way. We wanted it and so did the
Murphey's and the Byer's and the people on the corner, but
that wasn't sufficient and to this day we haven't got
gutters or curbs.
Betty - But the rest of the street is curbed and guttered so
we are still count on our street and it seemed like really
country for that reason because it wasn't curbed and
guttered. And I know you could look down the street and the
trees kinda meet in the middle and you look the other way
and there were more trees and it was a very quiet area but a
very interesting thing happened the day the house was
purchased. Mr. Colson's yard was empty and we moved in the
first of August and the backyard was full of heavy equipment
that you could see from our house, parked in the back there
and I said huh? Look at that stuff across the street. And
he was out there on a job and had his equipment with him but
he had the scapers and diggers. You know what he had. A
whole mess of stuff and it was parked in his back yard. But
of course we could see it from our front yard. And I said
Gee, Whiskers, I wonder if we would have purchased knowing
that all that stuff was there you know. But they were, he
was a very quiet and a different kind of neighbor he was
very hard to get along with but Mrs. Colson, she had
control over here because she wanted to be more friendly but
she wasn't because after he died and she lived there alone,
she began to come out of her shell and she was interested in
the children that I had and sometimes we would go over and
see here and she'd talk to them, but I never went inside his
house until after he died. If you wanted to talk about
something you were invited into the screen porch and you did
your visiting there, but so that's all there was in our
particular area. Now down on the other area we had.
the. . . who was it that lived on the corner?
Jack D. - Where?
Marilyn - Was it Longly?
Betty - Longly on the corner, thank you, and across the
street we had Mr. & Mrs. Royder. And then we had one what
was that professors wife who was in the athletic dept°
Marilyn - The swimming coach.
Betty - The swimming coach.
Jack F. - Art Adamson.
Betty - Yeah was on the last house on the right next to the
jazzercise now. And in between there we had Mr. & Mrs. .
23
Marilyn - Adam.
Betty - Adam, thank your Don Adam grew up there I know him
and we helped him get started. He startedSa Ialelbusiness
and we were one of the first to sign up. kind of
responsible for Adam success.
Marilyn - We used to do his printing for him.
Betty - Did you?
Jack F. - on the Christmas Cards?
Marilyn - I did after he got married.
Betty - And Don wasn't it, Don lived next to Longley's.
Jack - I don't remember.
Betty - Prof Don.
Jack - Prof Don lived up way up.
Marilyn - Landiss next to Longly wasn't he?
Betty - Landiss?
Marilyn - Landiss.
Betty - No, No.
Jack F. - No, it wasn't Landiss, it was the other physical
education man.
Marilyn - Tishler.
Betty - Tishler.
Betty - Tishler, yes and then at the corner of him I think
it was a business man that lived on the corner of.
Jack F. - Maryem
$etty - Maryem and Grove in that white house on the corner.
And the on the other side was a man from the college who had
some girls and they moved up on the hill. In that kind of a
brick type house on the corner there. Marilyn, do you
remember them? They were there when we were there. I think
he with, I
Canayoutrememberrhissname? They
also m
0 Marilyn - off hand, no.
24
Betty - Seems like it's a very short street, three short
blocks you could walk to the railroad station now when you
want to take the train which is what we did when we took a
train.
Marilyn - Covey.
Jack - Covey. c - o - v - e - Y.
Betty - Covey, Covey that's right among the white house. on
the other corner from Covey was another fella from college.
It was made up of mostly college people when we moved there.
And now it is made up of college students, we are having a
terrible time.
Jack D. - John Kircana.
Betty - Was that it?
Jack D. - I thougYt he lived on Grove St. didn't he?
Betty - No, that's not who I'm thinking about.
Marilyn - He was in that area.
Jack D. - He was in the area up there.
lived in that area up there also.
Lisa - Yes Ed & Ally Garner.
Betty - Who?
Jack - Who?
of course Ed Garner
Lisa - Ed & Ally Garner, she was a Scoates.
Betty - Yeah they lived there.
Jack - Did they live there?
Betty - They lived there for a while in the second next
to. . .
Jack - They lived in that area I don't know if they were on
the door.
Betty - I think they lived next, what were the people's
names on the corner they are?
Jack - Well, it was next to. . .
Marilyn - He said Royder.
25
Betty - Yes, Royder in the white house and then it got to be
a red house. Then Adam, I just remember Royder but I don't
remember. And it was a real quiet neighborhood - it was a
delightful place to live, but. . .
Jack D. - Was. . .
Betty - To show you how country like it was, when my
children moved in they were riding bicycles and there are
some little tiny houses built on back of who's house was
that?
Jack D. - Dr. Hunts.
Betty - Hunt's the back of Hunt's those little tiny
cottages. They're still there and my children thought that
was a street see and they were riding in the neighborhood
and so they went across they took Mr. Colson's driveway to
the back and there was no fence there and then they walked
down there and Mr. Colson had a fit "You tell those kids to
stay out of my yard" and I said I'm sorry but I think they
thought it was a street because those little green houses
there and I'll "Well it's not they went through my yard" I
said all right - I will speak to them about it, but that's
how rural it was, I mean, there was no, there were no fences
anywhere, you could go around different yards.
Jack D. - He must have been a character - Colson must have
been a character because I remember Oscar saying that his
kids, he set up a basketball stand in his side yard and he
said Mr. Colson came over there and just raised holy Cain
with them and everything because he had about 3 or 4 boys
and 1 girl and they were playing basketball in there and Mr.
Colson was upset because they made a little noise.
Betty - Too much noise.
Jack D. - He told Colson he say's well I tell you what you
just go peddle your papers, but you're on my property now
and my kids will do what they want to do on my property" and
Colson left and was real upset.
Betty - He objected too.
Jack D. - I'm glad we didn't have any neighbors.
Betty - We didn't.
Jack D. - We didn't have any neighbors.
Betty - It was a little lonely when you weren't here.
Lisa - When you were here, Marilyn & Jack, where did you
kol live?
Lisa - In the family home?
Marilyn - We remodeled it and lived there.
Lisa - Until 1 77?
Marilyn - And then we bought in Quail Run Estates.
Jack F. - Moved out to Quail Run in 1977.
Lisa - Back to Southside discussion, how long was it before
you had neighbors at the old home place?
Jack F. - After World War II they began to build a quite a
bit out there.
Marilyn - I guess Burgess.
Jack F. - Dr. Luther Jones
Marilyn - Russell or Sparks, Mr. Sparks was in on a lot of
developing.
Jack F. - Well Don Dale built a couple of places in there
too.
E Lisa - Did your father build that house.
Marilyn - Yes in I think about 1919 and the store I imagine
- didn't you say about 1914?
Jack F. - I've gop 1917 in my mind.
Betty - Marilyn do you all have a historical marker on that
house? Do you still own it.
Marilyn - No, I think the City of College Station school
system has bought that, and llthink think
the they're
city has going
finalput a
park there. Well, anyway,
bought that. The house is gone.
Jack F. - Well the young man that bought the property passed
away and the thing got tied up in a big bank estate deal and
all of that, I think it has finally all been settled.
Marilyn - But I think the City of College Station has it
now.
Jack F. - I think they've got that Luther corner there.
Lisa - Do you have a historical marker, Betty, on your
4 0 house?
27
Betty - No, it's not that old I don't think - it was build
in 1 50. That wouldn't give it a historical marker would it?
Almost, but just I think a year too late or something. An
interesting thing happened, - Do ya'll remember Dave
Garroway's morning show when it first started? Well one day
they featured the new College Station High School, that was
when they built that new thing up on Stilts, I call it
Stilts. Do you remember where the old school?
Marilyn - Yes
Betty - Well they featured that as being very good
architecture for a very minimum price and he had it on a
stand and I said to Jack "Let's take a ride up to that place
I think there's a college or something up there and see what
that building looks like in real life." So we packed a
lunch and after church we took the kids and drove up here,
and we had lunch on the A &M campus in back of the thing and
were parked right next to the campus, and they climbed their
first tree and it's still standing. It's the first tree in
the median on George Bush Drive now where they learned to
climb a tree and we drove around. Wellborn road was just a
little lane and all the. . .
Jack D. - Highway 6 was just a little lane.
Betty - And anyway. We drove kind of through South Side and
I said you know this would be a nice place to live. Raise
kids here - I said it's nice. Nice little houses. The
house behind us was for sale and we stopped to find out the
price of houses in this area, and it just, just a real nice
place, then we went back home and after a while, he took
this ad for a person. You know for the Eagle. And I said
why don't you answer that. That's that place that's so nice
- we were up there once. So he did and he got the job, and
here we're settled in the same area we were looking for
houses way back there.
Jack F. - We moved back here in 1 48 after getting out of the
service. But another thing interesting about that end of
town down there is the corner property down there.
Lisa - Yes - tell us about that.
Jack F. - This young lady here could tell you a lot about
that, but my wife's dad, sold those lots to those people.
They all traded with them there at the store, had credit at
the store, you sold them a lot, a dollar a week am I right?
Ethel - I'm not really that familiar with.
Jack F. - OK, well that's. . .
Ethel - But I know that's where we got the property.
28
Jack F. - Sold it to her daddy.
Ethel - Right on Holleman drive.
Lisa - OK, different family names, can you remember some
family?
Ethel- One of the people that would know a lot about that in
that area is Ora Walker, who is, her mother was Odessa and
they lived in this area. Fairview that was the black church
there - Saint Matthew's Baptist Church and you may know
Martha Moore and her husband Henry Moore and then also there
was a lady - Lizzy Wallace did you know her?
Jack- Eddie Chew.
Marilyn - Eddie Chew and Ora Walker.
Jack - Ora Walker.
Marilyn - Eva is still living.
Ethel - Yes she is, right on the Wellborn road - I saw here
yesterday. Lonnie Thompson - Did you know Lonnie Thompson?
Did you know Lonnie Thompson? Lonnie. Now that was my
uncle.
Marilyn - We knew all of those people.
Jack F. - Peterso�.
Ethel - Yes, yes.
Marilyn - I played with the children, I played with the
children. They'd come up - I had a playhouse.
Ethel - He lived in Bryan. Earl. Earl Ockeltree.
Marilyn - Earl. Earl - he lived in Bryan.
Lisa - That was Ethel Delley who's doing our video for us.
Let me make sure to identify who you were. Ethel Steen
Delley. Correct? Ok great. Well can you remember anything
else about that? OK now did you have any brothers or
sisters?
Marilyn - I have a brother & a sister and they're both still
living. He's retired military. He and his wife live in San
Antonio. And my sister is still living. She's ill now.
But she's living in San Antonio. In fact, this is my
brother that is on here. (Picture of Grocery Store.)
Lisa - OK
29
Marilyn - And of course my sister isn't on here - she was
older.
Lisa - So in the picture, are those your parents and you and
your brother?
Marilyn - Right.
Lisa - OK.
Marilyn - I figured this must have been about 1 25. 1925.
Lisa - And the automobile - was that your family's
automobile there?
Marilyn - Yes.
Jack D. - Did you have any brother or sisters, Jack?
Jack F. - No. Our grandson is the last of the family. He
just recently married. So hopefully we'll make it. We had
one son. He's retired navy. A year ago today he retired
from the navy. Twenty -nine years.
Lisa - Jack, when you wanted to go out to eat someplace or
go somewhere for entertainment maybe - where did you go?
Betty- You know everybody in the restaurant when you went
out. You didn't go very often but you knew everybody that
was there.
Jack F. - Go into town to New York Cafe and eat enchiladas.
Marilyn - I don't ever remember going anywhere to eat out.
No most people ate at home.
Lisa - When you say go into town, where are you talking
about?
Jack F. - Bryan. In Bryan, downtown.
Lisa - How far apart was Bryan and College Station at that
time?
Betty - 6 miles. It was about 6 miles.
Lisa - So it took you about how long to get there?
Jack F. - Depends on whether you caught a ride or walked.
She used to ride the trolley. Didn't you ride the old
trolley?
Marilyn - No.
30
Jack F. - They had stopped that.
Marilyn - I had never. . .
Jack F. - You didn't? OK.
Marilyn - Someone always chauffeured me.
Jack F. - That's something we ought to find out about is the
trolley.
Lisa - Yes.
Jack D. - I don't remember that.
Betty - Dr. Marsh could tell you about the trolley. He used
to ride the trolley. His father was the medical man over at
A &M. Little Dr. Marsh.
Jack F. - I came here in' 35. The trolley. . .
Lisa - And it went between College Station and Bryan.
Marilyn - I don't even know where you got on it at College
Station.
Jack F. - At the Northgate.
Betty - I think they covered the trolley a lot in the
Northgate section.
Jack F. - They did, right.
Lisa - OK OK.
Jack D. - I've heard a lot of stories about it and.
Betty - I don't think I ever rode it. When they were going
to widen the old Jersey Street Jack and I nearly cried. So
we went and took some picture of the old college and the
houses for the graduate students that were south - remember
- across from the shopping area - we took a couple of shots
of them. Those are project houses.
Jack F. - The old project houses. That was a figment of Dr.
Dan Russell. He was a rural sociology professor. And
during the depression they built those houses there for
students and various counties sponsored them. The parents
sent (they were mostly all rural) and they sent the food in
and they served in a common mess from those various houses
there and the students lived there much cheaper than if they
C lived in the dormitory which cost you about twenty dollars a
month I think.
31
Lisa- Were they married student housing to begin with?
Betty - No, no, no,
Jack F. - No, them were very few married students.
Betty - No, these were just free and off of the farm, they
were just young ki0s, coming to A &M. And they had a house
mother and she di& all the cooking and. . .
Marilyn - I think there were some of them were grouped
according to location.
Betty - Counties.
Jack F. - County, they were county project houses. What they
actually started opt as being county project houses, and
farm people from these counties that wanted to send their
boys to A &M (of course there weren't any girls then) and
they provide the rations, and I'd say probably better than
fifty, sixty percent of the students that went to A &M at
that time worked their way through. I know both of my
roommates did. I was fortunate, my dad sent me through, but
both my roommates 'orked their way through. One was a
janitor, the other was a mess hall waiter.
Betty- When we came here we were impressed with the fact
that everything was on campus, you know, for the boys and
you know where we used to go and eat, at Plantation Oaks in
that very fancy restaurant. What was it called? Do you
remember? Del Maros, that was the place to go if you
wanted to celebrate. White table cloths and napkins and
everything was very nice. Del Marmos was. . .It was THE
place to eat. Do you remember? You've never heard of Del
Marmos? I worked there for a while when we first came back.
I had a Swedish smorgasbord going there twice a month, and
my mother made costumes for the waitresses so they looked
like Swedish.
32
9 'ON RDNVNICrdO
1 9 ,
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9 *ON RONVNIC[HO,
city of college Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Oral History Stage Sheet
Memory Laney 2" ��
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city of college Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
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Transcription: � � 9�
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(q a
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Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Typed by 4 Pages
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City of College Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
Oral History Stage Sheet
Memory Lane. �i
Name Uxell-I "I&J
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Remarks:
City of College Station
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
This is ki .5cf em . Today is Mari]
(month) (day) (year)
I'm interviewing for the time
Ladd-1
(Mr., rs.,
Miss, Ms., Dr., Etc.)
This interview is taking place in Rve ' n' 1 e -eo eey?� The
a1 e e S t'o 4 onP-e( - ,anP e- at 1300 George Bush Dr.
-en fer g
College Station, Texas. This interview is sponsored by the
Historic Preservation Committee and the Conference
Center Advisory Committee of the City of College Station,
Texas. It is part of the Memory Lane Oral History Project. s
� Have each person introduce themselves so their voice is
identifiable on the tape recorder.
The City of College Station, Texas
Memory Lanes Oral History Project
INTERVIEW AGREEMENT
The purpose of The Historic Preservation Committee is to gather and
preserve historical documents by means of the tape - recorded interview. Tape
recordings and transcripts resulting from such interviews become part of the
archives of The City of College Station Historic Preservation Committee and
Conference Center Advisory Committee to be used for whatever purposes may
be determined.
I have read the above and voluntaril offer my portion of the interviews
with a
In view of the scholarly value of this research material, I hereby assign rights,
title, and interest pertaining to it to The City of College Station Historic
Preservation Committee and Conference Center Advisory Committee.
Interviewer (signature)
Date �2 � / � S
Z 1 q gu r n s
Interviewer (Please Print)
(Name of Interviewee)
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 insua�e.
Inte viewee (Ple se pr'nt)
LG L f��t
Siq ature of I rvi wee
7
15G ,hut'v�S
Name /� 1
4 C - tl e, (o Ae G e :5 1 1f o
Address
/,y/, -,3
Telephone
Date of Birth
Place of Birth 1 a cue 1 h11
Interviewer (Please Print)
'gn ture of Interviewer
T_evt ,ev,fpr - �,on feVeiJC'_C
Place of Interview
& ler
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
In progress
List of photos, documents, maps, etc.
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
Initia
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.
Interviewe (Please print)
signature of Interviewee
Name
36 Cry Ve- �o �� 2g e S�af
Addres
��� -�3��
Telephone
Date of Birth 7 - 4 D
/ Place of Birth o5 i'o h . M Q 5 5
z i s a �r h S
Interviewer (Please Print)
siirfiaiure of Interviewer
Ail lCere ee
Place of Interview
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
In progress
List of photos, documents, maps, etc.
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
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. _
/ZI f} le t:L YN � UG 4 T�=
Il�terviewee (Please print)
tuf a of `fn
Address J
Telephone
Date of Birth 2
Place of Birth
Interviewer (Please Print)
S n ure of Interviewer
Name
f V 711F
Te h �e
Place of Interview
List
etc.
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
In progress
Interviewee agrees to aifd 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
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.
Interviewee (Please print)
SiCgnature of Int;6rviewee
Name
Address
Telephone
Date of Birth 1164 /5 �% /7
Place of Birth llbustow -; �, 5
Interviewer (Please Print)
Sign ure of Interviewer
Place of Interview
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.
5- � 95
Date � O �
j,
Initial