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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNorthgate Panel 1aNORTHGATE GROUP 1 INTERVEEWEES: Johnny and Dorothy Holick Ann Hornak Lil Sorrels "This is a hard copy without disk backup - please take care!! HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE College Station Re: North Gate Memory Lane Coffee - July 27, 1994 Interviewer: Debbie Jasek Interviewees: Johnnie Holick and wife, Dorothv Lil Sorrels ) sisters presently living in Houston Ann Hornak ) JOHNNIE: Father had wood building on govt property about 1895... .vent through the war that way. After World War I, moved into big bldg. onto same location. In 1931, all buildings were moved off campus. 10:35 ANN: family came from Czechoslovakia ... the v lived in the back of the shop on the corner of Tauber and University ... shop called Uniform Tailor Shop and was considered part of the campus ... Sosolik's, barber shop, Aggieland Pharmacy. LIL: we bought double -din cones for 5�... name of the street was Tauber Road, the Taubers had afarm ... toward Bryan .... it was there for a long time... have a picture...will take some days to find picture. 10:40 LIL:Sosolik's across the street and the pharmacy. Johnnie had another building ... grocery, jewelry shop. Maggie's Cafe and then Lautersteing built nest to Holick's about a935 or 1936. DEBBIE: How many people worked in the business? ANN: people varied with the seasons, usually Hispanics in the busy season. Each business had 3 -4 employees... went to A &M Consolidated...visited the shons,not well -to- do...spent a lot of time playing on the violin... always for Sunday dinner. Holick wrote music for the violin 10:50 came over from Czechoslovakia with brother... freight train Wide— tracked in Brvan and this is the reason Holick is here now. Father got a job in the boat shop and then did boat repair shop. 1891 established business... paid extra for bugle calls . There was a lot of closeness between boys and those on campus. ANN: big differences now... knew Czech lanquage and never learned to speak English. 10:55 ANN: Large group of zechs first came to New York and mother had a sister in Bryan...had tohave someone to vouch for immigrants...it was a natural olace for him to come... Even during World War II everyone wanted his uniform... increase in price of uniforms around $400 and he made his for $81.00 ... he was very patriotic. DOROTHY: ... Maggie's Cafe ...used to roller skate and ask for a glass of water. 11:00 ... talked about post office. 963 numbers... telephone lines did not dial, bot the operator and asked for a number. JOHNNIE: trolley... first ones were open on the sides...had a window ... had a turn table at the end of the line ... motor cars burned gasoline... home was about 300 yards from the track... children wanted to smell gas ... Sbisa Hall and terminated about the county courthouse. ANN; elected cars... bus stop. original King Kong came to assembly Hall. Debbie Jasek /Johnnie Holick;Lil & Ann Hornack Page 2 LIL: if a child had a straight A report card got a free ticket to the theater. ± ± :05 electric ... discontinued about 1932- 33 ... operated for a long time, 10 -15 years ... very useful piece of machinery... lot of walking was done to aet from one place to another. V DOROTHY: walked daughter to Bryan... to have a limeade. ANN /LIL: biq ditch...everyone had to build own bridge across ditch ... had to bring in on electric line... sidewalks...did not have city water. DOROTHY: build home on North Avenue ... Mr. Holick gave each of his children land to build on ... played ooker at the shoe when not busy... ice... beer... drive wherever they wanted to stop. ANN: materials for uniforms from New York. JOHNNIE: supply places were located in Dallas, Houston and Austin ... and some manufacturers ...all over... salesmen "decked -out like real gentlemen. LIL: ... roll top desk traded for a uniform... JOHNNIE: It was very common to extend credit. ANN: In the depression era, people did not have money. 5� for a coke. People were more generous in extending credit than now... style and color for the Aggie uniform. He and the commander would get together on what to have for the uni- forms, a little bit of style in addition to the regulation. JOHNNIE: ... shoe repair services in addition to making boots. ANN: ...orthopedic uniforms to make adjustments. LIL: Mother would work in the shop and make the patches. The whole family was involved in the business. ANN: Would bring some of the uniforms home and work into the night. LIL: ... had contract for the shop, built shop ... Murphy & Murphy, Contractors, 1927. $350 /yr shop leased. JOHNNIE: father built the bldg in 1932. ANN: upstairs across from the shop was city office. JOHNNIE: Sosolik had photo shop. LIL: Aggieland Inn could be seen from the Hornack shop. JOHNNIE: ... a road along the railroad tracks until it reached Cavitt Avenue. ANN: I remember.It must have been doing very well... thought FDR the most wonder- ful man in the world and people were able to built and prosper. LIL: Roosevent came here and drove around the football field. It was about 60 years ago. Debbie Jasek /Johnnie Holick; Lil & Ann Hornack Paqe 3 11:30 Lil: ... football games cost 50¢... in the knot - hole... children 10 -15� ...tents were from the school. Lil & Ann: ...wonderful food in tins from San Antonio to attend football game. LIL: Line of aggies from the Admin. Bldg ... pick up baggage... always picked up Aggies ... big name bands in the 40' s ... drink ... movies ... drink ... home. JOHNNIE: during the war a lot of rationing... made boots for the movie "We've never been licked." DOROTHY: ...daughter 2 years old and got lost... 11:40 JOHNNIE: Boyett a well known family and set up store, a wood bldg. & housed the first College Station post lffice...a fence around the campus ... steel fence still there...they closed it about 10 n.m. and if Aggies were late they had to climb over the fence... curfew...Bo,yett grocery store and general mer- chandist ... it burned about 1916 or earlier. ANN: St. Mary's Cathlic Church...where the filling station is now ... 1940 rletho- dist Church tabernacle. JOHNNIE: North Gate laid out before the time of cars ... fot kicked out of school if a student had a car...1925 -26. 11:50 LIL: Emma and Joseph Vladmir, parents...Joe a brother ... Anna Francis and Lillian Dagmar ... mother stayed with family at home ... very much the homemaker... she was well known for making speeches about Czechpslovakia, dressed in native custom... wrote English phonetically...really a wonderful writer... published a couple of articles... still have some letters and postcards. DOROTHY: ...Bueker maiden name ... 2 years old ... born in Omaha, Nebraska and family followed here. Johnnie was a salesman and after meeting they were married in 3 weeks and married 54 years ... worked in the shop, Admin. Bldg. AAA, comptroller... lived in Bryan...daughter in St. Joseph ... one daughter graduated from college... another in merchandising. JOHNNIE: ...had 4 brothers and a sister and all are gone now. 12Noon LIL: worked in the shop by writing letters... mother & father well known for their hol aches.