HomeMy WebLinkAboutEastgate Panel 6East Gate
Tommy Preston
Jean Black Williamson
Dorothy Dugger
City of College Station
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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preserve historical documents by means of the tape - recorded interview.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.
with I have read the above and voluntarily offer my portion of the interviews
(Name of Interviewee)
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 Confe nce Center Advisory Com ittee.
Interviewer (signature)
a
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Interviewer (Please Print)
Y. 10.
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. �� � � � / c�C � � � I � 1 r �
J
Ln erviewee (P eas pr int)
�ignature of Interviewee
Nam e
Adc
Ire
Telephone
Date of Birth �C��' �-�c 1,99
/ Place of Birth ) .- h
i nterviewer (Please Pri )
1
Si nature of Interv'ewer
-.0
Place -f Interview
INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed
List of photos, documents, maps, etc 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.
9 S--
Date, , 3 CL
In
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
City of College Station, Texas 77840
ORA 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.
terviewe Pleas print
t
Signa a of Inter v' ee
�, , y
Interviewer (Please Prin )
Si ature b f Interviewer j%
Place Of Interview
Name
Address
Telephone
Date of Birth // :Z5
Place of Birth ,'
)P-In. /�r 7
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.
flz
Date/
Initial
6 Jew
� of O�-h.L/, Dwiler
Ethel- Good morning everybody, I'm the moderator, Ethel Delley, I'm original my
maiden name is Stein, Ethel Stein Delley. My dad was Phillip Stein and he we all grew up
right here in College Station. So in fact, he worked here in this building as one of the
custodians along with Mr. Chute, Eddie Chute, a lot of you knew him. So I'm going to
ask you to introduce yourselves and maybe spell your last name so a lot of that will be
clear. My last name is D- e- 1- I -e -y. To get a little bit better acquainted with each one, rm
going to ask you if you could give me your name, a little bit about yourself, and hum, like
I had forestated, spell your last name so that will come out clearly. We will try to get
your voices on the recorder to make it a better... We'll start with Mrs. Dugger.
Dugger- I'm Dorothy Dugger, Dorothy Allen Dugger. And I'm not from College
li4 3
Station, I am now, but I'm originally from Peach Creek. I finished high school here, no
some of it and I do have a history book of Brazos County but it's out at the farm. I can't
h o y5
bring it in until l si brings it, which I will bring to the office, I'm not sure how much I can
give you on College Station, but I can give you some background information. Last
name is spelled D- U- G- G -E -R. Thank you.
Ethel- Mr. Preston.
Preston- Pm Tommy Preston. Originally from - - -- moved to College Station in the mid
40's. Started work for the city college as a garbage collector. After working there for 18
years, I moved back out in the country, where I live now. I saw a lot happening around
this place. Didn't realize I'd meet Ms. Delaney, Mr. Delaney's daughter, who I guess was
about the first foreman for the city and the first manager whatever you call it for the city
here. In fact he was here when I started work and hum, oh I worked 18 years, I think it
was. So a lot has happed around this place, even remember when Mr. Stein worked here
and Mr. Chue. I was surprised that they didn't put Mr. Burtz and myself in the same
room because we collected some of the first garbage here and hum, the dump ground of
course was right on that property over there which was built up so course you would
never think there was one there. In this area here where the the big eating joint, what's the
name of it?
Ethel- The Golden Corral.
Preston - The Golden Corral, that's right. I lived right up the street there on Tyler from
the Golden Corral, none of that stuff wasn't there then. The dump ground of course was
about two blocks from my house, this was not in the city limits at this time. The streets
were there but they did not have any names and of course they're named now. But the
dump ground as I said its very interesting to me, we'd haul this garbage in there and dump
it into an old gully and of course Mrs. Prescott would go out and empty all the bread and
food and whatever else they had and they kept hogs in this place and the hogs would eat
up all the food so we had no problem with it. And of course she would go out after the
hog was through eating and bum all of the paper. And I guess we could have still be
dumping there had they kept this up. This was very interesting and I built a house just up
from that and watch all that stuff grow. As I said this was not in the city limits then even
on Tyler Street. They did come through but none of the other stuff was in the city limits
at this time in the early 50's, somewhere along that.
Ethel- We'll get around to everybody but we need to hear a little from Mrs. Williamson.
Preston- I hope I didn't take too much time.
Ethel- No you didn't because we're coming back to you and I'll probably ask a few
questions about your religious background and your experience, your military experience
if you have any. So we're going to have a long time yet to go. And we'll meet Mrs.
Williamson at this time.
Jean- My name is Jean Black Williamson. Black is my maiden name. My mother and
father ran the drug store known as Black Pharmacy facing A &M and East gate there in
College Hills. And I was an only child so I was down there with them quite a bit, reading
the comic books. I think thats why I may have majored in art because I was so taken with
the comic books and I got to see them all when they came in each month. And hum I
2
grew up on Walton Drive as my children would correct me I'm in the process of growing
up still so I live at 205 Walton Drive the old Holm house. Mr. Dutch Holm who was with
A &M, I think the house was built in 39. I sold it to Homer Adams, I inherited from my
late parents and sold it to Homer Adam and -oh about 15 years ago I guess. I tried my
hand as land lord. I th* to haver talproperty you must be able to repair things. I
A11e buv+5yor
couldn't do that, Kitty could have. I couldn't get into A &M because I was a woman when
I finished high school in 49. So I went to University of Texas. As I said I majored in art
over there, I wish now that I had majored in something lucrative like business maybe. I
didn't want to be a pharmacist because I saw how tough that was on my father. He
worked seven days a week from opening at 7:OOAM to close at 11:OOPM. During the war
he was the only pharmacist on the other side of the highway and I realize that hum that it
was a too strenuous a curriculum. In that day women did not major in pharmacy usually
there were few exceptions. I remember Gladys Korman from College Station majored in
pharmacy. I have enjoyed growing up here, I do enjoy growing up here. Also my children
went to College Hills schools system too. They are both Psychologists, both my
daughters. Living in the state of Washington. They want me to go up there but I can't
leave College Station.
Ethel- Well thank you Mrs. Williamson. We will get back with you also. I am going to
probably ask a little bit about I think Mrs. Dugger you said you went to school here.
Dugger- I fi4ished high school in this building in 1943. They opened the school here we
r U-Aitfe-(
were over in Hall over on the campus, belonging to A &M. It was a condemned
building in 3. Now somebody told me some of this was on
Dilme- r
College Hills. Now there was an area up before you were er Brookhalter.
Brookhalter Complex up there had a grocery store and everything back then. I don't
know a lot of the history about it. I was in there a lot of times, batr� I actually took
courses at A &M in 39. A &M let us go over and take mechanical drawing and shop under
their training program. We got our grades through the high school. But we actually took
it at A &M. And I took mechanical drawing for two years over there. So Kati tell people
I was one of the first co -ed I rk even though I was not official. And - hum- -what..I will
come up with more later, I have a history book thats less than 10 years old of Brazos
County. Of course when I finished high school Bush Drive am a Jersey Street was the city
veil vox S
limits. So I may can come up with some stuff Uubo Ziry was on Jersey street ,
there are apartments everywhere now,
So some of this I can probably come up with, but I think more details we will probably
want later.
Ethel- Back when you were growing up Mrs. Dugger, did you and your family do a lot
of traveling and hum a1 5 eJ o ) "
Dugger- No they did not. when you're a cattle rancher with everything
on the farm. In fact my dad ended up with close to 7000 acres of land down here on both
sides of the Navasota River. He was a pretty big rancher cl9se_ta=;L99 acres.
Ethel- Now your dad he did not go into the military service either did he?
Dugger- No he did not. Let's see my dad would be 113 he was in his 60's during World
War II. and he had to register, No he farmed too much then. He had enough property
-,C AI k�ke j¢ ,(e j e r jv BVc s
here in World War U, he had I think some
Ethel - Mr. Preston did you go and serve in the military?
Preston- No I didn't I too was on the farm at this time. I was close nine times but each
time they'd come back I'd fill the questionnaires and send them in, they come in they'd
passed them one day and I'd get a deferral so I didn't go into the service.
Ethel - Mrs. Williamson did your dad, he didn't go into the service?
Williamson No he was too young in World War I lie was only 19 -5 and too old in
World War U so he and besides that being a pharmacist he had an accidental occupation
here at home.
Ethel- With your dad being in business what were your summers like, what did you get
to go on vacation? Did you all travel?
E
Williamson- No we never took a vacation or traveled, he couldn't leave the store. he
was tied to it. I would go out to San Angelo with my mother occasionally and visit my
grandparents Westbrook, who were originally from Waco and larena. Larena was named
after my great aunt. Larena Westbrook Robinson, Mrs. Sterling Westbrook Robinson.
Ethel- Do you remember names of doctors that were in out area at that time?
Williamson - In College Hills were the were the two doctors Walton. Dr. T.T. Walton
went off to I think it was the Navy, And Dr. T.O. Walton Jr was a naval officer. I
believe that doctor T.T. stayed here and covered his brother's practice as well as his own
in Bryan. It was an exciting time to grow up. I remember in 42 -43 we used to play war
games behind Frances which was just a wilderness then and hum we would get the kids
from over here on this side of the highway, on a Saturday on a fall day, it was so pretty
we has so much fun.
Ethel- Can you recall any of those family names of those friends you used to play with?
Williamson- Yes, Mary Jane Munson, she was known fi 42 -45 during the war I think
they were up in Dallas in Tyler I do believe her father was an engineer. And hum I think
was head. Many Leland, we used to ride the Munson horse on what is now Domench
Street. It was just a trail leading out to the Dommich house, yawl remember that. And
hum it hum it was so much fun it was such a wholesome upbringing here in College
Station, in College Hills. Let me see some more names there on Walton Drive. I'm
counting the bus stop. Marmaduke Thornton and Neil Weis and Jackie Rowlins was the
other contemporary. Curtis Bums lived around the bend there and Sonny Boy Prewett,
the best looking boy in College Hills. The late James Prewett unfortunately was a - -- with
Curtis Bums father. The Prewetts lived across the street fi where Ms. Layton lives.
Ms. With Layton. Lyle Smith lived on Walton Drive and hum Smithie we called him he
was always full of fun a lively young man. And then John Ed Parnell lived across the
street there on Walton Drive where Puryear goes in from Walton was Nancy Stevens and
Gail Crawford lived across the street from her. The late Gail Crawford unfortunately and
E
hum the Moses down there with Jackie Rowlins, Duke Thor iton and Neil Reese and his
little brother Jerry who was so brilliant. They use to take him around to the sixth and
seventh graders and he used to recite he was a third grader, I remember when he used to
recite for us. Hum, where Gilchrist branches off from Walton Drive is that cluster that I
just named that lived around there. And Helen Thomas Perry lived on the last house on
Walton Drive before it became Kyle Street.
Ethel- Mrs. Williamson, do you remember those Blue Tops, who owned those?
Williamson- I sure do! The owner before the Grahams bought that, were the Anthony's,
who worked for Cecil Culpepper. They owned it and they lived in the upstairs area, main
office building.
Ethel- But it was a motel wasn't it?
Williamson- Yes, it was. Mary Lou and Moss Anthony were the children. They were
younger than I was. But Marie Anthony was mother's best friend. So we visited quite a
bit. Moss was always smart, he's an ophthalmologist, he's retired now from New Orleans.
And Mary Lou she married the Arnold boy, the youngest Arnold boy Charles Arnold, you
remember them of course.
Ethel- Did the Depression effect your family Mrs. Dugger?
Dugger- Yes it did for the simple reason my dad had bought a bunch of land down by the
lVa va river and he did have to sell off a bunch of his mineral r to hold it and hum you know.
Some of these people she's talked about I can come up with something on them too, As I
said, the Arnolds you know College Station Central Park is on Arnold Place, the whole
thing, Henry Arnold and Aunt aid my mother were sisters. And so see all those
Arnolds are all my first cousins and all the Presnalls around here are my first cousins.
Ethel- What about Bill Moore from Edge?
Dugger- Probably the other side. Now he maybe married in or something. See I have
been away basically 40 something years. But you mentioned Waco, I spent the last 30
there.
Williamson- I remember when Waco was bigger than Austin.
Dugger- I do remember basically when the only thing on the east highway six along there
were you were was the - -- Complex. They were there for a long time before you know
few houses and you mentioned Cooners they had that land up in there. I knew the
Cooners real well. In fact I had a cousin that married into the Cooner family T7ere
.aet -- I've got lots of roots here.
Williamson- You sure do, big family po
Dugger- And as I said I remember south of Duhevalny's farm. Kapachinki lived out
there and you know. I have not been out in that area, I've been here and visited but I have
not been real close into the area for lots of years. now I want to make one statement,
when they were putting pn the A &M golf course someone told my dad you should have
d
bought that you would have made a lot of money on it and his statement.was "I could
and
have bought it for 50 cents an acre. Didn't grow anything then and grow anything
now. I don't need any land that doesn't grow grass to put cows on."
Ethel- Mr. Preston, what about your vegetable gardens. Did you ever have gardens?
Preston- Oh yea, I still do in fact, I grow vegetables. I have a track farming life. Let me
go back to College Hills see I grew up on a farm at far across College Creek there. And
hum the farmers at that time would share they would get in and work crafts with one
another and all of College Hills there was farm land. And we came all the way from
Harvey to College hills to chop cotton out there right where all those houses. And we
came over there to chop cotton and go to Harvey at night. And later you mentioned the
Dominic Drive, there was only one lane going down through there. Do you remember?
Going to the Dominic's home back in there. I came over to college and we bought a
bunch of turkeys over here to be processed. And hum we picked those turkeys of course
we had to do away with the feathers and everything. We carried those feathers down
Dominic Drive and dumped them in a big gully. And it was all right you know. City
7
limits didn't go out that away any place. We dumped it in this gully and it was washed
away.
Williamson- Long before the East Bypass.
Preston - The East Bypass was just beginning to, not the East Bypass but Texas was just
coming in good at that time.
Williamson - That Wellborn Road was the way to Houston.
Preston- Wellborn Road was the way to Houston, that's right. It's just a little , you'd be
(,0- �'
6 f h surprised it was just a little two way drive, a car going down on this side you could hardly
Fo $ass on that one. Yes sir, I sure remember that ,College Hills, very much. I am now
V e, 1 �t gqpresently to answer your questions about truck farming. I did grow hogs a while back. I
of ( fie ai # it that the last of the year, last year. But I'm still in the truck business, I like that.
b?
o �f fA Ethel- Mrs. Williamson, did you ever get to go to any movies and where was the
e- b theater?
Pe I'd �
�t,�Mifliamson- Oh, I sure did, we saw I think it cost a dime to -et into the campus theaters.
a j , . It still stands but its not operating now. I would go over with the Wilson sisters. Jane
who was my age and Lois who was a couple of years older. We would walk over there
from College Hills, see our movie, and then walk back. We weren't old enough to be
whistled at, but the Aggies still they whistle at every girl on campus they saw from the age
of twelve or thirteen on up. And of course that embarrassed us but pleased us. From the
Aggies, and they all walked then. And the freshman had to walk out on the street, they
did not walk on the curb then and they did not walk on the sidewalk with the
upperclassmen. We saw some wonderful movies for that dime. I think we paid a quarter
when we got a little older. We went to Can Hall too. We remember those, it was a
Gu %6r�
huge place and those maroon velvet curtains, I hated to see them tear down Can Hall
but of course Rudder Center is a beautiful structure now. We had a third choice, the
Assembly Hall which is where the Presbyterians met. The Reverend Norman Anderson
and it was chock full of Aggies too just like the Campus. And the Aggies would holler
0
out, they'd say "roommate, roommate" at the other, certain parts of the movie. And then
in town there was the Palace Theater and the Queen Theater and hum the Dixie was just
about on its last legs about that time. And the Aggies would hum, before we moved here
in 1940 from Limestone County, the Aggies had a trolley they would use to go to church
or to the movies in downtown Bryan. It was a busy place then..
Ethel- Mrs. Dugger can you describe your modern appliances as little girl growing up.
Dugger- There was none, there was no electricity. My folks didn't have electricity until
W�
about S 1. Now daddy was real progressive we had a kerosene refrigerator, bias
, we'd get water out of the spring and drink it wash dishes in the taiqk, stock
ii 6 cLo
pond water. We didn't have it, it just wasn't available so you done what you *. And Pd
tell people when they'd say something, I'd say will if you get thirsty enough you'll drink
water out of a cow track if you have too.
Williamson- You'll like the tank water did you?
Dugger- Will we didn't drink the tank water we drank spring water. When the cistern,
.�o
basicly we had the rock cistern collect underground collect rain water. Other than that
you'd go down to the spring to get your water. You're thirsty you nna drink it.
Preston- Good cool water too.
Dugger- Yej If you could find a spring. I'd seen my mother take the wash a mile from
the house to wash because she didn't have water at the house to wash with. And
wash in an old big black pot ) scrub board as I said there was no modern appliances. they
just weren't there if you didn't have electricity, that's the best thing that ever happen to the
rural community I and the next best was the rural water system.
Ethel And Mrs. Williamson you never really lived in the r when you came so you
had modem appliances.
Williamson- Yes, that's true. I left a very small town in limestone county, two counties
north of here on highway 14. Next to county seat in 1940 when I was 8 years old we
0J
moved here. the druggist who owned the drug store before we bought it was worst than
starting out new because he had failed.
(Tape stopped and was not flipped over in time)
Ethel- Roosevelt train came through.
Dugger- Yes I was in Kyle Field, it.
Williamson- Roosevelt in 36
Ethel- One of the things I was going to ask is if you were around when Franklin D.
Roosevelt's' Campaign train came through could you tell us a little bit about it but of you
say you remember you recall that. r �-
a� oa
Dugger- I don't really remember the train but he rode iw Kyle Field in a convertible and
rn my dad told us it-you pie going maybe the only pe e► m United
� 1�,, a Eel
States you' ever get to see. He was this kind of person he his chi
ll ldren to get to do
this aad then Bush mad thegr a ct uation address here a few years back and they said there
le`, E dery 501 �s a9 o
�' e�vas one rson Waco that had been there when
was one � am n..�4�Tdr
, ews p a i i`
Roosevelt. Will I was in Waco and I was here, I was in Kyle Field but this is all I really
rememberyw was the Kyle Field thing because we went to Kyle Field and he rode
around in a convertible.
Ethel- Mr. Preston do you recall any of the campaign of Mr. Roosevelt.
Preston- Oh yes, It was about my first campaign along there. Yes, I remember the drive
around Harvey and that area the people really taking strong and were gonna get
"Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt for President."
In fact I think that was my first year voting. What year was that do you remember?
Was that about
Williamson- 30- 32 -36 -40
Preston- 411 believe was my first year voting and I do remember voting for him. After
about World War I or II that was about 41. World War 1I.
Williamson- December 7, 1941 that was Pearl Harbor Day.
10
Preston- Yes, I had to register about that time but I didn't have to go to war, I didn't
have to go to the Army.
Williamson - Glad you didn't?
Preston- Right, sometimes I am and than sometimes I wish I had gone. Lots of things
come to my memory as you ask those questions, I remember the Lincoln Street. In fact
when I started working for the city Lincoln Street only had dirt and gravel and the basin is
what we call ashes, they may call them a different name now, that was brunt at the pant
on college. Where they burnt coal, burnt wood, to make electricity and the heat and stuff.
Mr. clutch haul the wood over there and he haul the shes back that they burn to put on
this road, for people to travel on. Right so when I started working for the city they began
to put a little gravel in there and blading that road. I did do some blading operated a little
motor blades they had. Every now and then after a rain I could cut up those coals out of
there, you could still see it and I wouldn't doubt a bit that there's still some down there
under this pave they've got here now. That was very interesting and that stuff made a
good road.
Williamson - Good drainage.
Preston- That's right.
Ethel- Mrs. Williamson did you get a chance to go to any of the restaurants to eat?
Williamson- Yes there was a restaurant right next door to the drug store on Texas
Avenue and highway 6. East Gate, It was painted like the Blue Top Courts I think the
original owner was one and the same as the Blue Top Counts. And hum there was a
restaurant called Chef John that had real good home made rolls like mother made at
home. It was a wonderful restaurant, I think the tower is on that site now you know the
University tower. Somewhere down the side road behind the University Tower where
Chef John reigned. I wanted.
Ethel- You were talking also about your dad's business at the pharmacy. Did he have
many employees there?
11
Williamson- I remember a manager named Buster Knead and hum before that there was
a man of Chech ancestry and I remember he said when Czechoslovakia fell to Germany
when was that in 39 or so he said, I'm a man without a country. Ben Macula was his
name and what was your question?
Ethel- I was just asking about the restaurants
Williamson- I can't think of a third restaurant just the two in College Station that I can
think of I don't believe that North Gate had fast food even. Well that's another chapter.
But hum I can only remember that restaurant next door to daddy's its kind of on the
corner Lincoln Street and what is now Texas Avenue.
Ethel- Mr. Preston did you get to eat out during that time.
Preston- No, hum, I didn't as a matter of fact the main restaurants as a block you didn't
visit, it wasn't permitted. If you cared enough about it you could maybe go around the
back door and get a little food hand out. but I never did I never cared about I don't care
now. I don't want to eat anything where I'm not wanted. But there were places where
you could get a hamburger, she made some Peach Creek and that area. I retired from the
county and the Barkowiz and the Allen's and all of those I used to do those roads all
around there. Mr. lets see it was two boys that lived up on the top hill up there.
Hum that's funny how you orget names, all of that area I kept those roads until I retired.
.�Cllle►? d un s o r
Ms. Kitty I remember her she was always I had to keep her cattle guard. Ms. Barker and
Ms. Julia Allen. Yes hum and all of those people, I remember most of them people back
in that area.
Ethel- And how were the holidays celebrated?
Dugger- Vj&dwy basically in the little community school,tlgzFe that's where we had our
Christmas. Basically no one put up a tree at home, we had a community vied programs
we sang it, we did little pantomimes, and we did plays. For entertainment there, we didn't
have ways to get into town much. We had what we called a play party quite often, it was
kind of like round dancing, I mean square dancing now only calling. This was kind of
12
what we did for entertainment. He was taking about waiting down there, I guess it was
probably ahead of you when I was a teenager back when I was a kid if we heard the name
- - -, we put extra lunch on because that's what he'd have for lunch. (laughter) I don't think
they ever brought lunch when they came down. We learned to cook for any number.
'Cuz they, no matter who came along, be invited to eat. He'd eat, and invite them for
bacon and eggs and never apologize, but he'd never apologize for what he had, he would
give you what he had, but he wouldn't apologize. He'd give you the best he had.
Estel- I guess we can talk a little bit on the religious status of ugh, - - - -, we had, Pm sure
they had in your own community your own churches for your services.
�- Well, our school house was used for religious services and anybody that
came in, of any denomination or anything to hold services there. And everybody in the
community went no matter what it was or when, and that was it. So somebody local was
always having services.
Dugger- You didn't have a minister to come in?
Williamson- No.
Dugger- We didn't have a church house. So everything was done at the school and they
leave_
Ind a community center there now)built on that site. But, it didn't matter who they
were or why, if they want to come in there and hold services they come in, if they
wanted to come in and hold a meeting, you just come in and that was it! Sure. It-vvtts,
g d '
now my parents were pry Baptist, but as I said we l� all kinds so it d6o4t
we
matter, and they h all kinds. My dad, he encouraged anybody in there because he
was the big landowner and he had sharecroppers at one time. He wanted to have
children, so tit there'd be school going, he encouraged anybody to come in, at any
a rt �
time or religion, because he ifi u at education religious y%4jimemv, was all.
keep Ehe
But he didn't want sharecroppers that didn't have children, they'd he school - going, aid
Po y /? I c
my mother was school trustee fit6m 3 yea r°, but I won't even start into that.
13
Ethel- Mr. Preston, your early religious background, the church was at North Katy,
what...
Preston- Ugh, if you remember, if you know anything about Harvey, there was a, out on
Harvey road there was a church, the name of it was the New Liberty Baptist Church.
That was the first shake I got at religion, ugh, we visited that church I think once a month,
for service, we had Sunday school every Sunday. And later, .... best part I moved further
down at Harvey and ugh, visit the ugh, what's known as the Mt. Enterprise Baptist
Church. That was some exciting thing, that, that was one of the ugh, ugh, primitive
Baptist. They ugh, washed one another's feet, you don't see any of that now. That was
always our big day, the first Sunday in July of every year we'd gather out there and we'd
have service, and one of the ministers would preach, get down on the ground, and ugh,
we'd pair up, two persons with one bowl and they'd pass the water around, and you'd get
enough water to wash one another's feet! So ugh, that's when, of course, you move to
College Station and it's pretty good history there, right there on ugh, Lincoln, which is
Churchill. I united at that church, and we had services in one of those little houses, a little
shack on the hill, its where the church that's now United religions for college students, ugh
its ugh, it was organized then, and the neat boys, and ugh, only a shotgun house, about
20 foot long, 12 foot long. We ugh had service there for about two or three years, and
then we ugh had to put two of those little houses together (laughter) and held services
there. And then when the airport out here closed, they had some of those long barracks,
we got one of those and had service there for a while. And ugh, wasn't any street in that
area, we just cut across the pasture, oh, just like kinda like we were little. Then they,
yeah they came in and began to work the streets out, that's when probably seen a - - - -,
that's right. and ugh. right. I didn't remember that street, it's just the, it's just it came in
time. I guess that about the mid -40's and ugh, still there. That's right.(laughter),---- sunday
school, And ugh, I guess you can call the old horseback deacon
14
Ethel- Mrs. Williamson, was your church membership pretty small as a child?
Williamson- No, it was a big Baptist church. Ugh that my mother and I would go
together and um , uh she was born Episcopalian, but a then when she moved to Arena
they had no Episcopalian Church there so she became a Baptist like her paternal
grandmother, Mrs. Westbrook. It was a large church full of Aggies too. A lot of the
Aggies went to the Baptist church in Bryan. Where that preacher was Dr. Andrew, I later
married his son, Bill Andrew Jr. And hum Brother Life Brown was the Pasteur, for many
years, you'll remember Brother Brown.
Ethel - I suppose next thing we will talk about is our civic work and I know you have
done a lot of civic activities and I know Mr. Preston I think was involved in PTA's back
then in school times and you've had a lot of--- interest didn't you?
Williamson - Still do but I've run out of money, I can't afford it.
Ethel - And rm going to touch on all of those areas and I'm going to start with Mrs.
- 1k5 i y
Dugger. See how h*e dad's political life was lie, y our interest.
V J e //
Dugger - WE daddy was quite active aad he was quite active down here in College
Station and a lot of the development stuff in Bryan like the, of course off, you've
been in College Station. Like Coop, Bryan Building & Loan and all that he was in on the
beginning of most of those. Cause as I said now my dad and he was --
the pillar of our community year ago. *he was going to vote, I don't :•a re what was
going on he was going to vote, I mean lie was the kind&tnebod y vpiw said yguRuvVer
make a living at farming. Daddy was never paid for a days labor that I know of except
jury duty in my life. ,hey traded out work if the neighbor was working
cattle everybody was there working cattle. They had barbecues that day and the women
15
carrying covered dishes. Where ever the people were working the whole community area
came in and helped on the big day. And see back when I I was a small gild they had to dip l
fever /��Bt�'t; bt -(v be 5c j
the cattle �' ticks every two weeks. e ar comet
ry.e %ale/ {he made -Eh
togethujhgyr finah3�t ese +h� barbecue so hot that people that didn't come to
work couldn't eat it, t Wit's w k�t-� h a d so -- rs. his was out in the Peach
Creek Community. But they got rid of the hot barbecue that got rid of all these free
loaders. I . And whoever they
were GJOIr IA� f °would famish the meat the barbecue. but as I said the
women would bring in the covered dishes and you know they were just feeding so many
people that were free loaders and people traded work and if you wanted to go up to their
pen and use it, you didn't have to ask you used it. I mean everybody used your cattle pen
sdrn e-
or hog pen or whatever cafe daddy had everything. He was basically a cow man but he
said if you don't make it on one thing you'll get enough on another to maybe get by and
his philosophy was you watch your nickels and dimes the dollars will take care of
themselves. Now does that answer your question.
Ethel - Yes it does. Does any one else want to talk about the city work, a lot of us want
to talk about our city work, involvement in volunteer work. Did you do a lot
volunteering work Mrs. Williamson?
Williamson - All of my work has been volunteer lately. I decided to run for public office
in 1985 and file in'86. I went to the, they call him the godfather of the Democratic party
and asked him for his support. He said, "Well, you run in the primary and if you win
that's Then come to me." And I have run four times for Justice of the Peace, first as
a Democrat in that primary then as a Republican in that primary and then in'90 and'92,
let's see in'86,'88,'90 and'92 I ran unopposed in the primary and then I thought the way
anybody could get out of the primary was to run unopposed. It was interesting. It was a
16
because I've had life long stage fright. Not lifelong, it started at
challenge to me
C when I was 14 years old. It was reading in Spanish one time and I don't
Co began then
know why I have always been a talker and really outgoing but that stage frigh t
and I though, "Oh, my goodness, how horrible >" I remember going
into the Home
Economics Room and just lying down on the sofa. I had never had that. It was a panic
attack, I realize now, there were, Bill Motherland and Red Cashion and James Pruitt in
that Spanish class and Miss Harris from Rice University was our teacher. Lou Burgess
was there Joyve Patranella and Homer Garret from Monson Street, Patsy Bonham later a
council women whom I supported, Anna Jean Godby lived over on Lee Street and the
Wilson sisters, my campus theater buddies. They were all people whom I trusted and
liked very much. I never have talked about that before. I don't know how I got off on it
now. I have discovered a medicine that cures , Enderol I believe it is, it's a heart, it calms
c attack. So, when I had to make a speech when I was
the heart. You don't go into a pani
running for office I would pop and Enderol pill. Enderoll, that is. I can't remember
but..... from the age of 14 until about 1990, I think, I just avoided public speaking. I
couldn't have done this before that medication. I won't give a commercial.
Ethel - Well, since you have mentioned about your children, your family, I suppose one of
the questions I just ought to mention here was selection of your spouse and the marriage.
Did you have a big wedding?
Williamson - OH yes, I did. I married two Aggies named Bill. In'54, Bill Williamson and
I were married. He was A &M class of '51 and he finished in '52. From Brownsville, born
in Mississippi, but from Brownsville, Texas. Then I had mentioned my second Bill was
Bill Anderson. We were marred in'65. From'65 to'71. I love those Aggress. I never
did find anybody over at the University of Texas. They seemed so different, for one
thing, they didn't speak to each other on campus and I had grown up seeing the Aggies
17
speak to each other and to strangers who were visiting on the campus. We used to go up
there to the post office everyday. I remember one time when I was about 12 an Aggie
whistled at Mother and me in the car and I knew that had been kind of a mistake. I said,
"Mother, you need a little of my youth and I need a little of your old."
Ethel - Mrs. Dugger did you marry an Aggie?
Dugger - Yes, I did. He was a brilliant person. We are divorced. There are 5 children.
He got with the wrong crowd, got to drinking, got crazy, used some money that he
shouldn't have used and a few things like that which caused the divorce. We have been
divorced about 5 years. Our children don't even hear from him. He didn't even show up
for his mother's funeral. He did work in the Office of Educatiory alid s a doctors 's degree
A Aer' wa-s Ji rec , (aP filar?vwe�� .In IiVal��r� �an D c z4� 1.v'�
in education " ' '' - " �F� � "` n � a ► pi�ry We came back heFe-
and he was the founding president of T.S.T. C. e now your talking about of courses 7 C
.,* of a h ree�i;� of
this is Waco, but somebody asked me a few years back, Y
"Well, do you work here "? I was at a meeting there and I said "Well, yes, 26 years, but
without pay." But he could have had a brilliant career. He just is a person that messed up
as
and wouldn't adroit it and just kept going deeper api, you know, it's just one of those
things.
Ethel - I suppose we could, if anyone he's anything to just add that they would like to add
Dugger - She mentioned Red Cashion. Red Cashion graduated out here in "41, I
mentioned'43.
Williamson - Oh, that was Jimmy, his big brother.
Dugger - Oh, you're calling Red the bigger brother, yeah, Jimmy
Williamson - I'm calling
18
Williamson - Oh do they? I didn't know that. Well, he does have kind of reddish hair.
Dugger - yeah, red headed
Williamson - was he in your class?
Dugger - no, the class behind me. I graduated in '43 he would have graduated W but
with being so well known, as
Williamson - Yes
Dugger - But the two Reds got me
Ethel - Mrs. Willianson, did you mention how long your dad was operating the Blacks
Pharmacy?
Williamson - Yes - from April 1940, I don't believe I did mention it, and then he opened
up a store in Bryan, too, he had them both for a while and that store in Bryan was opened
up in'54 in 1954 and he sold the drug store to Mr. Tom Jones, who is here today. I asked
him a while ago when he bought that store from daddy, he said in'55, 'S6 so, daddy had
two store, the burden of two store, It was really, I think, a mistake for him, business -
wise, to open up that second drug store in 'S4. And he sold the one in Bryan in '67. is
there a date that I have left out?
Ethel - I think you did mention earlier that you did not have that much interest in working
in the business as growing up.
Williamson - I Love to read those comic books and I love to have the hot fudge sundaes
and the hamburgers and tuna fish sandwiches and everything, but it was almost a given
that, if I'd been a boy, that I probably would have followed in his footsteps, but, as I said,
('
Gladys K
an was the only female pharmacist that I can remember back in those days. I
think she majored in psychology for her...
Ethel - Well, in your dad's business, I suppose he did most of his buying with cash then, or
was it cash and credit?
19
Williamson- Well, he bought from the Baron Drug Company and Southwestern Drug
Companies, the wholesalers you know, in Waco, and I remember his getting invoices and
things, but he sold a charge account businessman. I remember Betty Matthews would a
nickel coke and the clientele there at Black's Pharmacy at East Gate was mainly college
professors and staff members coming in and the students were bound to the campus I
think but I remember I asked daddy one time who his best customer was. He said, "Mr.
Doleburg." The College of Agriculture would just automatically go to Daddy's store for
coffee breaks. he sold nickel coffee much longer than anybody else did.
Ethel - I suppose no one is here in the interest of grocery store was there a grocer store
there?
Williamson - oh yea.
Ethel - Was it another grocery store? Was it Luke's?
Williamson - Yes, it was around there at the East gate Center. They were all in a row.
Lewis Srotty's was there at the corner of University and Texas Avenue, where it is now,
and then, Betty Burkhalter's daddy's store was
Dugger - up this way to
Williamson - yeah
Dugger how close
Dugger - when I came to the apartment I brought my mother's and daddy's pictures. I
didn't even bring my kids or grandkids. You are an Allen
,e -( io ee�'i
Dugger - Peach Creek, Not Allen Farm. Sig Rock Prairie and Millican. 5 for a lot
of years Millican was our mailing address until we got a rural route. We had to go out
there and get our mail and actually I was born in Millican, b - 'les,
s We didn't live there. Actually, my part of the farm which my children have now is in
14; //; c J. w e h a d
the lien community. If you don't think you -fie trouble we had to name a road. It
took two weeks to come up with a name they'd accept - the county. It was Navasota
Tandy
Ridge. There was no mailar so we put our post office box at Millican and everybody, they
20
the- q / l
Ek
� nee
had messed up finally postmastecame out off-+h Navasota Ridge, sb& said
N aY
"what ?" we could get it up on the highway, but it's nearly a mile and a half and it's not that
far off the highway but you kind of go dogleg it back in there and around the tank and
this, that, and the other and we didn't want ourmail up there. In fact, they're doing all that
construction j*there. Do you know what the road side park is between here and
Navasota? There's two white rock roads they're oil roads, Across the road it goes off and
at the second one goes back to what was my part of the farm. They say were not half a
fey
mile off the highway but trying to jack back in there and pass through my brother's place
and this that and the other, yo -1 mid -s h -and we tell people
S affix en {S
they even switch my ? to Navasota. I'm going to get Navasota off that stuff and leave
it. We explain to them that, you, we had to have a 911, you couldn't put a septic
you AaJ
tank in, electricity wouldn't hook in until yeu44al 911. So, we had to name the road. I
dam e F are �f�ey e
xc e p Ke
think my son said it was the 15th Oij g he'd come up with aine
7 - all the rest of them were stupid, something ejpe too familiar.
Ethel - Before we get the tape back on
everyone - it's on
Ethel -I was just going to ask Mrs. Williamson did she have any pictures or any other
memorabilia.
Williamson - My roof fell in '92 and it got my photographs and my negatives. It just made
me sick. I had a galleon. But I will look for from my children's era. I still have some
photographs from them, but I've already said, "In case of fire, the first thing I will do is
rescue the photographs. "A possum fell out of my ceiling with a bunch of water. In'92
and they say you ought to put on a new roof whether you need it or not after about 15
years. I wish I had. Does that answer your questions with a thousand words? No, I do
not have any.
21
Ethel - We are going to ask one or two more questions. I was informed we would ask a
little about the dating and then we would get back to the to the other business of the
stores about where did ;you go on your dates and did you really enjoy them and um how
long could you stay out
Williamson - I had to be in early
Ethel - Mrs. Williamson had to be in early
Williamson - mother and daddy usually had company about the time I came in and they
left to play poker cow grams many beards. roman Senior. Oh I had to be in by 11:00 and
I couldn't date just singly I had to double date. And I remember one of my first dates was
with Henry Englebrecht from beaumont, Texas and he took me to see the Outlaw, I had a
crush on Bill Mutherland, the twelfth man from A &M. Bill and his family moved down to
Houston after our Sophomore year at Consolidated. And I remember being heart broken,
Bill's a preacher out in California right now.
Ethel - Now I'm aware that a teenagers did not have cars and every teenager now has a
car. Most of the times when your dates would come did you just go places you could
walk mostly or did you get the parents' car.
Williamson - the parents car a big car sometimes a triple.
Ethel - you would go to a movie
Williamson - yes we would go to a movie go to a football dance or all the boys were on
the team whether they could play football or not they went out for the patriotism of it. we
were a "B" school then. Athletically we were classified as "B ". I remember one time
consolidated play Grapeland is that the one over there in East Texas? And one of the
Grapeland boys had creased the letter helmet of the Consolidated boy
Ethel - Mr. Preston, as a young man fun things, going out with girls and boys, what did
you all do for fun? Just
Preston - We would go to church and to Sunday school walking of course and naturally
the parents would be behind us and we weren't very far in front. And we would have little
22
cheek suppers we could laugh and talk with the girls and if we did go to their house their
home to visit we didn't have to wonder what time it was because the parents would tells us
it 9:00 boys, its time to go home. Yes it was fun, but, we didn't have a chance with
dating. Some of the boys finally got to and we would load up and ride together. yes we
had a few dates.
Ethel - Mrs. Dugger did you get to come up this way to get more friends
Dugger - No you didn't. See when I was dating age it was during the war. Gasoline was
rationed nobody had cars, you couldn't even buy tires unless you could justify how they
are used. My dad had never had a pickup .didn't ever drive my mother did but he didn't
&4c !i a A / ,
c-k of - v
- 9mer drive u1= He �d Ke could get tire and gasoline. And Saturday, whole a n
,h t� � u P ee-�;�' y LA y
community went to town 1-mam t was rationed. How in the heck ye�drttgo-o
1 ,r/2 Gar, /d
where kkathe-bnt we did jo out in the country community causes there was no
transportation. Actually, literally, no transportation. Gasoline was rationed tires were
rationed.
Preston that sounds right.
Williamson - and the cars were getting old too 3 ��
i4
Dugger Well daddy had a Ford V8 before he bought t4W and I think it sat on blocks for
four years. Do you know they put the t*g tire on it? The battery started up.. And they
d �e, s Ea F
put gasoline it. My brother pr e togethe Well, the dad gum thing started. Don't ask
me why or how, and it was sitting out under a tree.
Williamson - Well you ought to write the Ford Company about that, but ugh.
Dugger - Hey there's a lot of things people tell me i ought to write about, but I'm not
going to. They tell me I ought to write a book on my life too, but
Preston - I could tell you quite a few things.
Dugger - 4bn I you can't read my writing anyway and I don't want to do it, I just don't
Scei
want to do it. But that was the dating ? Unless we had something at the school house.
23
Now we would do such things we we'd go to play ball and stuff on Sunday afternoons out
in the pasture or up in the school yard. I mean we done things, don't get me wrong.
Preston - that's right.
Dugger - But normally or sometime we'd walk home with our boyfriends or who we
thought was our boyfriends or girlfriends. but it would maybe be ten people in the group
walking them down the road, you'd just walk close to the one, not too close, just kind of
close. So that was kind of the way dating life was.
Ethel - We'd like to mention a little bit more about a business that was on College Hills,
and I don't know whether you remember, that was a laundry, Mr. Peston brought to our
attention.
Preston - Do you remember that?
Williamson - You bet I do. Mr. Ayers.
Preston - Ayer's Laundry. That's right
Dugger - Now you missed Ayer's. I'd forgotten the laundry
Preston - What was the name of the man who ran the grocery store there?
Williamson - Ugh, Lou Patranella
Preston - Patranella. I guess that's right. He sure did.
use /f
Dugger - Yeah, I remember the Ayer's - but, and I knew some of the
Patranella.
Preston - He had a black man that worked for them there. Do you remember his name?
Williamson - Oh, I can see
Preston - Grey, Grey
Ethel - I saw him the other day. He's in the nursing home at University Hills
Preston - Was that right? yeah
Ethel - He's still mentally, you know, able to...
Preston - Yeah, right. He worked there for
Ethel - He was a friend of my dad's
24
Preston - yeah, that's right
Ethel - Mr. Peny worked for Mr., ugh Dr. Walton there later
Preston - yeah, yeah,
Williamson - up till
Ethel - Well, well now well end it with this grocery store on University and Texas, Louis
Main, the family, what was that family, was there children involved?
Williamson - A son, they had a son
Ethel - And where are they?
Williamson - I don't know where they are but I remember when they physically moved that
store southeast a little bit so that they could put in Texas and University's intersection. I
want to tell a little story that Miss Layton is instrumental in. My daughter, Anne, was in
the first class to have entered the first grade at College Hills Elementary and we were so
thrilled because Miss Layton, this wonderful woman who is here today, was the principal,
the first principal of College Hills. And we were so glad that A &M was going to be able to
take advantage of her proficiency. She went, Miss Layton went to the drugstore and told
daddy this. She was still laughing. Anne Williamson, now 4 years old, loves her white
meat or chicken, on a chicken breast. But she was too polite to ask for it that way. She
said "Miss Layton, will you please tell them to give me the chest of the chicken ?" This was
in the cafeteria, where it happened. And then daddy came home and told mother and me
that and just, I've never seen him laugh as hard at anything.
Ethel -Well that's a good ending point and it has certainly been a pleasure meeting you
ladies and gentleman and working with this Memory Lane and I hope things will turn out
well with the video, with the everything. There were some interesting parts brought up
and discussed. And if you would like to have a closing out, each one of you, we would be
happy to hear from you. And like I said, in a few weeks you will probably be getting a
copy of this draft to read over and add to it if when you get home and you recall
something jot it down, so when you get it you can add it on there.
25
Williamson - Good idea. I made a few
Dugger - Well as I said, I will get some of this material out A e r Since I'm on
Holleman over here, it's no problem. Well I just thoroughly enjoyed this, myself, I don't
know about the rest, but this has been fun.
Williamson - Oh it has. I had one little thing
Dugger - I'd go anytime.
Williamson - well, yes. you remember when they made the "never been licked on the
A &M campus, I think it was 1942. either'42 or'43, Well, ugh
Dugger - I remember something about it.
Williamson - Um, this happened in the drugstore. A dashing, handsome lieutenant, named
Chich Sales who lay there and had the Coca -Cola products . he was a young
bachelor and the producer of this film, Walter Wagner or Wagner. I think it was Wagner,
decided to use Chic to publicize the film because he said he's dating either Martha Driscoll
or Anne Glen, one of the big, both in that movie. And he esquire her around, this was one
of the many trade magazines, and so forth, but it made Chich so mad because he had fallen
in love with Gloria his widow now, and he wanted to propose to her you know. And then
that publicity of the actress came out and I remember he was, i looked over at him and he
was standing over there in the drugstore. And Chic went over and talked to Walter
Barringer and got it all settled down. Now Gloria wasn't too happy about that. But it had
a happy ending. They had a long and happy marriage.
Ethel - sure, sure
Preston - I did remember something new. I had to picture the names of the streets in
there, ugh on that side. Well, you probably too young to recall.
Ethel - wonderful
Preston - All the little streets in there, I named those krisin, of course, one after me, one
after the kids, and one after the Peytons. All of those street in there.
Ethel - about black school tags.
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Preston - Yeah, Vincent and Tyra.
Williamson - did you name that one too
Preston - That one. sure did.
Williamson - That's wonderful. That's historical
Preston - Let's see. There's several of them in there.
Dugger - You don't realize you know what's historical until you get to discuss it.
Preston - That's right. That's right
Dugger - And as you said, it comes to mind
Williamson - Gloria Lotterstein. What's her first name? It wasn't Gloria. You know the
Lotterstein girl? Her parents had the Korean establishment up at North Gate. She was an
only child. Nancy Stevens, Lotterstein, just put the Lotterstein girl I guess. But black for
her then
Ethel - She could have been, excuse me, she could have been included when they did Long
gate. Because the business was on Long gate and he was on campus more wasn't he?
Williamson - Is that right? Okay
Dugger - Now there's one other statement I want to make. There was really not much to
College Station itself until they moved the professors and things off the campus and that's
when
Preston - that dropped it.
Dugger - Some of these came North about the time the school came over here and some
of them came over North of Bush, I mean, it wasn't Bush yet. Jersey up past the school
area, and then College Hills, Actually, College Hills didn't get started too good until after
World War II.
Williamson - that was 1837
Dugger - yeah, but war came in there and blocked it. But really there was no College
Station really, until about then, as a town
Williamson - And when we'd say we were going to town, we meant downtown Bryan.
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Dugger - Ugh hum That's what I'm saying. College Station itself is not an old town. And
the reason it was called College Station. The train would come up and say College
Station, you know for the boys to get off and on.
Preston - Well, at first City Hall, if you remember, was bright red South Gate
Dugger - What's that? I've been away for awhile
Preston - Up there, on slabs over that building.
Dugger -But what did I say? As a city, but as a city, it's a fairly young city.
Mrs. Williamson -It sure is.
Dugger -I just wanted to point that out.
Williamson - ......38 I think.
Dugger - I don't remember just when but it's a fairly young city and it didn't develop a
whole lot because World War 2 came in there, until afterward. Of course, when they
went co- educational it boomed. Didn't it?
Williamson - That's right, and how they fought it. How they fought co- education.
Dugger - Ugh, huh.
Williamson -And it's the best thing that ever happened to this city.
Dugger -Well if you'll look, the growth is South. You know, Bryan has not developed out
that much. There's some development, but Bryan itself has not developed a whole lot.
but College Station has.
Williamson -That Briarcrest part there is about the only development Bryan has had.
Dugger -Now as I say, I haven't lived here for a long time but my parents and my family
was here and I would come visit, you know. And I would just see things.
Moderator -OK, ladies and gentlemen. �' d f ,tai
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