Hill’s 50th Anniversary was an event for the entire community. Grandpa set up his cassette recorder and microphone near the space occupied by the office in today’s store. It was just past the pop cooler, and close to where we had set up free fountain drink station as part of the celebration. You could see the gas pumps through the large plate glass windows. Funny enough, you occasionally hear the bell that would ring when a car pulled up for gas. It’s a bit loud because the bell was right by Grandpa’s recording station.
Grandpa did most of the talking (you couldn’t stop him…he was a Primitive Baptist preacher who loved to talk), but he always tried to get our customer’s names, ages, when they first started trading at the store. Sometimes he would ask them the first thing they bought. In one case, he even pulls out the original ledgers and tells them what they bought (which happened to be on their wedding day). There’s bits of local color and history throughout each of these recordings. We hope you enjoy!
*note: Recordings are alphabetical by last name of first person in interview. Other interviewees are cross referenced to the first person listed
A
Clyde Ashburn (“Clyde, the Barber”):
B
Bill and Zeta Berrier:
Ralph, Renee, Ralph Jr., and Ricky Berrier:
Ellis and Dossie Bowman:
Freeman and Larry Bowman:
C
Ed and Phillip Chappell and Erna Leonard:
Goldie Chappell:
Dwight Combs (see Joe Hawks)
Joy and Barry Combs (see Earl and Arlene Lowe)
Mamie Combs, Barbara Jarrell, and Pamela Jarrell
Rufus Crotts and his wife (we can’t make out her name, if you know, please contact us):
Vergil and Ruth Crotts:
D
Otto and Viola Dawson (Barbara’s parents) and Timmy Hill:
Jerry (Barbara’s Brother) and Rachel Dawson:
Will Dawson, Eddie Jones, and Ricky Surratt:
Joe Dixon:
Roger and Paulene Dowell:
E
Claude and Margie Easter, Hurley and Dot Vernon:
Nettie Edwards and Dorsie Palmer:
Theresa, Duane, and Ricky Edwards:
F
Ethel Farmer (see Vestal Jones)
Joe Felts:
Rev. Jesse E. Fleming:
Ellie Flinchem:
G
Clisba Gates and Robert Nunn:
Lacy Gates:
Lucille Gray:
Moody and Veona Gunnell:
H
Charlie and Retha Hawks:
Gladys Hawks, Stephen and Keith Mabe:
Herman and Wilma Hawks:
Joe Hawks & James King & Terry Hawks & Dwight Combs:
Stanley Hawks:
Terry Hawks (see Joe Hawks)
Shade and Victor Hawks:
Harvey Haynes:
Wayne and Stacy Hayes:
Ed, Linda, Jason Hill, and Joey Sechrist:
Jason Hill (see Todd Hill)
Olin and Opalene Hill:
Olin Hill (see Arnold Leftwich)
Oscar, Barbara, Todd, Osler (W.O.), and Edith Hill:
Sarah “Grandma” Hill (see Willie Hill)
Timmy Hill (see Otto Dawson)
Todd Hill and his cousin Jason Hill (W.C.’s grandsons):
Willie, Shirley, and Gina Hill & Greg Johnson & Grandma Hill (W.C.’s wife):
J
Barbara Jarrell (see Mamie Combs)
Pamela Jarrell (see Mamie Combs)
Eddie Jones (see Will Dawson)
Henry and Colleen Jones:
Vestal and Anna Jones & Ethel Farmer:
Greg Johnson (see Willie Hill)
K
James King (see Joe Hawks)
Opal King (see Junior Leonard)
L
Arnold Leftwich:
Arnold, Elma, and Regina Leftwich:
Arnold Leftwich and Olin Hill:
Erna Leonard (see Ed and Phillip Chappell)
Fred and Ella Leonard:
Junior, Orene (W.C.’s youngest daughter), Scott, Mickey Leonard, Opal King (W.C.’s oldest daughter), Sandra and Neil Newman:
Earl and Arlene Lowe & Joy and Barry Combs:
M
Stephen and Keith Mabe (see Gladys Hawks)
Rufus Marion:
Ken Marsh:
Eldred Marshall, the Sealtest Milk delivery man:
Robert Mayes (see Harvey and Myrtle Vaughan)
Garland McCraw:
Troy McCraw:
Sam McKinney:
Raymond and Frannie McMillan:
Troy and Virginia McMillan & Jeff and Pam Quesenberry:
Bo Mundy:
N
Merle and Sandra Newman (W.C.’s granddaughter):
Sandra and Neil Newman (see Junior Leonard)
Robert Nunn (see Clisba Gates)
P
Dorsie Palmer (see Nettie Edwards)
Columbus Payne, Jr. and William Payne:
Marcus Payne:
Q
Jeff and Pam Quesenberry (see Troy McMillan)
R
Houston Richardson:
John Richardson:
Patsy, Marvin, Marvin Jr., and Mitchell Robertson:
S
Dave and Lena Sechrist:
Joey Sechrist (see Ed Hill)
Roby and Ann Sechrist:
Tim Smith:
Ricky Surratt (See Will Dawson)
T
Carl Towe:
Harley and Nonnie Towe:
Kermit and Mamie Sue Towe:
Morgan Towe:
U
Claude and Emma Utt:
Vernon and Frances Utt:
V
Harvey and Myrtle Vaughan & Robert Mayes:
Joe Vaughan:
Hurley and Dot Vernon (see Claude Easter)
W
Hazel, Sheila, Jason, and Marvin Woods:
Kenneth Woods:
Sandra and Audrey Woods: