That's Just the Way It Was Back Then By Dr. Lawson Broadrick (Chapter 1 Preview)

8/13/2019 That's Just the Way It Was Back Then By Dr. Lawson Broadrick (Chapter 1 Preview)

1/36

Introduction

I first thought of writing a book after giving a talk to my high school classmates

in 1998 on, Nostalgia Gets Better ith !ge" #y former high school $rinci$al, #r" %liff

&ale, was there and after my talk, he encouraged me to write my memoirs" #y talk was

recorded and he told me it was very good and he was $lacing it in the 'alton &igh

(chool !rchives" I only gave a $assing thought to writing a book at the time, as I was

still $racticing dentistry, but the seed was $lanted" )ater, I deliberated a good bit before

deciding to attem$t it" In *++ , I started collecting ideas and actually started writing in

-anuary *++." I $robably would never have started if I had known it would take three

years to com$lete/ #y intent is to relate how our lifestyle was so much different back

then" !s I was collecting stories that I thought would be of interest to others, I reali0ed

that if I did not tell them, they would never be told" I ended u$ with so many stories that I

was able to cherry $ick2 the best ones" 3hese stories are a smorgasbord of many

flavors and $robably something everyone can en4oy" I have included tales of growing u$

on )uckie (treet, our move to Glenwood !venue, and my dad buying our first house on

North &amilton (treet" I have included fun times, school e5$eriences, tough economic

times and how we survived the great de$ression" #y learning e5$eriences, work

e5$eriences, our devotion to God, family and country are shared" 6arly 'alton history,

along with its rise from rags to riches 7from chenille beds$reads to become the car$et

ca$ital of the world , its $eo$le and organi0ations that influenced my life are discussed,

as well as my ac uaintance with a few movers and shakers in the car$et industry, and

later in the dental $rofession" I relate my brother 'ual2s orld ar 3wo e5$eriences, my

Boy (cout dedication, my fun time in high school, $laying high school football, orous


2/36

stories of our esca$ades together" I e5$lain how I got through 8 years of college with

very little money, my college and dental school e5$eriences, my !ir :orce time and my

first dental $ractice in %edartown, Ga" I tell how I met my dream wife, about the move of

my $ractice to Buckhead, !tlanta, my involvement in dentistry, and stories about dental

associates" ! few of my favorite things such as music, $oems, 4okes, funny tales,

movies, uotes, hobbies, vocalists, $hiloso$hy, and credos are mentioned" I relate a

few stories about my $arents, siblings, and children with a little genealogy thrown in" I

share how I became interested in alternative medicine, tell about my uncle, 'r" George

Broadrick and include some of his stories" I describe our wonderful family retreat at)ake Burton" I share some delightful human;interest stories, and tell of my -unior

%hamber of %ommerce 7-aycees affiliation" !ttending the )" '"


3/36

acce$ted a communistic !%)? that is res$onsible for God2s elimination and $olitical

correctness, along with much more socialistic falderol, while we have watched crime

rates soar" !s I write, I get to relive these stories and reflect on the many friends,

associates, teachers, $reachers, fellow dentists, relatives, and organi0ations where I

was active, all of which had a $rofound influence on my out come and way of thinking"

(ince I did not kee$ a 4ournal, I have had to try to remember all these stories with the

hel$ of my sister, 6va, brother, 'ual, aided by a few old friends, my mother2s -ournal,

$lus the letters I wrote home from >orea"

3his is not a tell all book, but is a tell most2 book, as I don2t $lan on writing another" 3hestories are told in chronological order, yet I may be off a year, $lus or minus, but it

should not detract from the story"

I have s$ent much study these last @@ years observing our government2s

transformation from a limited government to an all $owerful government that our

constitution forbids" Be very wary of any $olitician who wants to change our constitution"

e use to have a strong dollar, but $oliticians changed that" e use to have legal

immigration, but $oliticians changed that" e were a %hristian nation, but $oliticians

changed that"


4/36

%urriculum Eitae

'r" )awson Broadrick is a native of 'alton, Georgia and a

19@. graduate of 'alton &igh (chool" &e attended (outh Georgia -unior %ollege his

freshman year, then transferred to est Georgia -unior %ollege his so$homore year" In

$re$aration for dental school, he needed more scientific courses and selected :lorida

(tate ?niversity to obtain his B( in Foology" &e was acce$ted to attend 6mory

?niversity (chool of 'entistry starting in 19 + and graduated in 19 @" &e served *

years as a dental officer in the ?(!:, with a year s$ent in >orea" =n se$aration fromthe !ir :orce, he chose %edartown, Georgia to begin his first $rivate dental $ractice in

19 ." In 19.*, he moved his $ractice to Buckhead, !tlanta and married >athryn

ithers of !tlanta that same year" In 19.@, shortly after returning from the


5/36

!merican 'ental !ssociation, the &inman 'ental (ociety, and the !merican !cademy of

Aestorative 'entistry" &e organi0ed and served as chairman of the Georgia 'ental

!ssociation2s :oreign meetings and travel from 19H+ to 198*"

'r" Broadrick has served as $resident of the Georgia !cademy of 'ental


6/36

farming went, so did !merica" In the late *+2s, easy credit $ut a real hurt on those that

were over e5tended 4ust as the de$ression started, and many lost their 4obs" 3he

automobile industry along with businesses that sold other big;ticket items, had

introduced buying on the installment $lan" 3his was all well and good, as long as one

had a 4ob and could make the $ayments" In the late *+2s, stock could be bought on a

1+J margin, which $ushed the market higher and higher" (tock $rices doubled between

19*H and mid;19*9" !ll investors wanted was to get in on this stock boom and they

chased it right to the market crash" By the s$ring of 19*9, the stock market had started

falling, with little ho$e of recovery" 3he order of the day was sell, sell, sell, but therewere no buyers" =ctober * was known as black :riday and stocks were down to 1+J

of what they were two years $rior" 3hose that had bought on 1+J margin still owed the

other 9+J and most could not $ay u$" !bout this same time, there was a land boom

going on in :lorida and %alifornia" )and s$eculations $roved almost as disastrous as

the stock market crash" 3here was little diversification of !merican industry at that time"

3wo hundred cor$orations controlled half of our nation2s gross national $roduct 7GNatherine 6vans hitener had develo$ed a

uni ue method of making beds$reads around 19++" (he taught many women in the

area her techni ue, which was known as hand;tufted candlewick chenille" By the late

19*+2s, it had develo$ed into a cottage industry" (he and her brother formed 6van2s

#anufacturing %om$any" 3hey contracted with many farm families to hand tuft

beds$reads using her designs" 6van2s #anufacturing had carriers deliver sheeting with

a stam$ed design, the yarn, and needles, to these farmhouses" 6ach week a carrier

would deliver new sheeting, and $ick u$ the finished beds$reads" 3his was $rimarily a

woman2s work, but when farmers couldn2t make it farming, they soon decided that they,too, could tuft beds$reads and did" 3his new cottage industry com$limented 'alton2s

cotton mills and allowed 'alton to esca$e the worst of the de$ression" 6van2s

#anufacturing was only one of many com$anies hiring workers all over the area to tuft

beds$reads" It was estimated that 1+,+++ workers were tufting beds$reads in the

greater 'alton area"

!nother ma4or negative factor to foster the de$ression was the dust bowl in the

Great ansas and 3e5as" 3hese

wheat;growing areas had been over $lanted and over gra0ed, de$leting the land of

nutrients along with the worst drought this area had ever e5$erienced" 3he strong

winds blew all the to$ soil away" Nothing could be grown here and the dust made it

difficult to breathe" #any moved to %alifornia and became known as =kies" 3he

drought lasted almost four years before the rains restarted and the land restored" 3his

devastation affected 1++ million acres L ++ miles by ++ miles ; or 1M of the land area


8/36

of 3he Great


9/36

were sabotaging his every effort for their own $olitical gain" 3his was $olitics as usual

and little has changed since then" By 19 *, $eo$le were hungry, 4obless, with no

money and little ho$e"

Industrial Aecovery !ct"

3he


10/36

'eal was moving fast and this one $ercent that owned and controlled forty $ercent of

!merica2s wealth became alarmed by :'A2s $lan to redistribute their wealth to the New

'eal" ! grou$ of these mega millionaires led by the 'u$ont and -"


11/36

(ystem which is a creditMdebt system nationally organi0ed by the :ederal Aeserve !ct

of 191 " !ll local banks are members of the federal system and are regulated by the

:ederal 'e$osit Insurance %or$oration 7:'I% " 3his $rivate bank has an e5clusive

mono$oly in money creation, which in reality has eliminated the need for revenue from

ta5es, as they can $rint what they need at any time" (o why are !mericans ta5ed so

heavilyO

=ur %onstitution mandates that all $a$er dollars be backed by silver or gold"

(ince the :ederal Aeserve took control, that backing has gradually disa$$eared" Now

the only backing of our money has is the faith in our government, which is diminishingra$idly" !s the :ederal Aeserve $rints more fiat money, the value goes down" 3he

inflation this new fiat money $roduces is the cruelest ta5 of all as it hurts the $oorest and

retirees" !nother as$ect that should be of concern, as your money or salary is inflated,

is that you are $ushed into a higher ta5 bracket where you $ay a higher $ercentage of

ta5es on the same buying $ower" !n ounce of gold today still has the same $urchasing

$ower that it had in decades $ast"

3he second $lank of the Communist Manifesto sti$ulates a heavy $rogressive

income ta5" 3his is the origin of our 1. th !mendment, which was needed to com$liment

the $ower grab of the :ederal Aeserve as they work hand in glove" 3here are other

$lanks of the %ommunist #anifesto that have become !merican law, but none so

damaging to our freedoms as the :ederal Aeserve and the 1. th amendment" f for some

reason you uestion these statements, go to Google on your com$uter, search for

%ommunist #anifesto, and see for yourself"

By 19 @, the economy was beginning to turn around" 3he G'< rose to


12/36

H P J and unem$loyment fell from J to *1"8J in 4ust two years"

In 19 , the (u$reme %ourt declared the National Aecovery !dministration to be

unconstitutional" :'A was afraid the (u$reme %ourt 4ust might declare other New 'eal

$rograms unconstitutional" In 19 H, the (u$reme %ourt did declare the National )abor

Aelations Board to be unconstitutional" !t this $oint, :'A attem$ted to increase the

(u$reme %ourt from 9 to 1* members so as to $ack the %ourt with his cronies, and

liberali0e the %ourt" 3his attem$t not only failed but also outrages the !merican $ublic,

which forced him to cut s$ending" 3hat summer des$ite a slight increase in G'


13/36

)uckie (treet, which was on the $erimeter of the %otton #ill Eillage" 3his small house

had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a toilet on the back $orch"

I was born in this house on !ugust , 19*9" I already had two sisters Blanche,

1 , 6va , and a brother 'ual 1 " #y sister Eera Auth had died before I was born

during an influen0a e$idemic in 19* at age " 3he mill took out four dollars $er month

7a dollar $er room from dad2s $ay for rent" e had a fairly large lot with a garage and a

1 5 1 foot woodshed with a small chicken house attached" 3he mill took care of

almost all maintenance such as trimming hedges, roof re$air, running water, electricity,

and house $ainting" !long with dad2s mill 4ob, he made a good si0e garden each s$ring"&e would either borrow or rent a mule to $low his garden" I can remember following

along with him as he $lowed" e also raised chickens for eggs and frying $lus two

hogs" =ne year we had a cow for milk and butter" &e would hel$ my mother with

canning many different foods for the winter"

6ven though we had cold running water and electricity, by today2s standards we

would be considered $oor" e had no government agency to inform usC therefore I

guess we never knew" hat a shame/ #ost families were in the same situation" e

never missed a meal although during the five;month cotton mill strike of 19 @, which

was the only time my dad was unem$loyed, we occasionally ate a little skim$y at dinner"

=ur dinner may consist of cornbread and milk, either sweet or butter milk" I must admit

I still en4oy this occasionally" =ne food I remember I liked and have not had since was

called wilted green salad" e would $ick fresh lettuce from the garden and $our a

mi5ture of hot bacon grease and vinegar on it"


14/36

!s the economy was turning around, I can remember us re$lacing our icebo5 in

19 . with a >elvinator Aefrigerator and mother getting a new #aytag washing machine

and a bathtub in this same time frame" 3he new #aytag washing machine almost cost

me my right arm" I was trying to hel$ my mother wring out the wet clothes, I caught my

right hand in the wringer, and if not for my mother2s uick thinking to release the wringer,

I could have lost my arm and did lose a thumbnail" 'uring the de$ression, &obos would

come to our back door and ask for food" &obos rode the freight trains illegally going

from town to town" #y mother would always fi5 them a $late lunch while they sat on the

back $orch ste$s to eat" 3here were sou$ kitchens in most ma4or cities on the easternseaboard, but none in small towns" Besides, they could get better food at a home than

from a sou$ kitchen"

#y dad had to be at work at . + a"m" so we all ate breakfast together at @

a"m" !fter dad left for work, my mother would continue working until 9 ++ $"m, washing,

cooking, cleaning, canning, ironing and sewing" (he was a very good seamstress and

took in outside sewing to make some e5tra money" (he had a (inger foot $edal sewing

machine" (he made my sister2s dresses, my $ants and shirts" (he made my sister,

Blanche2s $rom dress her senior year of high school" (he saved the sewing scra$s

from all her sewing and crocheted them into a si5 by eight oval rug" 3his sure made it

more comfortable when ste$$ing out of bed on a cold winter morning instead of the

linoleum floor" #other would can almost anything my dad would grow in his garden $lus

items from the grocery store" (he canned beans, okra, creamed corn, $reserves,

4ellies, chow chow, $ickles, $eaches, relish, a$$lesauce, and $ickled $eaches and

$ears" #y mother never seemed to sto$ working unless com$any dro$$ed by" (he


15/36

was a great cook, and I am convinced she could make fried cardboard taste good" (he

was also a taskmaster, and as long as she was working, she e5$ected other family

members to hel$ out" I never remember being allowed to slee$ late under her domain"

(he was always saying, Idleness is the devil2s worksho$"

Before she got her #aytag washing machine, she used a *+;gallon cast iron

three;legged $ot in our backyard, which re uired a fire under it to heat the soa$y water

and a scrub washboard" !fter rinsing, she would hang the clothes on a clothesline to

dry in the sun" =nly those growing u$ in this $eriod can a$$reciate the feeling of

slee$ing between fresh sheets dried in the sun" (he also used this same three;legged$ot to make soa$ from lard ashes, and lye"

hen the weather was cold enough dad would kill our biggest hog" I always

looked forward to hog killing day as I knew we would feast on $ork tenderloin, red;eye

and sawmill gravy and biscuits that evening" hile eating this s$ecial meal, I was sure I

was in hog heaven" 3he ne5t morning we would have scrambled eggs and hog brains"

3here was very little waste of the hog" #y mother would dee$ fry $igskins and later

make crackling cornbread from the $igskins" (he would make souse meat for

sandwiches from the scra$ing of the hogs head and feet" 'ad would have

miscellaneous meats ground u$ for sausage at the grocery store and mother would can

it for later" (ince we had no cold storage, the hams and shoulders had to be rolled in

salt and hung in our smoke house until you were ready to eat" 3hen you would cut off

what you $lanned to eat the ne5t day and soak in water over night to get the salt out"

3he lard was used for frying chicken, making biscuits, sawmill gravy or anything that

needed frying and even soa$" 6very morning for breakfast, we would have fried eggs,


16/36

biscuits, gravy, 4elly and usually side meat 7or streak of lean di$$ed in flour and fried"

=ccasionally, we would have store bought bacon" 3his was our standard breakfast for

many years and I still love this meal almost as much as steak"

!s I mentioned earlier, we raised enough chickens for our $ersonal use, both for

frying and eggs" I can still see my dad wringing a chicken2s neck and watching it flo$ all

around the back yard for about three minutes" &og killing was always on a cold day and

started early and finished late" !fter killing the hog, it had to be hung u$ on a tri$od by

its back feet, bled, intestines removed, scalding water $oured over it to make it easier

to scra$e the hair off then cutting u$ the different sections, salted and hung u$" I onlysaw this $rocess three times" Aecently, I was having lunch with one of my best dental

friends, 'r" alt (heffield, an !tlanta orthodontist" hile we were discussing how we

grew u$ and killing hogs etc" I uickly reali0ed I was a neo$hyte com$ared to him" 'r"

(heffield grew u$ on a large farm in #iller %ounty, (outh Georgia, nine miles north of

%ol uitt, Georgia" 3hey had a well and windmill to $um$ water, but only enough for

their $ersonal use and to su$$ly the livestock" 3hey had ice delivered until alt was

age 1* and then they got a refrigerator that ran on kerosene that would make a little ice"

3hey had a storage tank for water and when the windmill did not $um$ enough water,

they had to hand $um$" 3hey did not get electricity until alt was age 1@ and, therefore,

had an outdoor toilet" 3hey had three black families living on their farm to hel$ out with

the cro$, hog killing, feeding the livestock, grinding corn at the gristmill and anything

else that needed doing" #r" (heffield would milk the cows in the morning and alt after

school" alt said one of his highlights of growing u$ on a farm was hog killing time" &is

dad ke$t 1 hogs as they had a large family, $lus three black families to feed" 3hey


17/36

would kill three hogs at a time, three or four times a year in cold weather" !fter killing a

hog, they would cut the hog2s throat to bleed as much as $ossible" 3hey would then

$lace the hog in an iron tub of boiling water with a little tur$entine added to make the

hog2s hair real sticky and easy to scra$e off" !fter all the hair is removed, the hog is

hung by its hind legs on scaffolding" 3hen the intestines are removed and the inside is

washed out with boiling water" 3he intestines are thoroughly cleaned and used as

casings for the sausage" %ertain meats such as hams, shoulders and side meat were

hung in a smoke house to smoke for four or five days, which did a $artial curing" 3hey

would be further cured by in4ecting a certain sugar solution close to the bone" 6ven thene5ce$t for sausage, the meat had to be rolled in salt for continued $reservation" alt

lived in (outh Georgia and went to North Georgia %ollege in 'ahlonega and I lived in

North Georgia and went to (outh Georgia %ollege in 'ouglas" alt received an

a$$ointment to the ?"(" Naval !cademy and was re uired to s$end four years in the

Navy after graduation" &e then went to 6mory ?niversity (chool of 'entistry and after

graduation, attended the ?niversity of


18/36

=ne should remember that through the 19 +s, most rural folks still did not have

electricity or running water and therefore had outdoor toilets" e did not have a hot

water heater while living on )uckie (treet therefore, we had to heat water on our wood

stove and carry it to the bathroom on the back $orch" =n cold days we had a kerosene

heater that left one smelling like kerosene" =ur )uckie (treet house had two fire$laces,

$lus the wood burning cook stove and even on the coldest day we ke$t fairly warm" #y

dad would bank the fires at night 4ust before bedtime so each would be easy to restart

the ne5t morning" #y mother would heat a brick in front of the fire$lace, and wra$ it in

news$a$er and $lace it at the foot of my bed to get my feet warm on cold nights" #y dad used a straight ra0or, a soa$ cu$ and brush and a leather stra$ to shar$en

his ra0or" 3o use a straight ra0or, a man had to be akin to a surgeon to avoid cutting

himself while shaving"

'uring the cotton mill strike, the union had a -ottem;down store for members on

%hattanooga !venue for sta$les such as sugar, flour, meal, coffee, lard, etc" I

remember taking my wagon there with my dad to $ick u$ these sta$les during the strike"

#c'onald2s grocery allowed us to charge our main groceries during the mill strike" 3hey

delivered our groceries to our kitchen through the back door" #ost anything one

needed was delivered such as stove wood, coal, milk and block ice before we got a

refrigerator" =ur $ostman delivered our mail to a mailbo5 attached to our front $orch"

&e would blow a distinctive whistle to let us know we had mail or if you had any

outgoing mail for him to $ick u$" ! stam$ for a letter was "+ cents and a $ostal card

was "+1 cent" #y mother could write a three;$age letter on the front and back of a "+1

cent $ostal card to save "+* cents" #ilk and butter was delivered to our front $orch by


19/36

)ove2s 'airy" I can still see their logo on the side of their truck, Dou may whi$ our

cream, but you can2t beat our milk"

e had no recycle bin as all food scra$s went to feed our chickens, slo$ the

hogs or to our cat or my dog" 3here was no $lastic and all other items and containers

could be burned" #y best friend and constant $laymate was Glynn &arris" e did

almost everything together from age to age 9" e built straw huts in the hollow

behind his grand$arents home, the Aobert (kates" e shot our BB guns, made and

shot our sling shots, walked the railroad tracks 4ust below the hollow, $laced $ennies on

the track so a train would smash the $enny to twice its original si0e, and $lay wheel andhoo$" hen other friends would 4oin us, we would $lay marbles, kick the can, hide and

seek, ho$scotch, dodge ball, softball, cowboy and Indians, (imon (ays, running races

and bicycle races"

I remember on my th birthday, I received a tricycle" ! short time later, while

riding on the sidewalk, my sister 6va 4um$ed on the back and fli$$ed me off and on

some freshly cut hedge stubs ne5t to the sidewalk" I was unconscious a little over an

hour" #y ?ncle George, 'r" George Broadrick, came and told my $arents that if I made

it through the night, I would $robably be okay" I did have deliriums for about a week and

had to relearn to walk"

!s my . th birthday was coming due, my mother offered me a dollar or a birthday

$arty" I chose the birthday $arty, which turned out to be a good decision, as I received

about K."++ in gifts" (eems all birthday $arties were du$licates of all other birthday

$arties" e always $layed ring around the rosQs and $in the tail on the donkey while

blindfolded and after being s$un around a cou$le of times" 3he child that came the


20/36

closest to where the tail belonged won a $ri0e" !lso ice cream and cake was served"

Aecently, I ran into a childhood friend, 'ale !nderson that reminded me that he

attended that birthday $arty" It had to be this $arty as that was the only birthday $arty

with invited guests I ever had as a child" I started kindergarten in #arch of 19 at

North 'alton (chool" 3here were two first grade teachers and I had decided I wanted

#s" 'eck when I started first grade that fall" =n my first day of school, my mother

walked me to school" I was $laced in the other first grade teacher2s class, so I uit

immediately and beat my mother back home" #other walked me right back to school

and told the $rinci$al, and I was $laced in #s" 'eck2s class" #s" 'eck made school andlearning a fun e5$erience" 3he teachers I had in the second, third and fourth grades

were e ually good, but I still give #s" 'eck credit for starting me on a fun learning

4ourney" I never wanted to miss a day of school and did not until the third grade when I

got the chicken $o5"

hile living on )uckie (treet, we had one of the few tele$hones in our

neighborhood" If we were not going to be home, we left the front door unlocked in case

a neighbor had a medical emergency" Back then all tele$hone numbers were double

digit such as @*, * , etc" hen you removed the tele$hone receiver from its cradle, an

o$erator would come on the line and ask what number you wanted" (he would 4ust say

number $lease then connect you to your desired $arty" e had a $rivate line, but

many rural folks were on a $arty line with as many as si5 others"

North 'alton was a close knit community and we knew most families within a

three block $lus area" ith the de$ression still in effect, if a neighbor died, their friends


21/36

and relatives would go all around the neighborhood collecting money to bury that

neighbor as almost no one had insurance"

!t age H, my $arents gave me a few minor chores like bringing in stove wood, a

scuttle of coal, kindling, and taking the ashes out" #any (aturdays my dad would

reward me by taking me to town and buying me a >aye2s ice cream cone, which cost a

nickel" >aye2s ice cream $arlor was only two stores north of :raker2s %orner and

General #erchandise store" 6very (aturday afternoon, farmers and blue;collar workers

would gather there to shoot the bull" (ome came in cars, some in horse drawn wagons,

and others would walk," #ost were there in their best overalls" #any were chewing ands$itting tobacco, which a$$eared so nasty and com$letely turned me off" 3he only time

I remember my dad wearing overalls was at work at %rown mill or while working in his

garden, but never in town, church or anywhere else"

=n one of these (aturdays, my uncle #arvin Broadrick was there at :raker2s

%orner and asked me if I would like to ride home with him on his horse drawn wagon"

&e lived four miles south of 'alton on a farm located on the 'ug Ga$ Aoad" 'ad let me

and it must have taken two hours to go the four miles" =ther than a horse drawn

hayride in high school and a cou$le of horse drawn buggy rides used for sightseeing in

tourist towns, this was the only time I ever rode a horse drawn wagon"

=ur entire social life revolved around &amilton (treet #ethodist %hurch" It

seemed we were attending church every time the doors were o$en" e attended three

services on (unday $lus $rayer meeting on ednesday evening" If there was a revival

at &amilton (treet %hurch, we always attended" hen other churches in North 'alton


22/36

had a revival, we occasionally would attend there" 3his is a $hoto of the church today,

but it was white when we attended to 19@8"

(ome (unday afternoons, there would be a gos$el singing at 3he hitfield %ounty

%ourthouse and occasionally we would attend it" =nce a year on a summer (aturday,

a gos$el singing and a covered dish lunch would be held at Grove )evel #ethodist

%hurch in their brush arbor, which is about five miles north of 'alton" e usually would

attend and we referred to this occasion as !ll day singing and dinner on the grounds"

I have fond memories of


23/36

our front $orch" !unt Ealley rocked on one of 3ri5ie2s $aws and as would be e5$ected,

he s uealed to high heavens" !unt Ealley 4um$ed u$ and told everyone that 3ri5ie had

gone mad, and everyone should get in the house" I saw what ha$$ened and tried to

e5$lain, but to no avail" 3ri5ie went to the back $orch and I immediately 4oined him to

console him" &e $laced his hurt $aw in my hand and I rubbed it" (hortly I was told the

dog $ound had been called" #y first thought was to grab 3ri5ie and run to the hollow

below and hide out until the dog $ound truck was gone" 3hey arrived too uickly and

took my dog with the $romise that if he was all right they would return him in three days"

3hey lied and I never saw 3ri5ie again" I told my mother I never wanted to see !untEalley again and believe I did not" I did get another dog, a collie but never learned to

love it as I did 3ri5ie"

In the summertime, most children went barefooted and $layed outdoors with no

adult su$ervision" 3here were a lot of stubbed toes and cut feet" (ince there was no air

conditioning, windows were left o$en so mothers could hear any child2s cry and check

on them" :ew mothers worked outside the home and I never even heard of a baby

sitter until I was grown" %hildren would gather from all over the neighborhood to $lay" If

there was an im$ortant decision to be made, we used the eeny;meeny;miney;mo

method" #ost boys got Aed Ayder BB rifles by age 9" By today2s standards, it is

ama0ing we survived" #ost children were born at home, lead $aint covered baby cribs

and almost all $ainted furniture, baseboards, etc" e rode our tricycles, bicycles,

scooters and skates with no helmet" e shared soft drinks with friends, ate raw cookie

dough, drank water from a garden hose, rode in cars with no seatbelts, and sometimes

in the back of a $ick;u$ truck and ate tuna out of the can" =ne summer my sister, 6va,


24/36

while barefoot got a wire in her foot that went all the way through and $rotruded about

an inch above her toe line" #y mother $laced her foot in a bucket with kerosene

covering both her foot and the wire" (he let it soak for about three minutes then slowly

$ulled the soaked wire out bringing the kerosene through her foot which acted as a

disinfectant" I saw this ha$$en and 6va2s foot got all right" I am almost certain she

never received any medical treatment from ?ncle George" #other had an array of

medicament such as kerosene, ?ncle )um2s salve, castor oil, milk of magnesia,

mustard and oatmeal $oultices, iodine, $aregoric, cod liver oil, sulfur" liniment, and

argeral7 silver (olution for sore throats" 3here was little mother would not attem$t totreat" (he always had ?ncle George as her back;u$" #y siblings and I were convinced

that ?ncle )um2s salve was a miracle salve" I only met ?ncle )um once at age H" &e

gave all his relatives a half gallon bucket of his s$ecial salve but never revealed its

contents" e used it for cuts, bruises, sores and boils"

!s children, we did many stu$id and dangerous things with so;called friends"

=ne would dare you to do a dangerous thing and if you hesitated, you were given a

double dog dare" It was difficult not to acce$t this challenge" I shortly learned to say,

you do it first and then I will do it" e learned at an early age how to deal with failure,

$ain, success and res$onsibility" 3hose lessons carried over into adulthood with a work

ethic unsur$assed to $resent day" e grew u$ with no air conditioning, no 3E or

com$uters, clothes dryer, %' or ta$e $layer, no electronic games, nor babysitters and

few had tele$hones"

I was a high;s$irited child and received many whi$$ings with a switch on bare

legs as I wore short $ants until age 9" #y dad would always say, 3his is going to hurt


25/36

me worse than it is you" I somehow doubted this" !s high;s$irited as I was, in today2s

arena, I would $robably be forced to take Aitalin" 'ad always made me fetch the switch,

but my first selection was never big enough"

#y brother, 'ual, and his best friend, 6arl &arden were $laying football for 'alton

&igh (chool in 19 and at the end of the season, it was announced that football was

being discontinued" 3here were two reasons given, a fight had occurred while $laying

Aome &igh (chool that season and the school board had stated that there was not

enough money to resume football for the 19 @ season" 'ual and 6arl were determined

to reinstate football at 'alton &igh (chool" 3hey went to teachers, the coach, localbusinessmen and received enough su$$ort to reinstate high school football for the 19

season" Both 'ual and 6arl were seniors, but decided to remain in school another year

so they could $lay football and rea$ the benefits of their efforts" #y dad took me to see

'ual, 6arl and the team $lay in 19 " 3his was my first high school game to attend and I

did not attend another until 19@+"

In 19 8 my brother Aay was born and my sister Blanche got married" Aay was

my only sibling to be born in a hos$ital" !t first, I believe my mother was embarrassed

and disa$$ointed to be $regnant at age @*" Aay was a true 4oy and much later he and

his wife


26/36

entertainment" -oe offered me a dime not to entertain" 3his was my first e5$erience of

getting $aid not to do something" )ater during the de$ression,


27/36

with a substantial cam$aign contribution from these wealthy reci$ients2 for their ne5t

election"

Blanche and -oe married in 19 8 and immediately moved to &untsville, !labama"

-oe continued to work for A" -" Aeynolds 3obacco %om$any" 3hey s$ent H years in

!labama and had * daughters, )ynda and 'iane while there" In -anuary 19@ , A"-"

Aeynolds offered -oe an o$$ortunity to transfer to another town" 3hey chose %leveland,

3ennessee so Blanche could be closer to our $arents" %leveland is only *8 miles from

'alton" In -une 19@., -oe uit Aeynolds to go into the $ro$ane gas business" with his

brother Bob"3he summer of 19 +, 4ust $rior to my entering dental school, I was living $art;

time with Blanche and -oe and working for -oe" I was mostly working in %hatsworth

seeking out $ros$ective customers for whole home $ro$ane gas systems" (ince they

had two daughters and no son, I ke$t $rodding them to try for a son" ! few months

later, after entering dental school, I got word that they may have a son on the way" 3hey

did have a son, &al who I am $roud to say is a fine dentist in %harlottesville, Eirginia"

=ne of &al2s daughters, !my is married to a dentist, Brandon =2'onnell $racticing in

#obile, !labama" !nother niece and ne$hew, 'iane and 'ick Galbreath have a son

Aob that was an orthodontist in the ?"(" !rmy until this year *++8, and is now in $rivate

$ractice in Eirginia Beach, Eirginia" I was ho$eful that my brother Aay or one of my

children would become a dentist, to no avail" I like to think that I may have influenced

the two mentioned above" -oe sold the $ro$ane gas business in 19 * and became the

(inclair =il distributor for Bradley %ounty, 3ennessee 7%leveland " (inclair was sold to

!rco =il in 19.9 and -oe retired from !rco in 198 "


28/36

Blairsville with !unt !my and ?ncle Burt

#y !unt !my, mother2s sister, and ?ncle Burt 'illingham had a du$le5 a$artment

in 'alton and a rustic cabin in the mountains of North Georgia, near Blairsville" 3hey

had no children and they invited my sister 6va and me to go with them to their mountain

cabin" e had been there once before with mother and dad" I can remember us

making homemade ice cream using hail from a summer hail storm" 3heir cabin had no

electricity, no running water and the outhouse was + feet from the cabin" 6va was age

11 and I was 8" ?ncle Burt2s brother went with us and rode in the front seat with ?ncle

Burt" !unt !my sat in the back seat between 6va and me" 3he car was a new 19 H:ord sedan" e were about five miles east of %hatsworth headed u$ :ort #ountain,

when ?ncle Burt went lim$ and slum$ed over the steering wheel" 3he car started rolling

backwards" !unt !my uickly reached over between the two front seats and $ulled u$

the emergency brake, which most likely saved our lives as we were 4ust a few feet from

going over the edge of the mountain" Neither ?ncle Burt2s brother, nor !unt !my could

drive" In a few minutes a man came along that could and drove us back to %hatsworth"

e got to a doctor2s office and as e5$ected, ?ncle Burt was dead" #y dad and ?ncle

George came to %hatsworth and 'ad drove ?ncle Burt2s car back to 'alton" ?ncle Burt

had been a car$enter" !unt !my had a $remonition of her early death and started the

$rocess of giving me one of ?ncle Burt2s saw or hammer, etc" every year way before my

birthday as she was sure she would not be living when my birthday arrived" I was

$racticing dentistry in !tlanta, Georgia when she died at age H in 19. "

!s a child, I en4oyed making scooters and wagons from old wheels" 6ven today I

still en4oy restoring or re$airing broken items at my lake house" 3here I have a


29/36

com$lete worksho$, which has been one of my favorite hobbies for years" In 19 @,

'ual and his friend 6arl bought a 191 3;#odel :ord for K1 "++ and another friend 3ed

%rook $ainted it and re$laced the seat cushions and covers" I was only age , but can

remember how shar$ the 3;#odel a$$eared" =ne of them failed to $ut oil in it and this

ruined the motor" 3o re$air it would cost more than it was worth" 3hey sold it for K "++"

#y mother ke$t our radio on most all day listening to different $reachers, gos$el music

and some folk;ty$e music" #other2s favorite $reacher was 3"


30/36

were that by attending these meeting, it might be a way for him to get out of some

honey;dos and sit down and get a little rest"

In her 4ournal, mother would write short cho$$y incom$lete sentences about each

day2s ha$$enings" (ome of what she wroteC %ost of two weeks groceries K1 ".9, cost

of a $air of shoes K*"++, and shoe re$air "* cents, cost of cow feed, sewing material,

coats, etc", who was sick, who was in the hos$ital, who died, who visited that day,

worried about Blanche and 'ual going to sinful movies, getting her first tele$hone, her

first >elvinator refrigerator L cost K1 H" +, sewing dresses for Blanche and 6va $lus

outside sewing for e5tra income, churning when we had a cow and how much she soldthe e5cess butter and milk for, dad2s garden, the %rown %otton #ill strike in 19 @ and

when dad had to walk the $icket line and attend union meetings, how grateful she was

when the strike was called off in (e$tember 19 @, 6ugene 3allmadge cam$aigning for

governor at city $ark which was the largest crowd she had ever seen in 'alton"

3allmadge2s catch $hrase was, Georgians have but three friends (ears and Aoebuck,

6ugene 3allmadge, and God almighty" 7&e won the governorshi$" 'ual hel$ing out

with the grocery bills, 'ual and 6arl &arden driving #r" #c'onald, our grocery store

owner out west for three weeks, en4oying her radio sermons of different $reachers, 'ual

working at Aeal (ilk &osiery mill then going to :incher Nichol2s 'rug (tore to work three

or four more hours, her attending


31/36

&ayesville, North %arolina to visit her old home $lace $lus a visit to her mother2s grave,

and writing letters to her siblings, etc"

(lee$ing !rrangements

!s I stated writing my memoirs, I became curious as to how we all sle$t in the

four room house on )uckie (treet" I mentioned my curiosity to my older brother 'ual,

as to slee$ing arrangements" I told him I don2t ever remember feeling crowded" &is

comment was =h it was crowded" (till curious, I wanted to see the inside of the house

and try to figure it out for myself" I had not seen the inside of this house since we left

there in 19 9" I called my younger brother, Aay, who was and is $resently the $robate 4udge for hitfield %ounty, Georgia 7'alton " Aay taught eighth grade science for thirty;

five years before retiring" I asked Aay to see if he could find out who was living there

now" 3he house numbers had changed and uite a few #e5icans were living in the

neighborhood" Aay told me that a former )uckie (treet neighbor,


32/36

It sure brought back many $leasant memories" 3he old a$$le tree 6va and I

would climb was gone" I remember us selling a two gallon bucket of a$$lies off that tree

several times to %" 'avid Suick2s grocery store, one block away for "1+ cents" 3he

neighborhood was fairly well $reserved with a few re$lacement homes" ! home had

been built where dad2s garden use to be"

3routman, North %arolina

In *++*, Blanche and -oe2s grandson, and my great ne$hew, -ohn %ock got

married in 3routman, North %arolina at the same school and church combination that

-oe had attended 8* years $rior" -oe2s mother was a 3routman, hence the name

3routman, North %arolina" >ay and I attended the wedding and I had an o$$ortunity to

see the two story house where -oe and his nine siblings grew u$" -oe2s father built the


33/36

house and most of the furniture with in" No one is living there now, but one of -oe2s

nieces lives nearby and maintains the house and garden" It is more like a museum as

all the furniture is still in $lace" 3here has been a 3routman reunion held here every

year for the last 1++ years" Blanche died in *++@ and -oe sold their %leveland home

and moved in a small house on his daughter and son;in;law2s 'iane and 'ick

Galbreath2s farm in ilson, Eirginia" In the summer of *++ , -oe bush hogged 1@ acres

on a tractor because he wanted to" &e has a wood working sho$ he loves and is still

going strong at 9@"

#y dad2s oldest brother, George, attended %hattanooga #edical %ollege right outof high school in 189H and graduated from medical school in 19+1" &e started his

medical $ractice near his home in the 'ee$ ($rings %ommunity north of 'alton on the

Beaverdale Aoad where he grew u$" &e made house calls on horse back until he

moved to 'alton in 19*@" &e then bought his first car, a 19*@ 3;model :ord known as a

3in )i00ie" !ccording to his son, 3om he never cared for this car as it had to be hand

cranked, and sometimes this was difficult" 'alton2s first hos$ital had beds and was

o$ened in 19*1 and named &amilton #emorial in honor of George " &amilton, first

$resident of %rown %otton #ills" ?ncle George delivered over .+++ babies in his

career, mostly in their homes" Back then, $hysicians were limited to what few

medications were available" &e had a black leather bag that was com$artmentali0ed

and contained everything he needed" &e even had two dental force$s to e5tract teeth"

!s$irin and $enicillin had not yet been discovered" #ost of his $atients could not afford

to $ay for his services and he knew this u$ front" &e would tell them what they owed

but never sent a statement his entire $ractice" !fter moving to town, he had an office


34/36

and a secretary" (he ke$t a record of $atient charges" &e told her they knew what they

owed and would $ay when they could" #any times, he would be $aid with syru$, a

cake, salt $ork, etc" In 19*8 he bought his first new %hevrolet and a new one every

year for the ne5t *H years, e5ce$t during the war" Aight after the war, cars were still

scarce and the %hevrolet com$any $aid him K* to trade his 19@. %hevrolet for a 19@H

%hevrolet" 3here is a well known story at that time about ?ncle George that I believe to

be true" &e received a tele$hone call one late evening re uesting his services" &e

asked the $erson if he had any money" 3he $erson said he did" ?ncle George said in

that case, $lease call one of the other doctors" If you had no money, I would come in aheartbeat"

In 19 +, ?ncle George was named by The Dalton Citizen Newspaper #an of the

half century" )ater, in 19.* when the new hos$ital was com$leted an oil $ortrait of

?ncle George was hung in the new hos$ital lobby" !lso a street ne5t to the hos$ital was

named Broadrick 'rive in his honor" Broadrick 'rive has several medical and dental

offices on the street" In 19 8 'r" Broadrick was again honored by his #asonic lodge for

H years of unselfish service and an e$istle of his many contributions were written and

read by -udge #alcomb 3arver, who was a former ?"(" %ongressman from Georgia2s

Hth 'istrict" (everal other #asonic lodges in the surrounding towns $artici$ated in

honoring uncle Gorge" &is wife, !unt #aude, and his seven children were $resent"

?ncle George2s comment on receiving this honor, Dou 4ust have to outlive your $eers"

?ncle George was a great ins$iration to me and I consider him one of my heroes"

:un (tory L ?ncle George


35/36

?ncle George2s only remaining child, 3om tells a funny story on ?ncle George"

&e and one of his $hysician buddies, 'r" )loyd ood, were attending a medical

convention in 'aytona Beach, :lorida" 'r" ood had a red Buick convertible and the

two of them were riding down the beach, with, the to$ down" Neither 3om nor his dad

knew the other one was there" ?ncle George always wore long handle underwear" &e

had winter and summer weight long handles" hen they s$otted each other, 'r" ood

sto$$ed the car" 3om said he walked over and could not hel$ but laugh" ?ncle George

had on his summer long handles with a bathing suit over the long handles, his ever

$resent curved tobacco $i$e in his mouth and his usual crum$led black hat and a $air ofhigh to$ black shoes" 'r" ood weighed over ++ $ounds, but only had on his bathing

suit" 3om2s laughing u$set ?ncle George briefly, but was okay after 3om a$ologi0ed" I

am reminded of the story of the man telling his wife he was going to need a new bathing

suit" (he asked why and he said he had worn the knees out of his $resent one"

3hree other of dad2s siblings lived in the 'alton area" #y ?ncle #arion and !unt

)ucy lived four miles south of 'alton on the 'ug Ga$ Aoad" &e had a large farm that

abutted the Aocky :ace #ountain" hen the I;H Interstate was being $lanned, the

'e$artment of 3rans$ortation needed $art of ?ncle #arvin2s $ro$erty for the interstate,

which was com$leted in 19. " #y ?ncle Bill and !unt %ora lived about five miles north

of 'alton on the Beaverdale Aoad" &e had a nice si0e farm, but not as large as ?ncle

#arvin2s" I have fond memories of riding horses, $laying in both uncles2 creeks, and

4um$ing off of rafters in their haylofts" I am sorry to say I did not get to know my !unt

Girtie and ?ncle


36/36

in the Boyston %rown #ill Eillage" !unt Gertie started getting !l0heimer2s fairly early in

my youth and she would always ask me, do I know youO

I also had an ?ncle 6lwood and !unt Bessie that lived in :ort Ealley, Georgia" I

had only met ?ncle 6lwood one time before attending his funeral at age 1 " Dears later

my wife >ay and I would sto$ by to see !unt Bessie on our way to a dental meeting

either at (ea Island, Georgia or

That's Just the Way It Was Back Then By Dr. Lawson Broadrick (Chapter 1 Preview)

Documents