Came a Time ...

[B P Weaks]

Late fifties, early sixties. Yachtie Albright sat in front of his store, which sold every sort of goods nobody wanted and housed cats, lots of cats. Next door was Quality Cleaners, operated by Hut Bowden, my Daddy. The Gilberts ran a hardware concern on the other side of Yachtie, and Evans Grocery was next to us. Gaulden Drug on the corner, but I don't even remember directions. Which side of the square am I on?

There was some of the finest grub in the county around that square. You could walk out any noontime and be filled with savory victuals. And if you drove down to the Grill 69, there's be cheese on a burger, fries and a malt, and I did that plenty often in them days.

The fire hall was in the middle of the square, of course. Old men swapping yarns. "Bound to be re-runs," said Hut. "Don't that much happen to old men."

Across the square was Murphy Chevrolet, run by two brothers. A salesman name of Wilkins claimed to be a "third owner" of the dealership, and so of course forevermore Yachtie referred to him as "Third Owner."

There was a constable very ready with a firearm. The hooligans came out one night and set up a NASCAR run around the square. The constable simply went the other way and ran them all off the road. I only heard about this because we only drove over from Bonham for workdays.

The family of Jack White had a store up there, I seem to recall. Wylene Sprinkle? Lovely lady. I hope good things happened to her.

Bless us every one.

Now, you...unless I'm talking to myself again ...

[Anonymous]

Are you talking about downtown Bonham?

All of these stores were before my time.

[Native]

He is talking about Leonard, Texas...

[B P Weaks]

Anonymous wrote:

Are you talking about downtown Bonham?
All of these stores were before my time.

"Late fifties, early sixties. "

So there are no more traces of anybody I mentioned? How about the furniture dealer and mortician named Pat, maybe Bailey? Surely you remember Grill 69? One block from the square in Leonard lived preacher Fullerton of the Church of Christ. He had a beauty daughter who drove, I think, a '55 Chevy.

And everybody who ever passed through that community, and I mean EVERYBODY, would remember the inimitable Blabber Brown.

[Mom28]

I kinda remember some of the stuff your talkin about. The chevy dearlership was still around when I was a little girl. I wasnt around in your time though. And I remember my granny talkin about Blabber Brown. I could be wrong but I think Third Owner went crazy. The church is still there though.=B P Weaks when did you leave Leonard??

[B P Weaks]

Oh, boy ... Daddy died in February 1962, so we started clearing out after that. I wasn't over there many more times after that.

I would expect Blabber Brown to be around as long as the statue of James Butler on the Bonham Square. Also Yachtie Albright. How about the Baptist minister, Reverend Bruce Cushman? Liz Fullerton? Was that the C of C minster's daughter? Beauty blonde, drove around in a powder-blue '57 Chevy. Wylene Sprinkle, named like a Dick Tracy character, but she was lovely and so friendly and I was gonna ask whatever became of her.

Jack White I know of, because I've written with him in recent years. Drove a black '57, four-door hardtop. There was a Jim Leinert, expert mechanic,'55 Chevy. A guy name of Bird Dog.

From over in Whitewright, but still around sometimes, Steve Edwards. Deloris Feugitt. Linda Sue Cummings. These are just names occurring to me. Lynn Williams.

Anything strike a spark?

Wilkins was the name of the Third Owner. Had two brothers, one Frankie, the other worked for Jimmy Brannon in Bonham who called him Sparkplug.

Thanks for writing.

[Brett USAF]

Wow....i used to live in Leonard. Now in Okinawa Japan.