Remember your first Phone Number?

Sometime in the late 40s we got our first phone. Our number in Baldwyn was 3332. The only places that were a local call was the community near Baldwyn and Tupelo. Elsewhere was long distance and needed an operator to assist with the call and record charges according to the amount of time you talked.

We had at least one technician stationed in Baldwyn to maintain the service, I believe his name was Jack Farmer. I still see his name on a mailbox south of Guntown on old US45.

How many of you can recall your phone number at that time? Later, exchange numbers had to be used; FOrest 5 for Baldwyn and VInewood 2 and others for Tupelo.
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Thanks to Milton Copeland for the old rental bill.

Dudie's Diner and Festival

I'll bet many of you have eaten at this little diner! It was a favorite of folks from all over the county.

UPPER PHOTO (1957): In 1947, Truman "Dudie" Christian bought a decommissioned Memphis streetcar, brought to Tupelo and turned the barely six foot wide streetcar into Dudie’s Diner. Dudie’s Diner and the burger soon became a local favorite in downtown Tupelo.

Christian learned to make the burgers (a mix of meat, flour, oatmeal, and water) when meat and staples were rationed during World War II. But neither the burger's appeal nor the charm of the diner's converted Memphis streetcar could compete with fast-food chains. The diner closed in 1986, and the streetcar ended up at Tupelo's Oren Dunn Museum, where the town's beloved dough burger is celebrated with a festival each year on the first Saturday in May.

The namesake of the festival is the Dudie Dough Burger. At one time you could get ten for a dollar.

LOWER PHOTO: Today the diner is on display at the Oren Dunn Museum in Tupelo where, incidentally, the Lee County Bookmobile is also on exhibit.

Alec the Crow

When we were young, we had a variety of pets. Not only dogs and cats were found around the house, but also were turtles, rabbits, 'coons, and other animals. The following stories from Don and Gerald McKibben struck my funny bone and I thought I would post it here for others to chuckle about. It is from a couple of emails, but putting it here will preserve it for a laugh later...


Don writes:

I do believe he was capable of performing almost any task that would irritate our mother....she took great pride in her Spring flowers, her favorites were the beautiful and very sweet smelling Hyacinth....she always had several colors....blue, pink, purple and other pastel colors that bloomed in early Spring.

When the Hyacinths were in full bloom, Alec would pull each individual bloom from the plant.....mother would come out to check on her plants, see how he had pulled all the blooms off, and after she "lit in on him", scolding him, threatening to catch him and put him under a wash tub(that was the punishment he most-hated and mother's favorite) and let him stay there all day.

When he heard her scolding him, he would go directly to the Hyacinth blooms he had pulled off, pick them up individually and with his beak, force each one in the ground.....he seemed to take great pride in his placement of each bloom in the dirt with just a small amount of the bloom left in view.....after he finished sticking all of the blooms in the dirt, he seemed to be proud of his accomplishment.

Gerald mentioned about his ability to talk.....the funniest part about his episodes with Mother was after she would pause from threatening and scolding him for something he had done, he would get a safe distance away from her AND SCOLD HER.....that would go on for a while, back and forth until Mother finally gave up and went back in the house. Many days when we returned home from school, we found Alec under a wash tub......after we rescued him, he was on his best behavior the rest of the day, sitting on our shoulder, gently rubbing his head against our face.

There are many stories about him....seeing the episode you sent, Carl, brought back many memories....maybe Gerald will add more stories......stealing clothes pins off the clothes line.....letting the freshly-washed clothes fall to the ground, then hiding the clothes pins.....in holes in fence posts....we found hidden clothes pins in strange places long after he was gone. He also knew who liked him and who didn't.....our Aunt Lillian Hopkins....school/music teacher....disliked him and he knew it and could pick her out in a crowd of relatives....sneak up behind her and almost take a plug out of her leg or behind, then fly up in a nearby tree and boast about it !

I'll hush about Alec.....I agree with Gerald, he (really) could talk !

From Gerald:
The attached picture is not a good one but is the only one I have.

Don talked about him burying things. Once Mother was setting out onion plants in the garden. When she got to the end of the row she turned and saw that Alec had quietly gone behind her and pulled up every single onion plant. To his credit he had poked them into the ground again, but not where Mother wanted them.

Another Senior Class Photo

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From Nancy Goodson Bruce
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Two More "Spotlights"

Thanks to Nancy Goodson Bruce

How Many times did You Letter at BHS?

A recent letter and clipping from Robert Coggins, BHS '63, listed his athletic feats and the letters he received.

We have been talking about that, and several Baldwyn players have lettered in more than one sport (example: Robert Thomas - 5 straight years in football).

We would like to hear from those of you that excelled in your favorite sport! Post any of your sports awards info in the comments.

How about that, Ellis and Aaron??
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Robert Coggins, former Baldwynian now lives in Holly Springs, NC.

The "Johnny Reb Platoon"

Pictured above are some local guys from Baldwyn and the nearby area who joined the US Marine Corps in the late 50s. Top photo is when they enlisted and the lower is a followup photo from "boot camp" at Parris Island.

About that time the recruiters for all branches decided that in order to get more enlistees, they would let buddies remain together throughout their BT (basic training) and AIT (advanced individual training) if at all possible.

I don't know what happened to these guys after training. If anyone reads this who knows, please comment!

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Thanks to Henry Outlaw and Nancy Faye Goodson Bruce.

The Big House on North Second Street

From Jo Carolyn Anderson Beebe

In the war years of the '40s these families lived in a house that had been converted into apartments. I don't know who owned the house. Maybe someone who sees this will remember. The house was located on the main street just before the street where the Carnation Milk Plant was located. It was huge (or so I thought at age 6) with big columns around the front porch. In the back was an addition that was referred to as "Old St. Louis." I'd sure like to know where that name came from. The back yard adjoined a pasture that went up to the railroad tracks. I used to stand back there and wave to the soldiers on the troop trains.

I was in the front yard playing when Mother came outside and told me President Roosevelt had died.

When I was about seven, lightning struck the house. I remember running across the street with Eddie Sue to Barbara Ann and Brenda Joyce Bryson's house yelling, "Fire! Fire!" By the time the volunteers got the big old fire hose rolled down the street, the house was pretty much a goner.

I hope someone can identify these very familiar faces. I remember some of the names:

Seated: Jo Carolyn Anderson and Eddie Sue Hassell

Standing left to right: ______, ___ Hassell, Blanche Anderson, Flossie Hassell, Morgan Hassell, Lanois Williamson, Luster/Lester? Williamson, Mrs. Williamson, _____. Photographer: Oscar Glover.
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Thanks, Jo. Good photo quality after all these years. Can anyone help with identifications?