Kay Manning (Elrod)

Porter's and Park-In Grill - anything and everything was good! Park-In's french fries!  French fries are not the same - what happened to crispy and salty. What's with sea salt on floppy fries these days? These people are under the assumption french fries are a health food. I think the only thing going for ff is the crispy and the salt.  Cheeseburgers with chili & slaw! and, yes sir, those lemon/cherry Sundrops!  15-cent burgers at Hardee's and 15-cent fries. No wonder our generation is largely Type II diabetic. But, it was worth it all!

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Tommy - they would call that child abuse now, but that's how my parents handled such things too. It was very effective!  Nowadays, you'd be given a good talkin' to and your GameBoy (or whatever they call those things) taken away for a week. Of course, you'd never find a paddle at school today!  Just the fact that you did all that you did without knee pads and a helmet and still survived is a miracle!

We went barefooted all summer. I can't count the times I knocked the top of my big toe off riding bicycles barefooted and catching my heel in the chain -ouch! Splinters, stepping on glass, nails, bees and dog poo - it was a good childhood!  After a hard day in the neighborhood, there was nothing like a big cold glass of Kook-Aid to take the edge off - 5 cents a pack - makes 2 quarts.

Tommy Hart

Steve Turney

Do you remember the railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill on Main Street? How about the time L. Johnson came through Rock Hill during our junior year. So many of us walked down to see him pass through RH.

Tommy Hart

One thing I remember vividly and regret the most is when James and Kathleen Knox came to school. I remember being one of the people standing in front of the school calling them names as they were escorted to class. It didn't take many years after that before I realized exactly how brave those two were and how stupid I had been. I don't think I would have been brave enough to do what they did. Because of them, I saw what heroism is. I wish I could tell them both how much what they did has influenced my life and my respect for others different than I am. Alll I can say now is "I'm sorry" for being an asshole and thank them for being braver than I could have ever been. 

Becky Armstrong (Helms)

Thank you, Tommy for sharing such a personal recollection and owning it. We remember the good old days but they were not so good for many others during those times. There are enough regrets to be had by many of us I'm sure including myself for not reaching out. I think you said it all. Thank you for acknowledging the not so good times too.

Barbara Bolden (Black)

Here in North Myrtle Beach at the Gator Hole Walmart shopping center,  one of the Dresners from Rock Hill opened a yogurt shop and they sell hot dogs with what they claim is Watkins chili.   Couldn't believe a Rock Hill connection when I read their ad.   I cannot remember Watkins hot dogs in Rock Hill but for sure some of you that liked it should give it a try when at the beach.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Tommy - you didn't have to delete the post. That's just the way it was. I didn't know a single person who didn't get a "whoopin" when they were bad. My husband went to school in Charlotte and they, too, had the paddle. I think the coaches did the actual paddling though.

I loved what you said about Kathleen and James. I had some classes with Kathleen. She was very quiet and shy, but she would get a chuckle out of some people. She was as sweet as she could be. I didn't know James, but in looking for our classmates on line, I did see where James died a while back. Of course, Kathleen probably married and her named changed because I can't find her under her maiden name. As you said, they were so brave! 

Don't know if you have read the articles in The Observer about Jimmy Lee Kirkpatrick, a black football player who went to Myers Park in 1966 and played with a white boy named Dee Kirkpatrick. It tells of Jimmy's struggles being a black boy in a white school in the 60's, the abuse he took from both sides, and his mother's encouragement to keep going so he could go to college and be somebody. The football team had a reunion last fall and honored Jimmy and a huge series of stories in the paper was written. As it turns out, Jimmy and Dee are doing lectures together now and telling about how Jimmy's great (or gg-) grandpa was a slave on Dee's great grandpa's farm in Mecklenburg County and that's how the black family got their last name. This was never known until that football reunion and a lot of conversation. All those kids do deserve our respect!

Was that a mater & mayo on white bread?  Um!

Lake Elrod, Jimmy Lee Kirkpatrick, Dee Kirkpatrick (others unknown to me)

PS: It turns out that Jimmy Lee is Mike Tyson's half-brother.

Dennis W. Haire

Old Rock Hill stuff:

1. The parade after the Giants won the World Series in 1953.  A player named Dusty Rhodes (who had played for the Rock Hill Chiels) was the honored in the parade.  The parade was covered in Sports Illustrated.

2. Parlow's Grill on Anafrel Street.  The hamburgers were great!

3. Tommy Hart's dad had a bomb shelter!

4. Joe & Hugh Brannon,my brother Jeff and I found a dead man on the bank of the creek between Colonial Drive and Northside Baptist Church where Dave Lyle Blvd. is now.  Chicky Smith thought we should throw cherry bombs near him to see if he was sleeping.  We didn't.  Instead we got Bill Thomas (our neighborhood police officer) to go with us to check it out.  The man was dead from exposure to the cold.

5. The Blue Buckles.

Note:  Jeff still has all of his teeth but there was a lot of blood from his fall.  We also did the rock thing on Valentine's Day that Mickey mentioned.

  Dennis

Kay Manning (Elrod)

I'm not from Rock Hill, Dennis - what is Blue Buckles?  Also, Beverly Matthews family who lived at Rock Hill CC also had a bomb shelter. Cool!

Dennis W. Haire

The Blue Buckles were a gang down in the mill village (near Northside).  Also, it was Partlow's Grill (spelling error).

Becky Armstrong (Helms)

Mom making us snow cream in the winter. Playing with hoola hoops in the summer.

Tommy Hart

Jackie Kimbrell

When I was 9 or 10 yeas old, Floyd McMahan and I would hang out, down on the front at the pool hall, baseball field and the grill, that is where the blue buckles hung out also. You had to be carefull with your mouth or you might get you butt kicked real fast. I remember Bo Thomas and Alas Key, they kinda watched out for us. We never had any problems. There was the community house also, it was run by Johnny Mack Brown. He was a good guy, but pretty tough. It had a few games that we played ,it was alot of fun to be there. Sometimes it could get pretty wild down there. I always wanted play to baseball and wear that hat with the I on it, but was`nt from the mill hill, got to play on the pick-up teams, but no hat. I`m not sure but I think the blue buckles had a blue dot under one eye, not sure.jk

Kay Manning (Elrod)

Thanks guys for the info on the Blue Buckles. How long did they last in RH? Sounds like the "family" died out.  You guys are just a plethora of information. Glad you all made it through those turbulent years. Kinda makes old age feel good knowing you don't have to go back in time. I do wonder how so many of us made it this far -only by the Grace of God! 

Wayne Gillespie

You are correct Kay, a lot of us are here by God's grace. Dennis the Green Dot gang had a green under their eye.

Kenneth Reid Hinson

Do any of you remember "Black Jack" the Rock Hill policeman? Red headed cop who loved to use that item on bad boys heads!    He was later caught making a porn movie with a lovely local 'lady'.   Ken Hinson

Kay Manning (Elrod)

This post is not so much about Rock Hill, but about good things that don't exist anymore. I seem to have a hangup about good sheets - this morning my husband asked me why I didn't use those top sheets with the fitted bottoms. He said his mother used to buy those.  In the first place, I had never heard of them. Have any of you? In the second place, if it was a good thing it doesn't exist anymore. Ever since Springs expired, there is no such thing as a good sheet.

Sister Carolyn Ann Bennett, Ihm

I like the pictures on the Home Pge of the Fall season. Everything looks so good!!! Here in Savannah, GA there isn't the beautiful colors of fall. Most of our trees are ever green, like the live oaks, the pines and the palms. It is so good to see places where y'all have traveled that show the beautiful Fall colors.Thank you so much!!  God bless.

Sister Carolyn Ann Bennett, IHM

Becky Armstrong (Helms)

Thanks for the feedback Sister Carolyn. Wayne takes some beautiful photos and the Jackson's. It is good to hear from you! Stay in touch please!

Lewis Whisonant

Thank you for the tribute to veterans!

Kay Manning (Elrod)

You deserve a tribute, Lewis -- thank you for your service!

Lewis Whisonant

I am, indeed, humbled.

Lewis Whisonant

Soldier's Creed

I am an American Soldier.

I am a warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the united States of America in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American soldier.

On this Veterans Day, let us all remember that all gave some; some gave all.

Kay Manning (Elrod)

And this is why we thank you, Lewis, and all our soldiers! You make me proud!