I’m getting readjusted to Rockdale living after spending 30 years in Houston. And I am very much enjoying myself. Oddly, the thing I am having the most difficulty getting used to is that I am far busier in Rockdale than I was in Houston. That’s been the biggest surprise.
Learning the names of businesses and their locations are two things I ’m having trouble with. There have been lots of changes over the past 30 years.
I still can’t remember to call Rockdale State Bank Citizen’s National Bank.
went to use the ATM at Community Bank and Trust, but it’s now city hall and Paula Burnett Phillips tried to make me pay for a traffic ticket.
I went to say hi to Peggy Bell Morton at the credit union one day. Got all the way inside Classic Bank before realizing I was in the wrong place.
The Rozell’s skating rink is now Town and Country Tires.
Schigut’s Department Store (formerly Rockdale State Bank) is now a church.
Whiteley’s Florist Shop was Oak Leaf Bakery. And Love’s flower shop is now Farmer’s I nsurance Company.
Hodges Man’s Shop is now Twisted Scissors.
Ballard Furniture is now a little downtown park.
The Ford “house” is now L L Food Salvage. And the real Ford dealership is out by Walmart.
Buddy’s Service Station is now Platinum Motor Sales.
Mehaffey’s is now Perry & Perry Builders.
City Food Market, McVoy’s, The Fabric Shop and Orsags are all, sadly, completely empty.
Piggly Wiggly is now the Rockdale One Stop. The other day I was trying to tell Dad about a training class I went to at One Stop with J ulia Cardona, but I couldn’t think of her last name or the name “One Stop.” I was getting frustrated that I couldn’t remember so I finally told him, “Y ou know J ulia who works over at the Piggly Wiggly.” Then he knew exactly what I was trying to say.
Remember Dr. Barkley’s beautiful old house right on Cameron Avenue in front of the First Baptist Church? ust the other day I noticed it was gone.
asked Mike Brown what had happened to it. He told me it had been moved about 25 or 30 years ago.
Not very observant, am I ? J B White’s is now part of the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library. By the way, my entire childhood I thought Lee I da Hairston was Lucy Hill Patterson.
Luckily for me good old Dairy Q ueen, Pizza Hut, Sonic, Mr. Gatti’s, The Rockdale Reporter, Miller-Starnes, A Tisket A Tasket, Brookshire Brothers and the Piano Bar are right where I left them.
I ’m sure there are others. I was gone for a long time, but I ’m so happy to be back.
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