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| from Ray Bryant to rrjoel@gmail.com date Dec 4, 2006 9:48 AM Good to hear from you. I didn't know if you would remember me or not. You are right, it has been a long time since the Colonial days. Reading your post tells me that you have a lot better memory than I do. I can't seem to remember as much detail as you and some of the writers on your site. I have been going to Rockingham Remembered for a couple of years now and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish more folks from the past would post. You are right about James McPherson and myself. We both started working at the Colonial Store the day it open at the shopping center. Before that, it was on Mill Road. We put in our job applications at the mill road store. James and I grew up across the street from each other and were best friend for 19 years. James got married to Peggy Terry (Lloyd's daughter) on Dec. 22 of 1968 and I married Kitty Boger on Dec. 24, 1968. Kitty and I divorced in 1971 or 72. James was in the army and I was in the Air Force. I last saw James in January of 1969. He told me then that he was leaving for Fort Polk in La. in Feb. and then to Vietnam. In early April, I got a telegram (I couldn't afford a phone back then) telling me that James was missing in action. A few days later, I got another telegram telling me James had been killed. It was a very sad time. James' mother had lost her first husband in WWII and now she had lost her only son in Vietnam. An interesting side story is that on March 31st of 1969, the calendar on my watch stop turning over. One year later on March 30th, the calendar fell back to March 30th (date James was killed) and never moved again. I still have that watch. The days at the Colonial Stores were fun. Mr Williamson was a good man but he expected to you work your butt off for the store. Remember he use to stand on the side walk on Saturdays and holler at us bag boys to run back into the store? I can't remember all the guys we worked with then. There was a guy name Donnie or Ronnie Gainey from Cordova, a heavy set guy from Hamlet that I can't remember his name. Hugh Campbell worked there for years. Anyway, good to hear from you again. I will keep watching and enjoying your site and speak up now and again. I post to the Rohanen site all the time but Bud doesn't want us to talk politic or religion. Speaking of politics, did you hear about the Congressman that wants to do his swearing in on the Koran? How the hell can anyone in their right mind vote for a man that believe in Islam? Stupid people. Oh, well talk to you later. Ray Bryant |
| from Joel Bailey to Ray Bryant date Dec 5, 2006 2:14 PM Hey Ray I'm like you Ray - I surely wish more people from Rockingham would go to the website and tell us their stories. Me and Bob McDonald have made a plea a couple of times for others to do this but it just seems hard to get people to take the time. That was a sad time when James was killed. I remember you both were close friends. That is really weird about your watch. I believe I would keep it also. Mr Williamson was a trip. I remember I worked at the Colonial during my senior year in '66 - the program was called ICT....other kids took DE I believe it was called - anyway, either course gave you the opportunity to get out of school early and work a job. I never really enjoyed being a bagger. I remember one time I had to push a lady's cart of groceries down to about the old Roses store and he was waiting for me when I got back. Before he could jump me I told him I needed more hours. He said I wouldn't get any hours at all if I didn't show some enthusiasm for my job. I believe it wasn't long after that that I gave up the grocery store business. Ronnie and Donnie Gainey both attended the old Pee Dee Pentecostal church I used to go to. And I remember Hugh also. I believe he now has his own stores there in Rockingham. I don't get to check out the Rohanen site much but Buddy went to RTI with me years ago. You're right about stupid people such as that congressman wanting to take the oath on the Koran. I don't watch too much news anymore after the elections. I get so aggravated at all the stupidity in the US. Joel |
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