Small Town Living

by Jill Wagner

Having lived in the South a relatively short amount of time, I learned a lot about Southern culture by talking to Evelyn Gipson, a co-worker of mine, who has strong ties to the South. Her family has lived in Southern Pines for generations, dating back to the original Shaws circa 1820. When I asked her about growing up in the South, Evelyn told me she was one of seven children and the oldest girl in the family. Her childhood was very idealistic, and Evelyn’s mother stayed home with the children while her father worked. Both parents were very supportive of all the kids by going to all school and sporting events they were involved in.

Evelyn recalls growing up poor but not realizing it since everyone she knew lived the same way. She can remember having friends of the family move in with them for days and weeks at a time; their house was always open. Her father would say, “You can always add another cup of water to the soup.” The family had a large garden that they would can vegetables from for the winter. In addition, her life was very family-oriented. Church was also important to them; when the family sat down for dinner, each person said grace before eating. All the children were involved in the youth group and choir.

Holidays were important events. On Thanksgiving her aunts and uncle would visit from Greensboro. She can remember her aunt bringing her famous lemon meringue pie. Christmas was also a big family event; they went to church on Christmas Eve and had a large dinner. Evelyn describes Christmas morning as somewhat chaotic; everyone had to wear slippers and a robe. (That was a bit of a problem since not all of the children had slippers and robes.) They improvised with whatever they could find to wrap around them like robes and find makeshift slippers. Her father was always the first down the stairs, but everyone had to be ready before anyone was allowed down. She remembers one year they found some presents outside. When they asked their father about it, he said, “They must have fallen off of Santa’s sleigh.” Christmas was also the time when one child would receive a bike.

Sunday afternoons were reserved for “bottle hunting.” Her father would load all of the kids in the back of the truck, and they would drive around collecting bottles for the deposit -- giving their mother some much needed alone time. The kids would yell, “Bottle!” and the truck would stop so they could pick it up. The money collected from the bottles would go toward sending one child to camp each summer. The family could not afford to go on very many big family trips; instead they went on day trips to historical sites around the state.

When I asked Evelyn about the differences between now and then, she responded by saying then the town of Southern Pines felt like Mayberry. There were grocery stores, hardware stores and anything needed was located in downtown Southern Pines. The family rarely traveled to Pinehurst and only occasionally traveled to Aberdeen. Everyone knew children, the parents and where they lived. The police brought children home if they were in trouble; her grandfather was the Chief of Police. It seemed safer then; they walked or rode a bike everywhere they went. Evelyn said now the towns run together; there is no real definition. Everybody is too busy now and less family-oriented than they used to be.

By discussing with Evelyn her past, I have a better understanding of Southern culture. Although small towns may change, family traditions are very important.

Work Cited

Gipson, Evelyn. Personal interview. 3 Feb. 2011.


Note: Jill Wagner, who was born in Michigan and now lives in Cameron, NC is a history major at Sandhills Community College.

Back Then

by Allison Strohacker

I always wondered how different life was when my dad was raised in the South compared to my experience thirty-two years later. I always wanted to know what it was like in the “good ol days.” When I sat down with him for this interview, he told me about school, being raised in the South and what has really changed since the 1960s.

My dad, Allen Buie, was born on April 23rd, 1955 in Vass, NC. My grandparents Johnnie and Irene Buie were both raised in Moore County. He has two brothers, both born and raised here. One lives in Carthage and the other in Michigan. He and his brothers were raised in the same house grandparents live in now. The house my dad was raised in is five minutes from mine. “In the South, many people don’t go too far from home.”

In the 1960s, he attended Vass-Lakeview Elementary School. The teachers were strict and used a paddle. According to him, they were not shy about using it and when a student was sent to the principal he wasn’t afraid either. At school, one teacher taught every subject until you were in the sixth grade. Just like many of the schools at that time Vass was an all-white school. However, when my dad was in the fourth grade three African-American girls were enrolled in his class, and he can still remember their names.

My dad was raised that you respect yor elders. They were older, wiser and always had the best stories. Dad said now elders aren’t considered any of these aspects. He said there isn’t really a respect for anything like there used to be. Sunday used to be a day of respect. Sunday was God and family day. He thinks now people are too busy and fast-paced. He notices that back in the day people moved more slowly. He said it seems like time moved slower, especially in the South; you waited and were patient. There was no instant gratification. “When it happened, it happened.” Nobody knew what it was, but when it happened they knew.

Next, we talked about how time spend during summers has changed. My dad worked in tobacco every summer from age five-eighteen. At first he started working on my great-grandfather’s farm in Cameron. He said that’s what you did in the summer. Nobody sat in front of the TV and played video games. You worked. “If you weren’t working in the fields, you were working on your grandpa’s farm.” Now in the South you don’t see any children working in the fields or farms.

Next, he told me the major differences he has seen between his generation and mine. At first when I asked him so what’s so different about the South, he said, “Everything!” First, the family unit has changed. When he was growing up, there was a mom, dad and children. There were no single moms or teenage moms. Also, family time was valued. Children loved spending time with their family. Now it seems like we can’t get away from them fast enough. Another difference he saw were children these days. When he was young, he spent all his free time outside. No matter what -- children were outside. No one sat inside on beautiful southern days and watched TV. “There were only five channels anyways.”

During this interview, I learned how different it was when my dad was raised in the South compared to my experience just five minutes down the street. I also learned that there are lessons that I was taught that my grandfather taught my dad. I learned that the South has changed drastically. The schools have changed, the way families are built was changed and the way children play has changed. I also learned that there are a lot of Southern customs that still hold true today and will for many more generations.

Work Cited

Buie, Allen. Personal interview. 6 Feb. 2011.

Note: Allison Strohacker, who is from Vass, NC, is majoring in early childhood education at Sandhills Community College.

My Southern Friend in Room 808B

by Edilene Del Valle

It was not another typical day at Carolina Rehab Center, as I went straight to room 808B to visit a very special friend. When I opened the door, he was waiting for me. Although I noticed he looked little bit tired, he looked happy to see me. Henry Gainey, a special friend to me, has been residing at Carolina Rehab Center for about six years. When I met him last year as I started working in this nursing home, I became interested in his Southern roots and upbringing. As everyone would imagine, he has many stories to share. With his vivid memory, he went back in time to his family connections, social matters of growing up, and educational values that helped to build this great person he is today. Listening to him talk about his culture was an experience that I will never forget.

Henry Gainey was born in February 2, 1945, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He had four sisters and five brothers. Since I have never seen anyone from his family visit him, I asked about his family connections and if siblings were still alive. He answered, “No, they all died from cancer, and this disease sadly has passed on through generations from my grandparents to my mom and later my siblings.” He continued, “I’m the lucky one, besides losing my left eye when I was eight years old, I’m healthy with few problems, but I didn’t inherit the disease.”

So Gainey, I asked, “Are there any favorite times you had with your family?” He said “Christmas was the time when all my family, sisters, brothers, mom and daddy sat together and decorate a live Christmas tree!” The tree couldn’t be artificial, for it was his family tradition time to connect. He remembered times when his parents would go around searching for a live tree to put in the living room. He brought this tradition into his own family. Though he believes a lot of things have changed since his childhood, Christmas is still the best family time ever. He said his brothers and sisters were so happy decorating the tree that they didn’t even think about the presents. He remembered his mom cooking a lot of food, but the best of all was her “jelly cake.” His mom never told them how she used to bake the cake, for she would say “it is a surprise.” He said, “We were so happy with a plain cake covered with jelly and unfortunately, now Santa Claus had better bring a laptop for Christmas; otherwise, Christmas is not Christmas.”

“Our culture is changing daily,” he said. “Kids no longer respect their parents like before.” I couldn’t agree more! He said that his parents used to give to them daily duties. For example, the girls would clean and cook, and the boys would clean outside. They would have to do it well in order to get their allowance. He explained to me that the way he grew up; he learned how to be disciplined and how to valued money. The same happened with the rest of his family. During our briefly conversation about social matters as he grew up, he said his parents taught him how to pay for his own college and then paid off four cars between ages 22 and 30 --things he doesn’t believe that anyone is concerned about today as he commented, “They are more concerned about getting things and accumulating debts.” In his case, when he decided to go to the university, he had no debts and still he has no debts. I thought that was unbelievable. He agreed and said, “I believe if parents would teach how to value money when they are kids, we would have better economy and more graduates, don’t you think?”

After graduating from college in Fayetteville, he moved to New York City. He started working, saving some money, and applied at the New Jersey City University for its mental health consultant program. He said that he didn’t want to move from North Carolina, but he wanted to pursue his dream and work with young and adolescents with mental issues. Between school and work, he met his wife. In six years, he finished his degree program, got married, and decided to move back to N.C. I asked him if he thinks that he could have accomplished everything he wanted if he was 22 years old again. He said, “I grew up in a family that doesn’t believe in debts, so the answer for your question is that I would have accomplished all my goals. Yet, I don’t believe that today people are serious about education like I was.” I thought he had a very interesting point of view because he was raised believing in education and he knew that going to school was the way to reach his goals. As he continued to say that nowadays, people are “fighting to keep their culture and values alive,” I approached him with a controversial topic and added my point into our conversation, “American culture is getting mixed, larger, and diverse.” Gainey agreed with me that there are more immigrants now than before. I asked if he likes the idea of having a more diverse America. He said sadly, illegal immigrants are taking more opportunities of what our land offers rather than true Americans and it feels that true “Americans” are forgetting to fight for their culture.

In conclusion, this was one of the best conversations I have ever had with Mr. Gainey as I called him “My Southern Friend in room 808B.” I have learned from a true Southern, as time passes us by, that it is important that each of us maintain our family connections, true values, beliefs, and more importantly our culture, so we can pass on to generations that are to come.

Work Cited

Gainey, Henry. Personal interview. 29 Jan. 2011.


Note: Edilene Del Valle (who was born in San Paulo, Brazil, and now lives in Fayetteville, NC) is majoring in health and fitness science at Sandhills Community College.

Way Back When

by Declan Freswick

To learn about living in the past, talk to one of your grandfathers. I learned how much more difficult life was back in those times from Ashley Derrell Blackburn, my grandfather who was born on July 28, 1938 to a large family on a farm. The economic struggle of the present relate to the examples of life then.

Ashley Blackburn was born into a family with six brothers and two sisters. His family members were sharecroppers to their landlord. As the landlord furnished the land and fertilizer, his family tended the land, raised the crops, harvested them, and sold the crops. He explained, “The landlord would take about half the profit, most of the time he would screw us over, but that’s the way things go.” The tractors they had back then were actually mules and plows. The mules were named Red, Pea Wee, and Chim Charlie. He told me every day they worked in the fields from the earliest they could start until the sun went down, even during school days.

He explained a typical day as a child going to school. “We would walk half a mile to catch the bus.” After school was out, the children went straight home to work in the field. Going to school was valued during that time for many reasons. They were happy spending time in school rather than working hard in the field. Another reason schooling was valued was only families of the wealthy had the chance to be educated. This made me cherish the fact it is so easy for me to further my education.

Delicious meals were also valued in that time. “I loved when we got the chance to eat some good fried chicken,” my grandfather replied when asked about his favorite meal as a child. A dish like that was prepared only once a month due to the shortage of income. He told me that the majority of the meals were fish because of how cheap it was. A lot of my knowledge of cooking has come from my grandfather over time. During the interview, I started imagining the times when I was with him in the kitchen standing on a step stool, or sometimes a chair, trying to learn how to cook.

I proceeded to talk about my last topic, which was the evolution of the construction business. He started in the business when he was only twelve years old. His father bought a motor grader, a large machine used to level loose land, and he learned to operate it shortly after. “Well, it started with a mule, then a tractor, then the motor grader. Now there’s lots of different equipment they use.” He explained when asked how the equipment has changed over time. He started in construction as a laborer. He called that job a “ditch digger,” referring to the amount of time he would spend with a shovel in hand. After about thirty years of hard labor, he retired as vice president of Wellons Construction Company.

One can absorb a lot of information about the past easily by listening to someone who has lived it. This information is not only entertaining, but it is knowledgeable as well. From this interview, I started to value my life a lot more from realizing how much easier it is now than of the past. I hope this story has the same effect to others who read it.

Work Cited

Blackburn, Ashley Derrell. Personal interview. 1 Feb. 2011.

Note: Declan Freswick, who graduated from St. Pauls High School in Robeson County in 2010, is majoring in turfgrass management at Sandhills Community College.

Back in the South

by Ashley Smith

Was education important in the 1930s? Was experience needed in order to work? What was done for entertainment? Education was not important to some people because it was easier to get a job than go to school. Betty “Retha” Purcell, my grandma, was born in Hoke County, North Carolina, in 1929. She moved to Queens, New York when she was a teenager. Her North Carolina house was built by her cousins. My grandma sang on the “Loving Sisters” for decades at her church. However, she picked cotton as well as tobacco to earn some money. In addition, Betty used to be a slave in her hometown. Although sixty-one years have passed since my grandma was my age, we both enjoyed school, work, and entertainment.

Education was easier in the thirties than today because now a person needs a degree and experience in order to work. My grandma always told me, “I thought I was hurting somebody else for not going to school, but I was hurting myself.” Betty loves cooking and sewing classes while attending Upchurch High School which is now Upchurch Elementary School. In addition, she attended school for nine years. She did not always have the money to purchase books. In 1932, high school kids were allowed to ride the school bus while the elementary school kids walk to school. In this case, my grandma would walk two miles even through the snow; thereafter, the teachers would soak the children feet in freezing, ice cold water for no apparent reason. Her school experiences is illustrated in this view of Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

Black folks worked in the cotton fields since they were eight years old; now they have machines to pick the cotton. My grandma worked at The Quartermaster Laundry at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for the soldiers. For example, she would wash, dry, and iron their clothes and pick up their laundry on a regular basis. A couple of years later, Betty worked at Burlington Factory in Hoke County to support her family; meanwhile, she got pregnant with her first daughter, Malinee Lynn Purcell Leigh and left Burlington. In fact, money was very important to my grandmother since she took care of and raised some of her cousins and siblings. Betty’s coworkers and bosses treated everybody equally. My grandma used to raise cows, hogs, chickens, horses, and sheep while she worked on a farm with a Caucasian family.

Hide and seek as well as hopscotch were popular games that are still played today. My grandma enjoyed working because everybody treated each other equally and fairly; therefore, there was no sort of racism or stereotypes. She always played with her cousins. In addition, kids were allowed to go outside and play anytime unless they were not finished with their homework and chores. Betty Purcell never listened to the radio like she does today because she enjoyed working instead of dancing and singing to the radio. Cooking and cleaning were my grandma’s top priorities. By the time I was a teenager, my grandma taught me how to cook some of her favorite homemade recipes. For example, collard greens, beef liver, and candied yams; however, I made my own collards greens recipe, although I’m influenced by her techniques.

I have learned that back then people could leave doors unlocked and open because no crime took place like today. Also, they had a store -- “The Penny Store” -- where everything cost one cent; therefore, you could buy a bar of candy for only one cent. Gas used to cost one dollar per gallon. My grandma learned that everything now is way more expensive than during her time. Even though society has changed, people still have to sacrifice in order to go to school, prosper at work, and enjoy entertainment. As Albert Einstein expressed about relating to different times, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

Works Cited

"Albert Einstein." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2011. 7 Feb. 2011.

"Martin Luther King, Jr." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2011. 7 Feb. 2011.

Purcell, Betty. Personal interview. 23 Jan. 2011



Note: Ashley Smith, who is from Raeford, NC, is majoring in nursing at Sandhills Community College.