How Times Have Changed

by Maren Ward

The year? 1927. The date? December 27. That was the day Doris Belcher was born in Kimball, West Virginia. Doris is my wonderful grandmother. More fortunate than most at the time, she grew up in a large two-story home with her parents and one younger sister. Life seemed simpler then. Without much technology children did more to create their own fun. Religion was a greater deal then; people aren’t as committed now. Most of life has become more technologically advanced; however, these changes are for better and for worse.

The coal mining center of 
Kimball, WV, in 1935

Television always makes fun of the elderly. Shows have characters tell stories of walking 10 miles in the snow to get to school. Well, my grandmother actually did walk across town through inclement weather to get to school. She remembers walking over bridges, creeks, and a few hills every morning, but in West Virginia no one expected any less. At this point everyone who could go to school would. The schools were very small. This one, in particular, was a little square building holding classes for grades one through nine. After graduating ninth grade, one would travel several miles by bus to get high school everyday.

Kimball, WV, in 1963

A child growing up in the American South couldn’t be picky. Children needed to be creative and use the resources they had. As small items were significantly cheaper, kids were usually spending spare change on an ice-cream soda. Doris and her friends would each find ten to twenty five cents and see a movie on the weekends. Candy ranged from one cent -- my grandmother refers to these as “penny candies”-- to five cents usually. Selling old milk bottles was how they would obtain their money. The main form of technology was the radio. When a good show would come on the radio, it was normal for all the youngsters to gather round to listen. Otherwise, considering this was mountain area West Virginia, children would make picnics and hike up the small mountain areas for fun, much different from today. However, one precise memory my grandmother had intrigued my interest. “There was a tree outside my window. My girlfriends and I would climb out the window, on to the roof, and sit there picking and eating cherries,” she said. Without phones, iPods, and tablets, life was fine; in fact, I honestly believe it was more fun!

Many people from that generation would agree that religion was, and still is, very important to most families. Parents were very strict in keeping the day of the Sabbath sacred. No one cooked or cleaned, and children didn’t go out on most Sundays. No movies, no trips to the store, nothing! Concerning punishment with these subjects it was very brutal. If children didn‘t do what was expected, they were punished. Typically, parents were not afraid to spank their kids. My grandmother, trying to preserve her old family traditions, rarely goes out or cooks on Sunday. Most southerners in this generation were raised being very religious and well mannered. As a result, their children are raised just the same.

“Things have changed, but I like some of the changes,” she told me when asked how times are different and if she believes it to be beneficial or not. “Television, washing machines, dish washers, are all good changes. I just will never understand computers and what they do,” she concluded with a small giggle. The South has progressed a lot since my grandmother was raised in Kimball. Listening to some of her stories I wish my friends and I went on picnics together after buying “penny candies.” Times are different, but it’s all a part of growing up. We southerners need to pass down our experiences and traditions so they may live forever.

Work Cited

Belcher, Doris. Personal interview. 5 Feb. 2013.



Note: Maren Ward is pursuing an associate of arts degree at Sandhills Community College. She plans to transfer in fall 2013 to UNC-Charlotte or Elon University.

The Southern Experiences of Papa

by Auriel Jeffries

To extend information to my generation about growing up in the South, an amazing man who grew up right here in Southern Pines shared his experiences with me. Thomas Braxton Ray, my papa, is now seventy-four years old. Although the experiences were not positive, Papa was still willing to share them and relate his journey as a half Black, half Cherokee in the South. From movie theaters to restaurants and schools, he was wrongly treated — not because of his character but because of the color of his skin.

When he was in school, he experienced much more prejudice people than someone today. The schools that he went to were segregated. When he was in the eleventh grade, Papa had to use old ninth grade books, which were from the school across town that had only white students. The books were so old that the white students no longer used or needed them.

When my grandpa was young, his family was very poor. It was hard for a black family to have a decent paying job. His household contained of four other siblings. With his mom and dad, there were seven people in all. His dad, a Baptist minister, also worked other jobs. Both his mother and his father worked in food service (much like restaurant jobs today). His mother also did domestic housework. There weren’t any good jobs available for people of his status. The saying that they used back then was, “If you’re white, you’re alright. If you’re brown, stick around. If you’re black, get back” (Ray).

Restaurants in Southern Pines were also prejudiced when my grandpa was growing up. Black people were treated differently from the white people at some restaurants. At one restaurant, Papa had to go to a back window to get food. He referred to this behavior as feeling like he was treated like a dog getting food out of a doggy window, though it was common and expected then for this behavior to take place. The restaurants and schools were not the only places my grandpa was mistreated.

A lot of locals are familiar with the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines. I discovered from my grandpa that the theater was not always as it is now. Because my grandpa was black, he was not allowed to watch the movies like we can now. He as well as other black people who wanted to watch a movie had to sit at the top of the theater where he said they could barely see anything instead of being able to sit in the main floor area where there was a better view.

My grandpa unfortunately experienced the prejudice in the South not only in Southern Pines but in the military, which he also joined. He said that the military was prejudiced and segregated. I would not expect this to be in the military of all places, but apparently it was. The military would do things like rotate the black guys to another company, and this happened to him.

Though my grandpa had a hard time growing up in the South, he let me know that he is glad that he was able to live through the transformation of the South. He experienced not only the bad but the good change that has come today. He feels happier than ever to see that his grandchildren are able to have a better life growing up then he did and can have better opportunities.

Work Cited

Ray, Thomas. Personal interview. 29 June 2011.


Note: Auriel Jeffries, who is from Southern Pines, NC, is majoring in criminal justice and psychology at Sandhills Community College.