‘Granny’ came to town to trade gossip, squirrel meat

To paraphrase a quote from the movie, Poltergeist, “I’m baaack”! It seems that I have had writer’s block for many weeks, and I hope that all of my faithful readers (or should I say both of them) will forgive me for my hiatus. I have finally cured my touch of writing lethargy by once again returning to my childhood memories of Tryon and Polk County. Forgive me if the next several columns are not up to my standard of mediocrity! But here goes...
There were many “community characters” that crossed my path as a child, and when I use the term, “character” I mean it most respectfully. I remember one such character who would walk down the mountain several times a week to distribute her unusual wares in our neighborhood around the old home ice plant on highway 176.
Everyone knew her only as “Granny.” I never knew her last name. I vaguely picture her as being a tall, lanky woman who dressed in black and had a silver coiffure accented by a large bun in back. Several times a week she would come treading down the hill on 176. Her first stop was usually at my grandmother’s house. There, she and my grandmother would trade everything from gossip to groceries – especially groceries.
Granny’s body was a walking store. A multitude of items hung from her belt and from various strings and hooks attached to her clothes. Of the many items that she hawked, I vividly remember three: squirrels, rabbits, and collard greens. Granny would often have four or five squirrels, still with their skins attached, tied to a string and slung over her back. An occasional rabbit would sweeten the pot. My grandmother would purchase one or the other to make delicious squirrel or rabbit dumplings.
After their transaction, the two elderly ladies would sit on the front porch and talk about who was ill, who had died, and who had “backslid” at church. Then Granny would leave to visit the next house on her list of customers. Years later, I learned of Granny’s death or at least someone told me that they had not seen her in years. I would like to hear from someone out there who can give me her name. The squirrel lady deserves that.
From the email bag:
•I received an email from Andrew Dyson, the grandson of Coach Elmo Neal. He expressed his appreciation of the article (Elmo and Bill’s Boys) about his “Poppie”. Andrew tells me that even though Coach Neal is not in the best of health, he perks up at the mention of Tryon and football. Coach Neal loves to hear from his former players. His mailing address is 603 Millbrook Drive, Spartanburg, South Carolina 29301. Great to hear from you, Andrew.
•I received an email from Sue Wilson. She mentions that she and other classmates have enjoyed my columns calling them a “mini reunion”. Sue notes that the Tryon High School class of ’63 has scheduled their 45th reunion at Harmon Field on June 21, 2008. She also wants to get in touch with Nancy Wilkins, a member of that class. Help her out if you know Nancy’s whereabouts. Thanks Sue.
Keep those emails coming in. at s.hefner@comcast.net.

Notes from far away friends

This week I once again reach into the email bag for comments from my readers. I am truly amazed at the ability of the internet to reach far away friends who once called Polk County home.
Bob Dempsey writes from Shreveport, Louisiana, “Steve, what a great story about a place I had forgot about, Benny’s discount store in Landrum. Benny’s was my mother’s first stop anytime we needed clothes. I’ll never forget the blue jeans I got there. They were so stiff you had to wash them for a week before you could wear them and bend your legs! You had to wash them separately for about a month because they would turn anything washed with them blue!”
Bob also remembers another “landmark” in Green Creek. Polly McGinnis’ shoe store was located in a huge wooden building. They sold nothing but shoes. Mr. Dempsey recalls going outside to play while his mother shopped for shoes. He notes that it was like playing on a farm!
Pat Pruette Barber, a former classmate, writes that she is now a resident of Apollo, Pennsylvania, about forty-five miles northeast of Pittsburg. Tryon residents will remember Pat as a bank employee in Tryon for many years. She recalls those days in the sixties and our “Markham Road” circle of friends consisting of Pat, Jack Layne, Phillip Davidson, Carolyn Smith Fisher, and yours truly. According to Pat, Carolyn Fisher still lives near Markham Road. Sadly, both Jack Layne and Phillip Davidson are no longer with us. Hearing from Pat brought back many pleasant memories.
My next contributor to the email bag hails from the other end of the continent. Nancy Edwards writes from Monroe, Washington to thank me for the story on her Uncle Herb Edwards (see “Where are they now? “August 24, 2007). She says that a family member emailed he the link to the story on the TDB website. Nancy had moved to the west coast in the late seventies.
Our final dip into the email bag brings forth a letter from Madelyn Dedmondt Meyer, who moved to Brevard several years ago. She read my “Where are they now?” column on Billie Spivey Begg. Amazingly they later met at a knitting circle. Madelyn is planning a class reunion for the Tryon High School class of 1957. Class members may reach her at 828-883-2725. Finally, Madelyn spoke of Lula Burrell the guru of Tryon High School. She was amazed that Lula remembered so much about everyone who either went to or taught at the school. I would love to hear from Lula.
To Madelyn in Brevard, North Carolina; to Pat in Apollo, Pennsylvania; to Robert in Shreveport, Louisiana; and finally to Nancy in Monroe, Washington; I thank you and others for your readership and for your emails. s.hefner@comcast.net
Postscript: I still have not seen a Polk County Wolverine picture in the “Asheville Citizen Times!”

Far away Wolverine fan wants photos

This week I digress from my usual "remember when" column to express a personal concern.
One year ago I wrote a column about the old days when Tryon High School football games were played on Friday night at Harmon Field (see "End Zoning", August 2006).
Now, I have become a far away high school football fan, and have been following the Polk County High School "Wolverines" for two years now.
Each Saturday morning I eagerly google the internet for news of another great Polk County win. My first stop is usually the "Asheville Citizen Times" online edition.
There, if I am lucky, there will be a short blurb with the score and one or two sentences about how each team scored. Of course this recap is hidden beneath numerous paragraphs about the "big school" teams in and around Asheville whether they won their game or not. Even smaller schools like Cherokee, Swain, and Andrews (Polk county has beaten two of these teams this year) have numerous game photos posted each week.
I have yet to see one picture of the Wolverines in action. I guess three wins over tough competition and a state ranking mean very little to the Asheville sports writers.
To get any statistics about the Wolverine's game I usually am forced to go to the "Charlotte Observer" online or the NCHSAA website. I would like to see Polk County fans flood the "Asheville Citizen Times" sports department with game photos and demands for better coverage (I have written a letter to the editor).
If their reporters are afraid to take the short drive down the mountain or too elitist to do so, Polk's proud parents and coaches should send the photos to them.
Maybe that would force them to give a little recognition to one of the best teams in Western North Carolina.
I would if I had a long, long telescopic lens. Go Wolverines.

Far away Wolverine fan wants photos

This week digress from my usual "remember when" column to express a personal concern. One year ago I wrote a column about the old days when Tryon High School football games were played on Friday night at Harmon Field (see "End Zoning", August 2006). Now, I have become a far away high school football fan, and have been following the Polk County High School "Wolverines" for two years now.

Each Saturday morning I eagerly google the internet for news of another great Polk County win. My first stop is usually the "Asheville Citizen Times" online edition. There, if I am lucky, there will be a short blurb with the score and one or two sentences about how each team scored. Of course this recap is hidden beneath numerous paragraphs about the "big school" teams in and around Asheville whether they won their game or not. Even smaller schools like Cherokee, Swain, and Andrews (Polk county has beaten two of these teams this year) have numerous game photos posted each week. I have yet to see one picture of the Wolverines in action. I guess three wins over tough competition and a state ranking mean very little to the Asheville sports writers.

To get any statistics about the Wolverine's game I usually am forced to go to the "Charlotte Observer" online or the NCHSAA website. I would like to see Polk County fans flood the "Asheville Citizen Times" sports department with game photos and demands for better coverage (I have written a letter to the editor).

If their reporters are afraid to take the short drive down the mountain or too elitist to do so, Polk's proud parents and coaches should send the photos to them. Maybe that would force them to give a little recognition to one of the best teams in Western North Carolina. I would if I had a long, long telescopic lens. Go Wolverines.

Remembering ‘Benny's’ – a Landrum landmark

Long before the advent of Wal-Mart, The Dollar Store, or Kmart, Landrum had its own establishment that featured good values and low priced goods. The store was located on North Trade Avenue, left of highway 176, just before the railroad crossing into Landrum. The large residence-looking building was the home of Benny's Salvage Store. On many Saturdays my mother would pack my brother and me into our 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air to go shopping at Benny's.

If I remember correctly, Benny's specialized in women's apparel but was a "soup to nuts" store that carried many other items. On the way back home my mother would brag out loud about the money she had saved by shopping at Benny's in lieu of Belk's or Sears Roebuck.

Benny Wolfe was the proud owner of Benny's Salvage Store. He was a short Jewish man who reminded me somewhat of the famous actor, James Cagney. Benny's most notable trademark was the cigar that he always had in his mouth. The stogie was sometimes lit and sometimes it was unlit. Benny would talk to people with the cigar still in his mouth, waving up and down as he spoke.

Benny Wolfe seemed to be a kind and honest man. He knew everyone by name and was a constant fixture in the store aisles relishing in talking to his customers. He would honestly describe his wares pointing out their value as well as any flaws they might have. Benny and his wife ran the store along with their son, Benny Jr., and their daughter, Claudia. Benny also had a stepdaughter named Johnnie Mae. I remember Benny Jr. as a handsome young man who was taller than his father. I understand that he was also a D.J. for WTYN radio for awhile. I knew Claudia in the 1960s during my college days. She and I double dated with my old buddy Jack Layne and Gloria Belue, a friend of Claudia's from Landrum. Claudia was (and I am certain still is) a beautiful young lady with big, dark eyes.

Recently, I was updated on the Wolfe family through Claudia and her longtime friend and Landrum classmate, Greer Prevatte.

Unfortunately, Benny, his wife and two of his children are no longer living.
Claudia Wolfe Bouye lives in Columbia, South Carolina. She is blessed with three children and four grandchildren. Ironically, she has been associated with the Belk's Department Store for many years. It was great to her from her again after so many years.

Benny's Salvage Store was truly a Landrum landmark and Benny Wolfe was an unforgettable character. I hope that this column brings back many fond memories for those of us who shopped there many years ago.

mail to: s.hefner@comcast.net

Be certain to read my other columns at www.tryondailybulletin.com.

A tale of two Davids

Since I began writing this column, I have been amazed by both the geographic distance that the columns have reached, and by the links that are created by many of the columns. This month I received two emails, one about a former Tryonite named David and one from a David who lives in a country thousands of miles away.

The First David:

On June 13 of this year, I received an email from Tony Boyter. Tony had recently bought a house owned by the late Dr. David Prince. Dr. Prince was the coach of the men's and women's basketball teams at Tryon High School from 1947 until 1954. Tucked away in the recesses of the house, Tony found ten game scorebooks and other historical items from Dr. Prince's coaching days in Tryon. The player names and game statistics are still legible. After leaving Tryon, Dr. Prince worked as a professor of education at Wofford College. He was the head of the Education Department when I attended Wofford in the early sixties. Dr. Prince passed away in 2005 at the age of eighty-three.

The Second David:

Six days later, I received an email from another David who lives near Massa, Italy some 5,400 miles from Tryon! David Del Giudice is an Italian author who has written several books on World War II. Amazingly, a friend of David's sent him a link to my Tryon Daily Bulletin blog. David read one of my columns entitled, "Three Patriots," in which I pay tribute to three of my uncles who died in World War II. One of my uncles, Rufus Gosnell was killed near Massa. While doing research for a book, David came across a picture of the tank that Rufus was in when he died near the Massa railroad station on April 9, 1945.

The Link:

In less than a week I had received two emails - one about David Prince - one from David Del Giudice about my Uncle Rufus Gosnell. David Prince and Rufus Gosnell were both born in 1922. Both David Prince and Rufus Gosnell served their country in the Battle of the Bulge. Both David Prince and Rufus Gosnell received numerous metals including the Purple Heart. Dr. David Prince was my education professor at Wofford College. I never met my Uncle Rufus Gosnell but I learned about the circumstances of his death through another David who lives across the sea. What a strange world!
s.hefner@comcast.net.

Postscript: If anyone is interested in viewing the old basketball scorebooks that once belonged to Dr. Prince, you may reach Tony Boyter at 757-749-8538 or tony.boyer@noaa.gov.

A search has ended

In January of this year, I wrote an article about former Tryon High School football coach, Frank Maennle (“Searching for Coach Maennle”). I had received an email from his nephew, John Heffner, who was trying to locate his long lost uncle. After the article was published, several readers wrote me about their fond memories of Coach Maennle when he coached in Tryon; however, the memory trail went cold after he left Tryon.

The search ended several weeks ago when I received an email from Danny Whatley. Danny is married to Sandra Summey a former Tryonite whose father still lives in Tryon. Mr. Whatley is a retired educator who was principal of Swain County High School in Bryson City. Danny informs me that two of Coach Maennle’s sons taught and coached for him at the school. Frank Jr. taught Physical Education and coached football. Steve Maennle taught mathematics and coached football and baseball.

After reading my article about Frank Sr. Danny saw Frank Jr. at a softball game at Polk County High School, and asked him about his father. Frank Jr. stated that after leaving Tryon High School, Coach Maennle went to West Mecklenberg High School, a large school in Charlotte. He coached in Charlotte for several years and then returned to coach at Andrews High School. This is somewhat ironic since Andrews High School was Tryon High School’s football nemesis for many years in the 1960’s.

Unfortunately, Coach Maennle passed away in 1977. At the time of his death, he had five children, all under the age of seventeen. Danny wrote that Coach Maennle would be proud of his children. Mr. Whatley’s own son was coached by both Frank Jr. and Steve at Swain High School.

My search for Coach Maennle had ended. Then to my pleasant surprise I received the following email last week:

Hello, my name is Beth Maennle and the coach you are referring to was my grandfather. Unfortunately, I never knew him, but his wife and his 5 children are still living in Andrews and Bryson City, NC. I read your blog to my dad, and he got a real kick out of it, especially of your memories of the coach’s history lessons. Tomorrow I will share it with the rest of my family (his mom, siblings, and so on) at lunch. I think it was a real blessing for my dad to hear some of your memories. He was a teenager when his father passed away from Hodgkin’s. Thank you!

It made my search worthwhile.

s.hefner@comcast.net