Working in Monroe Back in the "Old Days"

Back 50 or so years ago, for a kid trying to find a job during the summer months or most any other time was easier than it is in today’s world.  There were no laws governing how much you could make or any restrictions on what you could or could not do. Of course, the pay was not the best in the world but if it kept you in candy money or enough for a hamburger, Coke or hot dog, you were doing well.

All this was brought home to me after the recent death on May 16 of my good friend and former Monroe resident, Jimmy Conner, whose many stories and tales of “old Monroe” when we were young and carefree, always brought a smile to my face.

 

                Since his move from Monroe to Trion, Georgia to be closer to his children, our face to face visits over coffee and lunch ended but our telephone conversations became more frequent. It was always a joy to answer the phone and hear his greeting, “Hello, my old friend!”  Those calls would last well past an hour and stories of the city’s history and tales always brightened our days.

On one particular call Jimmy asked if he ever told me about all the jobs he had going back to when he was a child.  He had sprinkled our conversations with bits and pieces of things he had done but never a full depiction of how he made spending money

One of his children asked him about his jobs once and after a lengthy description, she asked, “Is there anything you haven’t done?”  “Very little,” was Jimmy’s reply.

        He told me he began working when he was 10 years old. The conversation with me about his jobs began: “I really never had to ask for money.  I wanted to make my own.  Kids today can’t do what I did due to federal restrictions, work permits, etc. There were no work restrictions in my young days.  The early jobs were part time.  I never was really concerned about what the work entailed, just so it paid. I never asked how much a job paid when applying for one

Jimmy sent me a list of all the jobs he had in Monroe which were unique and varied.  His comments were just as interesting as the positions he filled.  Listing the jobs on what he called his “Monroe Working Career,” he said:

        “I washed car windows and windows in the Chevrolet dealership where Pop worked.  I fed parking meters in downtown Monroe on Saturdays in the summer.  Several merchants had a card made with their names on it. If a meter was expired I put a penny in the meter and a card on the windshield.  This was of course when you left your cars unlocked.

I had an Atlanta Journal Constitution paper route.  After school plus Saturdays and Sundays. I started at 3:00 a.m. on the weekends and had to make 2 runs. My bicycle basket would not hold all the papers at one time. On rainy days my father or mother would drive me on my route.

        I sold peanuts on Saturdays. I was probably the first white person in Walton County to work for a Black man.   Will Malcom, Monroe’s original “Peanut Man,” had a peanut route in Monroe, Athens, Decatur and Atlanta.  He would bring a big bag with 50 or more small bags of peanuts by the house on Highland Avenue.  I would sell them for a dime and I got 2 cents. He would come back around 6 p.m. and we would settle up.  Will walked or took a bus everywhere he went.  He never owned a car.

When Williams and Smith Funeral Home opened up for business in the old W. O. Dean house on the corner of  East Highland and North Broad Street, I began hanging around and helping out with various duties. After I had been there a while I began working in the embalming room helping prepare the bodies, cutting hair, trimming finger nails, shaving the gentlemen, dressing the bodies and arranging flowers.  I became a registered apprentice embalmer and funeral director. At that time ambulance service was provided for the city by both Almand Funeral Home and Williams and Smith.  I did love those emergency calls, with the red light flashing and the siren blaring and going at terrific speed.  I worked for them from 1950 until Buster Smith died from a heart attack in 1966 at age 43

I sold more peanuts!  My father rented the building next to our house to a family named Whitley for a restaurant.  He had a peanut roaster and several of my buddies would sell peanuts downtown (in competition to Mr. Will Malcom) for 10 cents a bag and I got my usual 2 cents.

        For 5 cents a bag I would sack 50 lb. bags of coal at Wright Gin & Trading Company.

        Back at Walker Motor Company one summer Gary Sigman, the owner’s son and I, would clean up the trade-ins to ready them for resale. This was hard work but we did have some fun.

One summer I worked for Carmichael’s Drug Store as a soda jerk, scooping ice cream, making sundaes and milk shakes.

        During the Christmas holidays from school, I worked at Brooks Bakery.  Went in at 3 a.m. and got off at 4 p.m., making 13 cents an hour.  Made Parker House rolls, decorated cakes and cooked doughnuts.  After they were cooked you put them on a pan and glazed them.

        On weekends I could be found at WMRE radio station  where I served as DJ from 7p.m. to 11p.m.  I went with the crew to all of Monroe’s football games and spotted for Tom Robertson, the announcer. I did get to be a state registered AM Radio Operator.

I worked for Kinsey Cleaners, having a laundry/dry cleaning route.  Pick up one day, deliver two days later.

        When Betty Gallman had her photography studio, I processed and printed pictures.  I arranged studio sittings, shot wedding and family reunions.

        I was asst. manager for the Shell Service Station.  My duties included pumping gas, washing the windshield, checking the batteries, oil and tires along with sweeping out the front floor mat. Another summer job where I made $15 a week.

In the spring of 1956 until May of 1957 I worked for the Walton Tribune after school.  My jobs included: composing grocery ads, writing obituaries, melting lead for the linotype machine and became the sports reporter along with doing all the photo work for the paper and unloading box car loads of newsprint. All this garnered me a salary of 50 cents an hour. When the Minimum Wage Law went into effect my pay was increased to $1.00 an hour.

When Sanders Camp purchased Betty Gallman’s Photo Service, he made an agreement with me I would stay with him for a year as manager.  This entailed a lot of portrait work, shooting weddings, commercial work, sports and anything the Tribune wanted pictures of.  I made $40 a week and a 4% commission.  I chased wrecks and fires as the paper never had any on the scene shots just after an event happened.  A big event was my going with Sheriff Doc Sorrells to photograph the biggest still ever found in the county which had to be broken up. Shot a lot of pictures of hurricanes in ’57 and 58

        My working career in Monroe came to an end in 1958 when I left to pursue other jobs and careers

I spent four years in the Air Force before graduating from the University of Georgia in 1967 and then had a great 30 year career with State Farm Insurance as an automobile appraiser/estimator. With my dad being in the automobile business, who knew cars any better than I did

All in all, I had a great time as a kid and teenager doing all these jobs and very seldom had to ask my parents for any money. I got a great deal of satisfaction in being able to pay my own way and to get such varied work experience that so few kids today have.”

        Many of the older generation have similar stories about their jobs but whatever they were, you couldn’t find any better place to work than Monroe, no matter how much you were paid!