“W. T. (Pete) Templeton, Role Model”

Wm. T. "Pete" Templeton

I cannot mention or hear role model without thinking of my dad, William T. (Pete) Templeton veteran, and WW2 was not far behind him, He was working as a truck driver and we had three square meals a day. Extra cash was not all that plentiful.  I would haul scrap iron and mow a couple of yards with a reel type push mower to buy shells for my 22 and to buy bass lures.

  Wm. T. “Pete” Templeton

If I wanted to go to Boy Scout and Junior Conservation camps I had to work for it.  If I tried, it did not matter how little I raised, he would come up with the extra.  Then I had weeds to cut or trucks to wash.  Years later I found out that he volunteered for any extra trips for money for Christmas and things like camp.  Also three new shirts, one pair of shoes and three new pair of jeans that when faded embarrassed us.  We were also embarrassed by the patches which were to come later.  After he bought out the Ashland Oil Bulk plant here things remained the same. 

After I finish school I worked for him as bookkeeper.   A lot of folks had fuel oil heat or cook stoves and some with 280 gal tanks and some with 50 gal barrels for the oil.  Usually they both bought fifty gallons at a time.  Many times I have seen him tell me or Mr. Auvil Gunter to fill the tank and only charge for fifty gal.  He paid the rest out of his pocket.

One winter a lady called our house about three am and was out of oil.  He asked her if she did not have a natural gas cook stove and she did.  He told her to light the oven and she would be our first customer.  He hung up the phone and changed his mind.  He got dressed and headed to the bulk plant to get five five gallon cans and fill them with kerosene for her heat stove.  He never billed it.  When the truck went to fill her tank he told him to just charge for twenty five gallons and not to tell her he filled it up.

After I went to the Post Office I would help out at times and when he lost his voice and had to go to St. Louis to a specialist I took my leave and kept the office for him.

Wray Ward was a great customer and he had bought a new truck with the new 7 X 17.5 small truck tire.  He immediately ordered tires in that size for stock. 

While he was in St. Louis a man from around Milan Tennessee came in wanting a set of four.  He said he had been to Jackson, UC, Milan and all over and no one had them.  The dealer in Union City told him that if anyone would have them it would be my dad.

I used the pricing we used for dealers and he asked me to check my figures.  I redid them and came up with the same amount.  He then informed me that everyone else had said the price would have been fifty dollars a tire higher if they had them as they were a new size and not as many made.  He left happy and I was worried I had truly undersold them.

When my dad returned after a week the first item of business was to check all invoices of tires I had ordered from Memphis and then he went to the tire sales receipts.  What is this he exclaimed when he got to the truck tire sale made out to cash sale?  I explained to him and he wanted to find some way to get in touch with him.  I had overcharged twenty five dollars each.  He had got a special deal on them and he always passed that on to the customer.

I did get him on one sale though.  He got to that ticket and it was charge with a name.  A young black lady came in and desperately needed new tires.  She was not a regular customer and needed tires to get to work.  She wanted to pay half then and the rest in two weeks.  I believed her though I did not know her and said OK and included the mounting.  I assured her that I would have to pay if she did not but she had already convinced me anyway.   My dad said we will never see her again.  I informed him that if she did not I would pay for them.  I went by in two weeks and he said she came in early and paid for them and was appreciative of us for letting her have credit when she needed it.

I saw him go to the bank and borrow to carry a lot of credit that Ashland would not cover and the tire business was all his.  I only know of one who stuck him with a big farm gas bill and tire bill and a few smaller ones but I think he died never knowing how really well off he was and how much he was thought of.

Honestly they don`t make them like that anymore.  How sad.

I remember we all sat at the table to eat three times a day.  If we got through we were to ask to be excused.  If we had been really good our mother let us wash and dry the dishes to show our appreciation.  There were not all the conveniences but there was family.

I remember our nights were spent talking or listening to the radio.  We had shows like inner sanctum, Green Hornet, Lone Ranger and Silver with Tonto, also Amos and Andy.  I sure cannot leave out Gildersleeve.  No times were simpler but so much is missed today by the family members going their own way.