"Stan “The Man” Musial and others"

  

As a pre-teen and teen I worked at several stores and enjoyed all of them, but none any more than Hopkins Grocery, located diagonally across from First Community Bank.

     We were neighbors to Clint and Veatrice Hopkins and the Gaskins who lived there before them.  She asked me to help her in the yard on her day off and our biggest task was digging up wild onion bulbs and there were plenty.  Later they asked me to work at the store after school, Saturday and summer break.  They were both a hoot to be around.  To them everyone was Son.  He called her Son and she called him Son.  Customers were called Son.  Employees were called son. 

    Not long after I started there I was doing some task and Clint came by and said I was not doing it right and to do it his way.  Well in a few minutes she came by and informed me that I was doing it wrong and I should do it her way.  Well this went on for days on about any task I was doing.  Finally one day Evelyn Latta, their daughter, who also worked for them came by and said.  “Robert if you try to please both of those two you will go crazy.  They never agree with each other it is their way of fun.”  “You need to learn to do it your way.”  I did as she said and there was never a problem.  After I got my license I started delivery.  Stores in those days delivered groceries twice a day.  As everyone worked and no doors were locked I would take them into the kitchen and refrigerate what needed it and placed the rest on a table or counter.

     Clint would never let the produce or meat delivery people bring goods in until he got on the truck and inspected it.  Otherwise they would leave inferior goods.   He would make them dump potatoes in an open bin to make sure the ones on bottom were not inferior.   He would not sell anything less than what he would want.

          I just heard that one of my favorite role models has died.  When I was a teen all we wanted to do was play basketball or baseball.  We would walk the creeks looking for scrap iron and soda bottles to sell and mow yards for a little money.  We would pool our resources and head to St. Louis to watch a Cardinals Game.   Our favorite was Stan “The Man” Musial.  We would drive up and watch a daytime game and drive back the same day.  It was nice that kids using their own spending money could afford to go to a game, buy a drink and peanuts and not have to pay a kings ransom.

     We were there one day when they were playing a team who some of the other teams young fans were there and seated in front of us in the stands.  The other team was way down and the kids were taunting their own player and later wanted his autograph.  Stan ran out to left field and told them not to taunt the player he was just having a bad day and if they would meet him at a certain gate after the game he would give them his autograph.  I am sure he did too.  We did not take the opportunity to get his much coveted autograph for some reason I do not remember.  It is such a shame that to go to a game now is out of the reach of kids unless the parents hock the farm for enough money to send them.

     One summer we were at camp and the dad of one of our newest members came to visit us.  When he left our advisor Dr. O. C. Barber told me Mr Martin wanted me to come by the Chevrolet dealership, when I got home, he wanted to talk to me.  I did and he offered me a part time job at the dealership.

     I would service cars and trucks, clean floors and work benches, wash cars and at times help in the body shop.  Mr. Jim Wilmurth was the body man and he was a wonderful person.  His son Jimmy was founder of Clinton Auto Parts.  I loved working with Jim the most.  He was amazing to watch.  Mostly I would sand and mask the vehicle for him.   I have seen him stand on the ground and spray the top of a car and go to the other side and do the same.   One of us would step on a ladder to make sure there were no skips or runs and there never was. 

     Those days a fender or hood was not replaced unless mangled too much.  I loved watching him cut out a damage section of body and beat a piece of metal to weld in its place and then grind and sand it to where the weld did not show.  After painting it was better than new.  It is always a pleasure to watch a real craftsman and more so if it is a friend or family member. 

     Jim loved kids and he came in to the shop at night to paint the Explorer Scout Post 35 old school bus in explorer scout green.  When we traded up to a retired city of St. Louis transit bus he again painted it free on his time.  We would help sand and mask for him.

     I do not remember the name of everyone who worked there but I do remember that Mrs. Mallie Calbert was bookkeeper.  Harmon Parker was shop foreman and his brother Carmon along with Alfred Allen and another guy whose name eludes me were the mechanics.

     The one that conveniently, I cannot think of his name, did not like Alfred or the Parker brothers was always doing something to others.  On one particular day when I was clearing the work benches he had charged an old capacitor and left it on the table for me to clear and get shocked.  I did and it sure did hitting me on the tender spot under my forearm.  Not being one to get mad I let it go.  Anyway for a few days when he asked me to go to parts and get a tune up kit for a new 1956 Chevrolet.  I did as he asked and before taking it to him I carried it to my car and charged the capacitor on my spark plug and placed it back in the box.

     When I got back in the shop he was bent over the hood working.  I handed it to him and stepped back.   He reached for it and when he opened the box and took out the capacitor getting a good shock.  Now the 56 Chevy has an angle across the hood to strengthen it.  He jerked up hitting the brace and piercing his very bald head letting a little stream of blood run.

     The moral of this story I guess is to never get into a pee pee fight with a skunk for he will win in the end.  Other than that one person there was always a cheerful and upbeat atmosphere there.

  There was always an upbeat atmosphere and a wonderful work experience.