I was born in Holly Grove on March 4, 1934, in the bedrom that became mine in high school. It was just off the living room before my sister Martha's bedroom. My parents were Ellis Graydon and Katie Thompson King. They married on June 4, 1926. Martha is Jane Dearing Dennis' mother, and only sibling I had. Jane's daddy was Donald Ray "Duck" Dearing.

Daddy managed the Holly Grove Motor Company from August 1927 until after the second World War in 1945. He then bought it in partnership with Ralph Abramson, from Col. (Kentucky) J. B. Jacobs and changed the name to King Motor Company. Daddy keep the station open until August 22 (?), 1977, when he retired to do more fishing and gardening. He lived until February 25, 1986, the last six years enduring cancer. He had chemotherapy the last two months of his life.

Daddy and Ollie Barnes with several different other men, Thomas Dial, R. G. Peete, a Spurlock and others I can't remember, along with a bunch of high school boys in the summer, kept tires repaired, cars greased, oil changed and cars washed. They kept tractor tires vulcanized and repaired during the spring planting and fall harvest. Daddy always fixed the tires on bicycles of all the kids in town.

In the early years the station was also a garage. A full-time mechanic was on duty to overhaul vehicle motors. I can remember a number 3 washtub half full of gasoline being used to wash the metal parts to remove the grease before reassembling the engine. I learned about pistons, spark plugs, fans and fan belts, generators, fuel pumps, alternators and many other associated parts growing up in that old station. It is no longer there. The Abramsons tore it down several years ago. 

Daddy taught me how to change a tire before pneumatic wrenches. I probably couldn't remove a lug nut now if I had to. But, oh how much I learned and remember from those days.

The many changes that came to the service stations after World War ll was amazing. The service men came home and began to farm or go to school on the G.I bill. They were able go to college and earn degrees or mechincal school to learn trades and skills. Some of these men worked for Daddy at the service station.

I just remembered something else related to the station. When Junious and Glenda Davidson came to Holly Grove and build a house of three prefabed sections, build across from the house Miss Ida Lee and 'Bo Mamma' Johnson, Mrs.George Johnson, they wanted a tennis court. Somehow they obtained permission to scrape the grass off the vacant lot across from King Motor Company. We spent many hours in the hot sun scraping and leveling the court and the after it had settled somewhat, we lined off the court and played tennis. The Davidsons gave us a lot of help in learning the technique of tennis. I eventually, as a sophmore or junior, lost to Jenny Johnson, Junious' neice, in a city wide tournament final game. We wore white regular short, none of this 'Daisy Duke' stuff, white tennis shoes and socks and white visor caps. We used cat-gut strung rackets with names like Wilson, Spalding and tennis balls that came three in a can. We worn out many a ball and racket. Some of the players had racket presses and when I was able to possess on I thought I had it make. Oh, such sweet memories. 

I started elementary school in the first grade (we didn't have kindergartens then) in September 1940,because I was born in March and had to be six before December 1st or 30th, I don't remember. My first grade school teacher was Miss Ida Lee Patterson. Some of my classmates were Virgina June Johnson, Shirley Ann McNeill, Kenneth Lynch, Jeanette Kanada, Gloria Jean Johnson, Betty Jean Harrod, Gladys Ruth Grimes, Mary Jeanette Rogers, James Orville Beard and Max Ables. There were others, but my mind is foggy without an annual to look into. We didn't have an annual then until the fifth grade in 1945.

My second grade teacher was also Miss Ida Lee. Third grade was Mrs. Mary Garner, mother of an older daughter and Berry Gould. Fourth grade was Mrs. Laurine Palmer. She taught all four of my children at Marvell Academy in Marvell starting in 1967. Fifth grade teacher was the Methodist preacher's wife Mrs. Glover. Sixth, Miss Virginia Rose Johnson, Jenny's mother, which by the way is still living near Jenny in Bella Vista, Arkansas. She is 94 or 95 now.

In high school we began to rotate classes. Out seventh grade home room teacher I think was the home economics teacher, Kansas Nell Webb who married a gentleman named Pruit (spelling?) in Little Rock, as well as I remember. She lived on Evergreen Street at the time we had our 30th reunion. Eighth grade was, I can't recall. Maybe Miss Webb instead of the 7th. Our 7th I don't recall. Ninth grade was Laverne Moore.Tenth grade was Coach Sonny Gordon, who taught biology and science. Eleventh grade was Melvin Wester and his wife. Senior year was Qwepie and Earnest Clifton. This is subject to correction.

The classes we had in elementary were reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, art appreciation, spelling, history, and science over the six years. I remember the study of the Belgian Congo and Baffin Island in Miss Palmer's class and the frieze of butcher paper we put up on the wall. I remember growing sweet potatoes in jars in the 4th.

I remember Kenneth Lynch's sister making a pretty valentine out of construction paper and a paper doily, with poems on it, that he gave me for Valentine's Day in the second or third grade. Wayne Beadles also gave me a beautiful valentine in the second or third grade. I kept them until my home burned in 1992 when I lost all my mementos and a lot of pictures.

The big old oak tree in front of the school was a place to sit. It roots made good seats for couples to sit close and talk during lunch, before and after school. It's shading branches bring to mind many wonderful adventures.

The suffleboard and horseshoes played during my seventh and eight grade years, when W. C. "Pistol" Knight was my 'heart throb', sewing in the home ec. cottage, making slip covers for the furniture and aprons to skirts, blouses, an eyelet evening dress and a lined, bound buttonhole suit I made. The home ec girls had to make sandwiches for the concession stand for football and basketball games.

I remember the Glee Club with almost everyone in high school being a part of it. The solos I sang, the duet's with Joe Moran, the trio with Billie Jean Williams and ?, the quartet with me as soprano, alto was (?), Joe was tenor and Beverly Lambert, bass and the ensemble of many voices. It all was such a great time.

I remember the junior play,"Grandma's Best Years." I had the lead as Grandma. The senior play, "The High School Murder Mystery." My part began in the audience as Mrs. Fields, the high school drama coach. Do any of the class members have these programs or play books?

The football, basketball games and track in our high school years. Such players as Jean Sain, Joan Ford, Martha King, Betty Sue "Susie" McNeill, Louise Calloway, Bessie Calloway Phillips, The Crow twin. Betty Jo Morrison, Jenny, Shirley, Erin "Baba" Jackson Coggins, maybe Velma Crow. I am missing so many of the girls that played. The boys Don Dearing, Don Phillips, Don Smothers, Fred Terry Johnson, Beverly Lambert, Wig Breeding, Julius Gannon, Milton Booker, Wayne Beadles, Kenny Turner and many others.

The main building faced the south. As you entered the double, glass front doors you took one or two steps then went up two or three steps to the well oiled, sawdusted cleaned floor. The janitors used sawdust mixed with kerosine or oil to keep the dust down. As two or three correspondents have said, the supertindent's office was to the left as you reached the edge of the central hallway across the main building. I remember Ethel Rae Gerlach Chism being the secretary. Mr. Cole, Mr. Newman, Mr. Zebe Perry were supertindents.

Just back of the office was Miss Palmer's fourth grade room. Outside that door there were two or three steps just at the door to the boy's restroom and just before the auditorum door. The auditorum had been added to the school in the years just before WW ll. At the same time the three classrooms were added to the other side of the building on the east. This was the 1st, 2nd and third rooms. The class of '52', attend the first three grades there.

I remember Miss Virginia Williamson conducted classes in elocution (the study and practice of public speaking), expression and dancing. My mother insisted I participate in them all. I started these classes in 3rd or 4th grade and started piano classes in the sixth grade. I attribute my ability to stand up and speak today to this training. And music became a part of my soul. I do have very fond memories of my school years in Holly Grove.

I waited until I raised and educated my four children to at least bachelor's degrees, to go to college. In the fall of 1987, I began classes at the Phillips County Community College, earning an associate of arts degree and transfering to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, to receive a bachelor of arts in journalism on August 7, 1992. After working for most of six years as a journalist in Arkansas and Mississippi, I retired back in Jonesboro, a city that has become my second home. If you are interested my address is 2516-B Ecumenical Dr. Jonesboro, 72401. If you would like to call, my telephone number is 870-268-8627 and I have a recording message machine.

I remember the swimming hole out on East Lake. Mr. Hal Green allowed us to cross his property to reach the sandbar that made a perfect place to wade into the water and eventually reach deeper depths. Some of the fathers in town built a diving platform. There was a bottom and top floor. The top had a diving board attached. The older youngsters could dive into the deep enough water from the board and not sustain injuries. One time though either Ralph Hall or Buddy Harding, somebody decided to climb the big ole cypress tree just to the east of the sandbar and dive in to the water. The only problem was the water became shallow under the tree and whoever it was that took the dive, knocked himself out and others had to drag him out and revive him. Ed Teeter once found a pink pearl in a mussel shell at or near the sand bar. I remember he gave it to his mother.

I could ramble on and on. Once I get started the memories just flood back. I will return in time with more info. Thanks for letting me bend your ear.

Elizabeth K. Hansen