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BY TOM BOGGS

Main thing I recollect about that year 1952 was my having to pay full price to get into the picture show to go watch Hopalong, Roy, Tex, and that bunch. Only drawback about being twelve.

I’ve checked out some ’52 trivia for y’all such as the big mayor’s race in Linden where a whopping 386 voters elected Willie Gray Little over Ed Drinkard by one vote.  Cephus Holliman managed the American Legion baseball team to League Championship, Joyce Jeffrey was elected Marengo County Maid of Cotton, and Bedsole’s Dry Goods had a sale on ladies’ skirts for $2.98.  I Swannie what some big doings going on.

Big news on county 4-H clubs.  Pat Barnes was elected President of the girls’ grammar Club in Linden, Beulah Lee Duke headed up the Junior gals, and Grace Jordan was the Senior leader.  The three boys elected were Bobby Joe Hall, Brooks Barkley and Frank Dunn.  Hey, by the way, Ike got himself elected President of the biggest club of all headquartered in Washington, D.C.

I see William Gaines McKnight visiting over at Faunsdale Presbyterian church every now and again, and he tells me he’s started to write me a time or time about recollecting stuff, but starting to help me recollect and doing it are two different things.  Not too many of y’all left around to help me remember.  Better hurry.

Now, of course, there was some football playing going on around these parts way back in those days.  Coach J.W. Green, heading up the Linden Academy Blue Bullets, said things looked pretty good for his team with players coming back like John Yancy, Joe Hunter, and my all  time buddy, John Easley.

Those big boys for Linden only won four and tied one.  Butler won over the Devils 6-0 with the likes of Billy Buckley, Pat Lindsey and Robert Ezell, and Demopolis won out 21-6, but Linden was still tough with Paul Perry, Buddy Coats and Max Philips throwing their weight around. Eddie Jackson scored twice for the Tigers that year and Ronnie Willingham carried it over for the other score.

The big battle was when Thomaston beat Linden 19-13.  Bobby Nichols took the first Tiger punt, and lateraled that pigskin to Spickey Chadwick, who took off for a TD, but T ’was not enough to do the job.

At the end, Linden prevailed over Sweetwater.  Bob Nichols and Tommy Short each scored, and Parten carried it over for the Bulldogs’ only points.  Flashed memory…Spickey was the first player I ever saw with a full face mask on his helmet. Reckon he didn’t want to run the risk of getting his pretty face messed up.

Did you know that if you were a mind to, you coulder bought a pair of nylon stockings at Nathan Levy’s for 97 cents a pair that year of 1952.  I don’t recollect making a stocking purchase that year myself.

Our cross the street neighbor, Frank Jones, got elected the best County Farm Agent in the whole entire state, and got recognized up around Chicago or some such place.

I’m goner leave y’all this week with a special prayer.  “Lord, help me to be the kind of fellow my dog thinks I am.”

Tom Boggs is a columnist for the Demopolis Times and a native of Marengo County. His column, “Days Gone Bye,” appears weekly.