Med Baker House
U. W. Jenkins House
Parking was in short supply. Dock Watson house visible in the background
On the By-Pass.
105 West By-Pass Boulevard in 2000
Marilyn Sue Jenkins
Betty Kathryn Jenkins
Jimmy and Marilyn
Marilyn and Jimmy
The Jenkins House moved to Highway 145 South
Sammy Copeland House 2000
Marilyn Jenkins Boyce: Growing up in Chesterfield My employment history began with a job at Mack’s Five and Dime store when I was 13 years old. I worked in all departments of the store, but my favorite was the candy counter. At that time (late 50’s) all the candy was in bins, and we had to weigh each sale that we made. I confess to sampling the chocolate covered peanuts upon occasion. I worked on Saturdays, and we began at 8:00. I had one hour for lunch and thirty minutes for dinner, and the workday ended at 9:00. For this day I received $3.07! That doesn’t sound like much by today’s standard, but it was sufficient for my spending money, and I was able to buy Christmas and birthday gifts for my family. Perhaps we lived in a safer time - at least my perception leads me to believe that. I loved going to the movies when I was young, and my sister, Kathryn, and I were allowed to go unaccompanied by parents. There was a double feature on Saturdays, and there was also a serial in which the hero was left dangling from a cliff or had some major trauma looming ahead, and I waited eagerly to see how he would manage to overcome each week’s adversity. For the cost of a mere quarter, we had an entire afternoon’s entertainment, and there was money enough for one of those suckers that lasted throughout the entire movie. I remember that my father worked at Sam Presson’s grocery store, and it was located on Main Street near the place that is now Hough’s Insurance Agency. In those days many people called in their grocery list, and there was a delivery person who carried the groceries to them. My dad was the butcher, and if I recall correctly, there were shavings on the floor of that particular part of the store. I grew up in the Baptist Church, and we had many wonderful teachers during those years. Katherine Ward Braswell was my Girls’ Auxilary leader, and she helped me prepare for the different steps we had to learn. Mary Pusser spent hours teaching me the verses in the Bible so I could participate in Sword Drill, and when I left her house each week, she called Mr. Charles, her husband, and I stopped by his station to get a coke and crackers. While my parents were responsible for teaching me how to live, values were reinforced by those in the church and community who gave so much time and energy to helping me and many others grow up. It was acceptable at that time to discipline another’s child..... Mother decided that Kathryn and I needed piano lessons, and at great sacrifice, she purchased a used piano for us. We began our lessons with Mrs. Mattie Douglas, and when she stopped, we became students for Mrs. Elease Boring. Kathryn was naturally talented, and she would practice for hours each week. I, on the other hand, preferred to play ball or do something else, and I was not a good student. Mrs. Boring eventually told my mother that I was “wasting” her money, and shortly after that, my illustrious musical career came to a halt. Kathryn continued her music and became the organist at our church while she was still in high school. I remember when the first public library opened. Mrs. Louise Wiley was the librarian, and it must surely have been the smallest library in history. I loved going there and looking at all the books and finally choosing one to bring home. It was there that I first read Cheaper by the Dozen and other wonderful books. Mrs. Wiley, by her perseverance and commitment, expanded my horizons and made possible a world in which I could travel and dream of what I might become. I shall be forever grateful to her for reinforcing my joy of reading. We probably had the most beautiful school campus even though I surely took it for granted at the time. The terraced landscape and the gazebo were striking, and one year we had pictures made for the yearbook on the grounds. I loved the big steps on the front of the old school, and many days during lunch friends would gather to talk. I always felt sorry for other schools that didn’t have a gym as nice as ours. The wide, high bleachers and beautiful wood were extraordinary, and I felt a real sense of pride when others came to our gym to play ball. Sarah Knight had the best collection of Nancy Drew mysteries, and she was kind to share them with me - every one of them. How I did love to read! Her house (now Spencer’s Law offices) had the most unusual ceilings in the bedrooms upstairs, and I enjoyed exploring. They had a beautiful grand piano in the living room, and for one of our proms, we had our pictures made around it. Speaking of reading, one of my favorite Christmas gifts from my brother, Jim, was the gift of four books - Trixie Beldon mysteries. I wore them out from continual reading, but I cherish the memory of such a delightful gift. On Sunday afternoons we often went to Carolyn Rivers’ home, and there we engaged in “football” games when the weather was pretty. After her parents added the huge den to their house, we often gathered there and on more than one occasion, we stayed for sandwiches. I remember that her father always seemed interested in our opinions - respecting what we had to offer even if our views were limited by lack of experience. In the fall especially we used to walk in the woods behind their house, and it was a keeping of the Sabbath that is foreign to most of us now. We thought we were just having a good day. Little did we know that we were participating in the timeless gifts of being with friends, enjoying creation, and learning, without our knowing that’s what we were doing, and that the presence of others is incredibly important in our lives. Joyce Lisenby’s daddy, Mr. Bryan, was such a favorite as we grew up. On his day off (and only after becoming an adult with children of my own can I appreciate this), he often took us to Cheraw Beach in the back of his pick up. What glorious days those were! The beach was safe and small, and we had a wonderful time...without any equipment or ski jets or anything else. I played basketball in high school and loved every minute of the game. Of course, I played at the time when guards didn’t cross the center line, and since I can’t shoot at all, I wouldn’t even be chosen for a team today! Nonetheless, Mr. Hutchison thought I was worthy of a spot, and I played with heart if not with a lot of skill! Once after practice he gave Carolyn Rivers and me the key to his car (a ’57 Ford, I think) and told us to take one of the players home. It had rained for days, and the player lived on a dirt road. Of course, we were only 14 years old (could get license at that age then), and we had a terrible time and almost slid into the ditch several times. When we returned, he was more than a little put out with us that it had taken so long! We were simply thankful to be back in one piece. He never asked us to transport anyone else.