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Downtown Getty: Rockin’ and rollin’ in the 1950s


“My dad Jimmie Hutchison leased the Humble station at the corner of North Getty and Nopal in the mid-40s and operated it until he built his own station on East Main in the early ’60s. My mother, known as Dubba, was the bookkeeper, and every day she would send me to the First State Bank on the square with the day’s receipts. I wasn’t even 10 years old at the time, but I had a feeling that she called ahead to let them know I was coming.”

Sharon Hutchison Pirkle fondly remembers those early days in downtown Uvalde.

Quin McWhirter, retired executive from Houston Lighting and Power, recalls his high school days when he worked for Hutchison and reflects on how that experience has dominated his process of doing business. “Mr. Hutchison taught me all about customer service, and I soaked up everything he had to offer.”

Virginia Wood Davis adds, “Nearly everyone traded at Jimmie Hutchison’s station. He really gave good service. A number of years ago, North Getty was being redone and they dug up an underground gasoline storage tank belonging to the station.”

Today, Julien’s stands on that very spot at 200 N. Getty.

One might say that Uvalde, especially downtown Getty Street, was rockin’ and rollin’ in the 1950s. In July of 1950, the Lee Schwartz Dress Shop, owned and managed by Julien Dart, became the first downtown business to be air-conditioned. In the same month, at 111-113 North Getty, Shepperd’s Department Store, managed by Bob Shepperd, opened its new store in the space which had been occupied by Hooper’s Variety Store since 1926. Also, in July, Ben Franklin’s Five and Dime, managed by O. D. Berry, moved from 239 to 203-205 North Getty, just north of Speir Brothers Drug Store.

In June of 1951, a 120-foot test tower, erected by the Tex-a-vision Company behind the Hangar VII Grill at 223 North Getty, brought two television channels to Uvalde homes. Jay Young, whose dad and uncle owned Young Bros. Garage at 317 N. Getty recalls, “The Hangar VII had the best Mexican food I ever ate, and they had the best chips. Wayne Moore, who owned the Hangar VII, had a special process for making the chips. They were even better than the popcorn at the El Lasso next door, so we would stop in there before a movie and take them over to the El Lasso.”

Sharon Hunter Hall also remembers those delicious tortilla chips. “We kids liked to buy the chips from the restaurant to take into the movie theater instead of the more expensive popcorn. Hangar VII kept them warm in a bread warmer.”

Young continued, “The Hangar VII catered food to the American Legion next door. Upstairs there was a dance floor where Ray Price and his Cherokee Cowboys sometimes played. That was back when Willie Nelson and Roger Miller were in his band.”

To the left of the American Legion Hall was the Stevenson Hotel at 215 N. Getty. Gary Heyen, whose grandparents owned the hotel at the time, recalls, “There were still rings in the sidewalk in front of the hotel for tying up horses. One of my first jobs at 6 years old was to sweep the sidewalk in front of the hotel for 10 cents.”

W. B. “Dub” McFatter moved his Firestone dealership from 207 N. Getty to the corner of West School Lane and North Getty in the early 1950s. The new location at 301 had previously been occupied by Reagor Motors, which had moved to West Main.

Next door to McFatter’s business was Crump Electric. Wade Reagor, who now lives in Leakey, fondly recalls sitting atop the Crump building during the Uvalde Centennial in 1956 and viewing the parade. “My mother worked in Mrs. Crump’s gift shop, so she allowed us to sit on top of the building. I remember Mr. McFatter allowing the Budweiser people to set up at his store, complete with the Budweiser Clydesdales.”

North of Crump’s business was Stewart’s IGA grocery store which opened there in 1948. Stewart’s son Jimmie recalls, “I was too young to really work then, but as the years went by, my dad began to find more and more for me and my older brother Johnnie to do in the afternoons and weekends. We started dusting shelves and stocking cans of soup and vegetables. It wasn’t long before we were big enough to sack groceries at the cash register and carry them out to customers’ cars that were diagonally parked in front or across Getty in parking meter spaces. Occasionally, we would have to run out and put coins in the meters if they were expired and the customers were still shopping. When I was 14 years old, my dad said I was old enough to start running the cash register and check out customers.”

Stewart continues, “Though there are many recollections of working at the IGA store, the one that stands out the most was when former Vice President Garner would come into the back of the store to sell his shelled pecans to my dad. He always seemed to be wearing his felt hat, khaki pants, and smoking a cigar.”

The Record Shop, which was located at 315 North Getty, sold 78, 33 1/3, and the new 45 RPM records. Televisions were new to Uvalde, but Jay Young recalls that there was a television repair shop in the back. Steve Suttle remembers standing there in front of the store window watching a Joe Louis fight, maybe his last, as Louis retired after he was defeated by Rocky Marciano on Oct. 21, 1951.

At 317 N. Getty stood Young Bros. Garage, owned by brothers Melvin and Alvin Young. Melvin’s son Jay recalls that they were in business for about 40 years. “It was a meeting place for everyone in town. They were the best mechanics in town and took care of cars for Dolph Briscoe’s ranch, the T. P. Lee ranch, Southwestern Bell, and the Highway Patrol. They were also model airplane enthusiasts. It wasn’t uncommon, however, to find everyone gone to get a cup of coffee. The business would be wide open. They would get coffee at Walgreens or the Amber Sky and then flip a coin to see who would pay for all the coffee. My dad and uncle worked from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. but went home promptly at noon when the fire whistle blew as my mother would have lunch ready.” Young says his dad and uncle leased the building from Ben and Charles Daly who owned a used car lot between them and the Episcopal church.

Across from McFatter’s on the southwest corner of North Getty and Oak at 247 was the Piggly Wiggly store owned by Bill Winn. Steve Suttle recalls, “To the fascination of children, it had a donut machine that could plop the dough into the fryer and you could watch it flip the donut as it circled the fryer before being ejected and being coated with powdered sugar.”

Another intriguing mechanism which fascinated children during those days was the device at J.C. Penney which literally “zipped” the money from the downstairs clerk to the cash office upstairs. Lola Bailey Hill recalls, “I loved going to J. C. Penney’s on Getty during the ’50s. I would take my grandmother, Nora Bailey, shopping. I especially remember the shoe area. Robert Rowland or Tommy Howard would get the shoes and try them on you. My grandmother always wanted to look at the gingham materials as she made dresses for us to wear to school.”

J. C. Penney was located just north of the Kincaid Hotel, and next to Penney’s was John Rowland & Sons at 114. The L. Schwartz Company at 116-20 extended north to the corner of Nopal across from Hutchison’s Humble station. Lee Schwartz Dress Shop was on the corner of Nopal and to the right of it was the hardware store and then the grocery store.

Across the street was Ben Franklin’s, a favorite destination for children in the 1950s. For the girls, 50 cents could buy a small bottle of Jergens lotion or Blue Waltz perfume and a paper doll book with enough left over to attend a movie or buy the latest Little Lulu comic at Walgreens.

Goldberg’s Furniture was located on the southwest corner of Getty and West Nopal. Charles Goldberg, an attorney in Houston, recalls that his dad Harry bought the property from John Garner around 1938 and operated the store until his death in 1968. The store was then sold to Pete Knowles. “I spent lots of time at that store. After school, I would sit in the basement and do my homework. My dad sold all kinds of furniture, mattresses, and appliances.” Violet Routh Smith recalls her proud purchase there of a chrome dinette table with a yellow formica top.

The Marvel Shop moved in next door to Goldberg’s during the 1950s at 119. North of Goldberg’s on the opposite corner was another popular hangout: Speir Bros. Walgreens. Former Uvalde resident Bob Saunders recalls, “The comics were to the left as you entered and the counter was behind that. The cashier was to the right as you entered, so she was able to watch the kids leaving so they would not skip out on the bill. It was a very busy place a few minutes after school was out. It had a 5-cent pinball machine where you could win free games. It was a big attraction for us boys after school.”

Wade Reagor also shared his memories of Walgreens. “We kids liked to sit near the carbonated water machine. We would all order a chocolate soda, and then when the waitress wasn’t looking, we would fill up our glasses with more carbonated water.”

There were numerous other businesses downtown, including two florists, George C. Jolley’s farm implements store at 239, Uvalde Lumber Company at 228, two utility companies, barber shops, beauty salons, insurance offices, Snow White Laundry and Cleaners located next door to the El Lasso, and the Elite Cafe at 311.

Lou Fohn recalls that on the southeast corner of Getty and Oak at 244 stood Mrs. Annie Spencer’s boarding house where B. B. Treadwell, owner of the Palace Drug Store, lived. The historic Benson residence at 218, which now bears a historic marker, was the home of Wentz Flower Shop in the ’50s.

Though business was booming in 1950s Uvalde, the fear of polio lurked in homes, the Cold War was on everyone’s mind, and Uvalde was seeing the worst drought in its history. But despite that, the 1950s were considered a special time in Uvalde history, a time still cherished by those who were lucky enough to be around at that time.

Allene Mandry was born in Uvalde where she attended elementary school before moving to San Antonio. Now a retired teacher, she has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from Trinity University. She spends her time doing genealogy research and giving presentations on genealogy. Mandry and her husband, Arthur, live on a ranch near Camp Verde.

Sharon Hutchison PirkleHutchison’s Humble Station, circa the late 1940s.

Sharon Hutchison PirkleHutchison’s Humble Station, circa the late 1940s.

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