To open this “part two,” let’s go back a few, well many, years to his high school days at the top of the state in Roxton, Texas, when “Darden” played “all sports,” except basketball, because he was not extremely fond of wearing shorts—so, he became the manager for that season each year.
And his football ability was good enough that he played SEMI-PRO one season for a Grand Prairie team after he had graduated from high school. (Knowing Mr. Darden/John as I did, I bet he probably helped up the guys he knocked down and tackled and bought them sodas after the games!)
John was brought up in the Church of Christ, but gravitated towards First Baptist Church, Forney. Although Floy and he had to work nearly every Sunday, Susan says they made sure she went to Sunday School whenever possible.
I also found out that John and Floy were married at the Chisolm Baptist Church, not too far from Forney, and that besides his membership in Brooklyn Lodge 386 AF & AM for 48 years, he was also active with the Hella Temple and Shriners.
Another part of history is that his heritage included being a proud member of the CHOCTAW Nation of Oklahoma and that not only was he a member of Forney’s Booster Club but also the one in Hughes Springs where the Darden farm is located.
As if all the other things were not enough to keep him busy, John was a member of the ORIGINAL Kaufman County Appraisal Board.
A very important reason for visiting Darden’s was that John had a special “knack” for keeping vehicle air conditioners running strong and cold in our hot, hot summers! Most popular food items were sodas, peanuts (Tom’s), and candy bars, but many people bought their full week’s list of groceries—meats, beans, vegetables, fresh produce, Frito-Lay chips, “honey buns,” fried pies, Borden’s dairy products, etc. The delivery people (One grocer’s supply always delivered on Fridays.) became “friends” and often brought their children along on the route! John quite often journeyed to downtown Dallas to pick out items and buy in bulk.
Further research with the help of Daughter, Susan, reveals that most of the time, her Dad was so busy “busting tires” and “pumping gas” and “running Darden’s” that he only paused long enough for a bologna sandwich (Of course we all have long known that Forney folks call it “baloney.”) during the main course of the day. However, he did enjoy “dining out” locally at the “Rabbit Hut” for his favorite burgers—“City Café” (often just called “Mary’s” by the locals) for chicken-fried steak—and he continued that tradition as the café became called “Gosset’s Country Kitchen.”
Another favorite eatery in Forney was “Sally and Charlie Brown’s Café,” which started in a small house about where Buffalo Corners is today and then moved “Downtown.” I remember going there for pizza, chicken, salads, “stacked ham” sandwiches, and other “Brown” specialties when I was a “younger” teacher!
Late night dining in Forney for John and Floy usually took place at “The Truck Stop” out on the highway in the area of “Winslow’s” now. As mentioned in an earlier article, that restaurant stayed open later than any other in Forney and had a fairly extensive menu for that “day and age.”
A question arose the other day and was left unanswered, so here goes. “Themer, who worked at Darden’s? Give us some names we might remember!” Willie and Frances Crow were nearly always helping out there at the station. Willie could usually be found outside, keeping order around the “pumps,” and his “better half” was more often inside, helping at the counter and making sandwiches! These two “regulars” were Floy’s parents.
Some other names you might recognize are Morris Griffin, Andy Dehtan (also worked for the City one summer when Warren Hatley and I were employed there), Charles Dickerson, Buddy Crow (my inherited cousin), Billy Garza (before Sheri let him work at Madre’s), Pat Shipley (siblings Harry, James, Jerry, Mike, Judy), Thad Wilson (before he started protecting Forney as a police officer), Mickey Miller, Jimbo Seabolt, and I am sure that many of you out there are saying, “What about old so-and-so? Did you forget about him or her?”
Susan did note that “Daddy was always there, unless there was a fire somewhere or a City Council Meeting, and then one of the more mature workers took over temporarily—such as Mr. Griffin or Mr. Crow.
Continuing with information from Susan, the following are some of the folks she remembers coming into the station often: Loyd Crow, Ewell Smith (my Wife’s Granddad, but he would not let her call him that—just Ewell), Thurman Foster, Junior Garner, James Dickerson (also a fireman and helped out at the store), Jack Ward, Bondie Richman (Police Chief), Roger Richman (Bondie’s Son)—I know, I missed a few hundred!
Interesting to note, the Mesquite Rodeo guys— Neal, Donnie, and Pete GAY—kept some of their livestock in Forney pastures and periodically stopped in at Darden’s for a “Coke and a candy bar.” That activity was one that many, many “Forneyites” did each day as regularly as clockwork! I, personally, favored Baby Ruth and RC Cola!
On a personal note, John went to Bob Daniel for haircuts and Roland Tyler in later years, and drove a pick-up truck to work but had a 1974 gold Oldsmobile “98,” purchased from Bondie Richman and used for “Friday night dates” to Dunston’s Steakhouse, Little Bit of Sweden “all you can eat” smorgasbord, El Fenix, K-Bob’s Steakhouse, Golden Ox, Denny’s, and, as stated earlier, The Truck Stop.
*He wore ‘size 13’ cowboy boots every day, dressy ones for special occasions!*
For breakfasts, though, it was best to “stay at home,” for John could really cook, especially sausage gravy and biscuits!
He was a real “family man,” and many of his closest people were “Crows,” who had a huge family! But to “drop” some familiar names, John was close to James Dickerson, Brooksey and Betty Roland, Ed and Ann Nichols, Cleve and Sammy Brooks, Steve and Sharon Martin, Mary and Gayland Gossett, Etta Roland, Joe and Lottie Shook, Carlos and Sybil Duncan, Roger and Dixie Clark, Bondie and Roger Richman, Pat Adams, and too many others to name tonight! (my writing time)
I asked for “words to live by” from John’s mouth but was told that he did not give much advice—just gave hugs, nice, big BEAR HUGS—and would say he would “be there” if you needed him!
Did you know that he once “won” $1,000.00 (one thousand dollars) when Effren Herrera kicked a last second field goal during a play-off game? Everyone in the store crowded around the little “nine-inch” black-and-white television set in the store and cheered like crazy. He used the money to build a storage building behind the store. Floy and Susan say that $1,000 was “a lot” of money in the ‘70s! (I say it still is today!)
Finally, I asked Susan for some of her memories of “the store.” Early on, I stocked the “soda boxes” and carried the empties out to storage, because in those days, the “deposit” on the bottles was (.05) five cents each, and then later (0.9) nine cents. Then, I was “promoted” to “checking out customers,” which meant totaling up the bill on the adding machine, taking the money, and giving back the correct change without a machine telling me how much to give. And that experience helped me later with VOE and U. I. L. competitions!
My next “most important job” at age eleven years was to cook our dinner at the station on a two-burner gas hot plate and in a toaster oven—spaghetti, chili, corn bread—no microwave ovens then! And, I remember sweeping nearly all the “flat” areas at the store with a big push broom, stocking shelves, and “working the deli,” including slicing, weighing, and marking with a big, black grease pencil. And the school’s groups were really happy with all the “white butcher-paper rolls” we donated for cheerleaders, drill teams, sports teams, FFA, and FHA as they made posters galore! And to close, I will relate that the first microwave oven Mom and Dad bought was for me as I headed off to Tyler Jr. College, along with Vivian Hood, my roommate!
I (Themer) had not realized how much I missed going to “Darden’s” and how much I missed seeing the crew at the station until I wrote this article. And I know Forney was a much better place as a result of having John and his family living here. I want to thank his wife, Floy, for adding all her memories, and especially thank his daughter, SUSAN, for getting so much information to me via e-mail. She compiles and writes so well that my job “finishing out” the story was not too hard. She must have had really good TEACHERS at Forney High back in the 1970s!
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