Morris Field was a good place to live and we made quite a few friends while living there. Bill Draddy, was the manager of the housing there and lived close by in Stonewall Jackson Homes, which were eighty-five one story brick units. To live in this development the family had to buy into the cooperation before they were permitted to move in. Bill liked me and said that he would keep a close check to see if anyone wanted to sell and would let me know if he found an opening. It was not very long before Bill told us that Harvey Basset wanted to build a house and would sell his membership to me for three hundred and fifty dollars, the rent was only thirty dollars a month. After completing and submitting all of the paper work, we moved in during the spring of 1952. It was in the building right beside Bill and Bernice who had a house full of girls. 
At this time we did not have much furniture and what we had was very old, pass downs that had been passed down one too many times. It was so bad that we tried to move in after dark and before daylight so our neighbors would not see our stuff. We were very pleasantly surprised that after we got all the castoffs into the house and placed the furniture, that our new home did not look so bad after all. This is another time that God was looking out for us. This is a picture of me outside our new home. We were ready to have our first child and could not until we were settled here.
After moving in Stonewall Jackson Homes it did not take long for us to make many new friends. Shortly after moving in, we discovered a little Baptist Chapel starting to meet in an old army barrack building. It was a church plant by the First Baptist Church in downtown Charlotte. It was only about two blocks away from our new home so we joined and became very active members. As a brick mason, I worked all around Charlotte doing various jobs. Hazel was at home and spent a lot of time with all of the women that lived around our new home.
It was not long after we moved in that we found out that we were going to have our first child. During Hazel's pregnancy, every one of her new friends was eager to help. That summer was extremely hot so we went to Sears in downtown Charlotte and bought a window fan. This is the first time in our lives that we had any kind of cooling system and we sure did like it. Our first child, Pamela Elaine Gurley was born on the January 14, 1953. The day she was born was nonstop. It started when Hazel said that we better call the doctor and get on over to the hospital. We collected everything we planned to take to the hospital and put it all in the car before we sped on to the Charlotte Memorial Hospital, knowing that we may not make it. When we got there, the nurse wheeled Hazel into the building and sent me into a little waiting room which was standard procedure back then, fathers were not involved like they are today. Fourteen hours later we had a baby girl. This is when our lives changed dramatically; we did not really know how to take care of ourselves let alone a baby. We had started our adventure as parents! Listen to me tell this story.
Early on during our first year we met a really great couple, Richard and Naomi Iverster, which lived just across the yard and we became good friends. One weekend we went to see the Grand Ole Opry by going over to Tennessee to the Ryman Auditorium. We drove most of the day over and spent about all night in the Auditorium since at this time the show lasted all night and we did not want to miss anything. I had listened to the Grand Old Opera on the radio when I was small but did not know what it was all about until we got to see it in the huge, beautifully decorated auditorium. I think that night, along about four in the morning; I got my fill of the country music so I never did listen to it much anymore. The next morning we headed back to Charlotte. Listen to me tell this story.
After moving in Stonewall Jackson Homes it did not take long for us to make many new friends. Shortly after moving in, we discovered a little Baptist Chapel starting to meet in an old army barrack building. It was a church plant by the First Baptist Church in downtown Charlotte. It was only about two blocks away from our new home so we joined and became very active members. As a brick mason, I worked all around Charlotte doing various jobs. Hazel was at home and spent a lot of time with all of the women that lived around our new home.
It was not long after we moved in that we found out that we were going to have our first child. During Hazel's pregnancy, every one of her new friends was eager to help. That summer was extremely hot so we went to Sears in downtown Charlotte and bought a window fan. This is the first time in our lives that we had any kind of cooling system and we sure did like it. Our first child, Pamela Elaine Gurley was born on the January 14, 1953. The day she was born was nonstop. It started when Hazel said that we better call the doctor and get on over to the hospital. We collected everything we planned to take to the hospital and put it all in the car before we sped on to the Charlotte Memorial Hospital, knowing that we may not make it. When we got there, the nurse wheeled Hazel into the building and sent me into a little waiting room which was standard procedure back then, fathers were not involved like they are today. Fourteen hours later we had a baby girl. This is when our lives changed dramatically; we did not really know how to take care of ourselves let alone a baby. We had started our adventure as parents! Listen to me tell this story.
Early on during our first year we met a really great couple, Richard and Naomi Iverster, which lived just across the yard and we became good friends. One weekend we went to see the Grand Ole Opry by going over to Tennessee to the Ryman Auditorium. We drove most of the day over and spent about all night in the Auditorium since at this time the show lasted all night and we did not want to miss anything. I had listened to the Grand Old Opera on the radio when I was small but did not know what it was all about until we got to see it in the huge, beautifully decorated auditorium. I think that night, along about four in the morning; I got my fill of the country music so I never did listen to it much anymore. The next morning we headed back to Charlotte. Listen to me tell this story.
1 comment:
Seems that Pam was already practicing how to use a cell phone and use the other hand to write down something in her appointment book..
Love ya Sis!!!!
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