Old Neighbors on Hendrix Drive - 1966

 Our family has owned the house on Hendrix Drive, now Hendrix Avenue, since February 14, 1964.  My little brother's 2nd birthday.  I always liked cameras and taking pictures back in the day, and I found one that I took in the fall of 1966.  I was 6 years old.  Here it is:

This picture was taken right in front of our house on the edge of our front lawn that Daddy always kept so beautiful.  The people here were our neighbors then. I think this is a fine photograph of them for a 6 year old if I do say so myself.

They are from front, left to right:

Cindy Richards, Baby Doll the Scottish Terrier, and Karen Blazer. 

Standing in back left to right: Judy Richards and Mr. McCarthy, Baby Doll's Dad.

I'll start with Judy Richards:

She was my age or about and she was very sweet.  I loved playing with her because she gave out the best vibes and she wasn't bossy.  Totally opposite than my other playmate, Kelli Blazer.  

Kelli was very bossy and what I would now call a narcissist, or definitely a spoiled brat.  I was very shy around her and found it hard to say no to her.  I even remember hiding from her in the house a few times when she knocked on the door to get me to come out.  I told mom to tell her I wasn't available.  If I could talk to her now it would be a very different scene.  She wouldn't be the last "friend" I had like that unfortunately.  I seemed to attract them like mosquitoes.

Judy and Cindy had 2 brothers, Richie and Steven.  They played with my brothers and got into a lot of mischief.  Boys!

Back to Judy, she had red hair and freckles just like me and she was very nice to be around.  I really liked her.  Too bad their family left the block so soon. They must have left during the school day because I don't even remember saying goodbye to her. They were just gone. I never saw her or spoke with her again.  I guess that is the way it is with kids who lose touch. I will always remember her as a very good friend.  From a newspaper article, she was married and her name as of 2001 was Judy Richards Cooper and she lived in Keller, TX at the time. I hope her life has been a good one.

Cindy Richards: 

Another nice girl with light red hair and freckles.  She was my sister Catherine's age, born in 1957.  I didn't know her that well because of the age difference.  But she was always nice to me. Cathy liked her as a friend and spent time with her in the neighborhood.  As I mentioned they moved away, I don't remember what year but it was before 1969-1970. Her married name was Cindy Richards Rogers. 

Cindy stopped by in the 90s and visited mom for a while.  Mom said she was wearing a nurses uniform if I remember correctly.  Mom was surprised and happy to see her.  That is the way Cindy was, a friendly, nice person, just like her sister Judy. She certainly remembered us, as we did her.  Her mother, Kathleen Elise Richards was an alcoholic and her dad, William Vann "Bill" Richards was a Real Estate Broker and seemed to be a nice man.  I remember seeing him a few times walk out his front door in a suit and tie with his briefcase and get in his car, going to work I suppose.

Cindy died on August 27, 2001 from what appears to be addiction issues, possibly what haunted her mother. It appears from her obit that she tried to kick her addictions because she belonged to  I am so sorry that she is gone now.  Rest in Eternal Peace Cindy.

Karen Blazer:

Karen was Kelli's big sister, again Karen was Catherine's age and they hung out together, so I didn't know her that well either. But I did know that she was a whole lot nicer than her younger sister.  I always wished that she had been my friend and not Kelli.  Karen was a brunette and Kelli was a blonde. I didn't mind having Karen around, in fact I wonder why she was in the picture and her sister was not.  I was probably relieved that Kelli wasn't there.  OK, enough about Kelli. Karen's married name is Holt, Karen Blazer Holt.  She had two daughters Leslie and Anna.   The Blazer's moved out of the neighborhood around 1970.    

Mr. Will H. McCarthy and Baby Doll:

Mr. McCarthy, and Mrs. McCarthy as well, was a very nice neighbor.  He loved Scottish Terriers, and Baby Doll was the first one that I knew of.  Baby Doll was a quiet, nice little doggie.  At the time that he and his wife lived on Hendrix, they had grown children, 3 sons from one of his brothers, who died in 1946.  Their mother died in 1941 so someone had to step up for them.  It doesn't surprise me that Will McCarthy did. He took all three of them and their house was not a big one. I think they had a daughter as well. The kids had all moved out when we lived there, I never remember seeing them.

I did a bit of genealogy research on Mr. McCarthy and perhaps I will do a separate blog on what I learned.  He was born on St. Patrick's Day in 1906, a native of Little Rock and his parents were too. He had retired from the 555 Service Station, which when it was built, was the largest service station in the world. It took up the entire block between 2nd and 3rd on Broadway, which used to be the main thoroughfare through Little Rock. I believe it was 4 stories tall when constructed. The top floor even had a ballroom and was a venue for big acts in Little Rock. One of the cool things that the ballroom had was a big, beautiful ornate crystal chandelier, which was given to the Woman's City Club on Scott Street after 555 was demolished in 1962, where it still hangs today.   This is the chandelier at the Woman's Club. It is the only piece of 555 still in existence. Pretty fancy for a service station!

 

 

 

 The pictures below are of the 555 Service Station. 

  

As you can see from the first picture at the top of the blog, Baby Doll was an old girl in 1966.  I have no idea when she died, but all of the sudden a year or so later, they had another Scottish Terrier named Tammy. Tammy was a little more sassy than Baby Doll, perhaps because she was younger. She liked to bark when us kids were near.

 Mr, McCarthy died of a heart attack on November 29, 1968, in his living room chair while he was watching TV.  His wife found him there, which must have been a horrible thing to see. He was only 62 years old. I hope Tammy was lovingly re-homed after his death.  I don't think his wife kept her.  She lived  in the house about 2 or 3 more years before she moved out. Faye McCarthy died at 97 in 2007. He and his wife are buried at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock. 

The McCarthy house on Hendrix was purchased by a lawyer named Melissa.  She still owns it but moved to a farm outside Little Rock where she could have a horse and other animals. She stores furniture there and visits once a week or so. She has let the house fall into a bit of disrepair unfortunately.  At least she has the yard done regularly and put a new roof on the house.

Every time I look at that house I still refer to it as the McCarthy house.  And when I think about those people I have written about today, they will always be as they were in the photograph I took in 1966. Exactly how I remember them.

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

                                         
My mom's (Jean Burris Lensing) birthday was May 12, 1933.  In anticipation of what would have been her 91st birthday, I am posting a picture of her celebrating her special day, and remembering her 80th birthday, her last one with us.

Some of her birthdays would fall on Mother's Day so we would get to celebrate twice.  She always said she thought Mother's Day was a bogus attempt by the greeting card companies and stores to sell more merchandise.  Well, I'm glad we had another special day to honor her!  She was a spectacular mother!

This picture was of her on her 80th birthday in May 12, 2013.  Mom and I drove to Highland Park, TX to celebrate the day at my sister Catherine Lensing Harper's home with she and her family, my brother Bud and his wife and my brother Eric and his family.  Mom and all of her 4 kids together, and all but one of the grandchildren she loved so very much.  We all had a wonderful time.  Isn't she beautiful!!!

During the visit, we went to Abbot Park so my youngest niece, Ava could play and work off some energy.  We enjoyed that morning, it is a park that my older niece and nephew played in when they were young, and mom spent a lot of time there with them when she would go  to babysit.

The weather was spectacular and the spring flowers and trees were all in bloom.  My sister arranged a special sit down luncheon for her, complete with white cloth napkins and the good day china. There was plenty to eat including a strawberry shortcake, mom's favorite birthday cake.  We all got to talk and visit with each other and enjoy the day, singing happy birthday to her and giving her gifts.  It was a lovely day, one I will always remember.

My brother Bud was with us on the ride back home, as he planned to spend some time in Little Rock afterwards.  So on the way home we decided to stop in Arkadelphia and visit her parent's grave site.  We put roses on the grave, mom blew a kiss to them and then we stopped by her old home at 808 Crittenden Street.  It was vacant at the time so we walked around the property and took a good look at the home outside and peeked through the window to the inside, then we visited the garage.   I will never forget the blue Plymouth my grandfather drove and parked in there.   Old Blue is what he called it.

The house wasn't the same place she remembered.   The white trim around the house that she knew was painted brown, the inside walls were all painted beige, and some of the concrete holding together the beautiful rock my grandfather had brought in from Hot Springs when the house was built in 1938 had started to crumble, especially on the front steps and the garage.  As for the beige walls, my grandmother always had beautiful, tasteful wallpaper on the walls, (I'll never forget the little fishes on the bathroom wallpaper), and the two beautiful french doors separating the dining room and living room were gone. The house was 75 years old when we visited in 2013.   Although change was not unexpected, mom decided that she wanted to remember the house as it was and never return, and I agreed.   As it turned out she never did go back, as she unexpectedly died that following December.  I'm so glad I was with her on her last trip to Arkadelphia.  I have been back to the city for work a few times and I brought my dog Toby to the grave site after a vet appointment there (they have a great veterinary husband and wife team "The Bradshaw's) at South Arkansas Veterinary Hospital.) We put flowers out and visited for a few minutes, but have not been back to the house.   Who knows if I will ever be able to do so.

Bud said he hadn't been back since grandmother's funeral in 1980.  I'm glad he had the chance to go back and look around.  Those two pear trees in the front yard took up a lot of space, the space they use to play touch football.

We drove home to Little Rock and I had no idea at the time that we had just celebrated Mom's last birthday on earth.  God bless you mom!  Your birthday on May 12th will always be special to me.

💕

Jean Burris and Hollis Buck: Her favorite cousin

 

The above picture is my mom Jean Burris with her favorite cousin, Hollis Franklin Buck.  She always told me he was her favorite.  He was the son of my grandmother's sister, Florence Herrington Buck Evans and her first husband. Coleman Franklin Buck.  He was born 28 Aug 1932 in Clark County, Arkansas, so he was very close to my mom's age.  

Hollis married Jacqueline L. Hamann on  28 Dec 1953 in Los Angeles, CA.  I believe he is still alive at the time of this posting 13 May 2024, at 91 years old living in Laguna Beach, CA.

I wish I had asked mom more about him, but this is all I know.  I love this picture of mom and Hollis.  I'm so glad she had a close relationship with one of her cousins.  Does my heart good.

Below  is a picture of Hollis with his mother Florence and her second husband Dale Evans. Based on the uniform he is wearing, he appears to have been in the US Navy. Do not know the year of this picture but it was probably in the early 1950s.  His mother sure looks proud of him.  Florence passed away in California in February 1987.

All His Worldly Possessions

If a suitcase could talk, it would surely have many stories to tell. Especially the old ones, the suitcases that have been around, so to speak, faded and well used having been thrown about in trains, buses and cars, and in my dad's case ships as well.   When his youthful and military traveling ended when he got married, it was stored in the attic and virtually forgotten about while life moved on in the house below.  He did add things from later in life, but not while it was stored in the attic.

Well, this one particular suitcase in the attic wasn't exactly forgotten about by everyone...little did dad know that he had one nosy child who had her eye on that suitcase, wondering what treasures it held inside.

Yep, that would be me.  At one point when the attic door was opened and the steps were lowered, my nosy little self walked up and peeked in the attic and saw a dusty, brown suitcase sitting in the back, but not so far back that I couldn't reach it... and open it... and look inside.

Little did I know then, that I was looking at the contents of what was left of my dad's life, things that meant something to him, things that he kept. These included:

• Books
• documents
• photos
• a pressed corsage, the one from his marriage to my mom?
• a clear plastic box holding among other things, Old chipped marbles of various sizes, a few of the only toys my dad saved from his childhood, and some dice
• lots of pins from his life including the Knights of Columbus pin, Typographical Union pin, an old "Newspaper Staff" pin, IGI (International Graphics) pin from the last job he held before retirement, and a Red Cross pin, he used to give blood to the RC, and others.  , 
• a few of mine or my sisters toy jax 
• a Razorback tie 
• an old Oaklawn ticket from 1998
• and two Sheriff badges he got when my brother took them to Dodge City
• A clock given to him from Dillards Travel, his favorite job  

What is left of my dad's things now

And lots of black and white photographs.   Most of which were taken on the high seas of  the pacific, Japan and China specifically.   My dad was in the Navy from 1945-1947, post WWII,  He was in the "clean up" crew but it was still dangerous.  My dad rode on the USS Hooper Island, that was sent to Asia.  He was on another ship - the USS Grimes -before that and was originally scheduled to go around the world.  I remember he said he was very excited about the thought of traveling around the world, but it was not meant to be, so he went to Asia instead.  

In Japan, there were still former soldiers and citizens who didn't want to be on the losing side.  They left mines out to be stepped on and hid behind walls and trees ready to shoot any of the Allies that happened on their beaches.  So my dad and his fellow navy personnel had to be careful where they stepped and where they went.

There were also grammar and high school diplomas, class photos, first communion pictures of dad in front of his house in Scranton, a Christmas postcard with a picture of dad in his high school graduation cap and gown from Subiaco Academy,  Pictures of his family from Scranton. and even an obituary of a man by the name of Buck Red.  He was a co-worker of my dad's when he worked at the Arkansas Democrat newspaper.  Buck died at 42 in 1968 of a heart attack and dad was one of the pall bearers at his funeral. Dad and Buck were good friends and he wanted to remember him.  By the way, I took that photo and obit and made a Find A Grave Memorial for him online, his name on the memorial is William Edward "Buck" Red.

Maybe he took some of these old photos with him on his travels to Asia?  I am not sure but I thought that all of those things packed in his suitcase were magical and I am glad I kept them.

I never saw my dad take that suitcase on another one of our trips as a family.  It stayed at home and was the placeholder for all of his youthful memories, and was in the attic for many, many, years.  I am not sure who brought it back down or when, mom or dad, but I have it now in the bedroom where I was raised.  It isn't as full as it once was, the pictures and documents were taken out and put in the box of family photos, which I also have.  The other mementos, like the marbles and dice were distributed to me and my siblings after he died.  There are some things in it still.  And the suitcase itself is still in very good shape.  The hardware is still in good working order even.  The key has been long lost to the ages, though.

So the little girl who looked in the suitcase at all of those treasures, has the suitcase and those treasures today.  I hope I honor my dad by keeping the things he wanted to remember.  I am glad I did because I love to think of my dad and cherish his memories.

What I took after his death

   

 

A picture from 1968

Barbara Lensing (holding camera) age 8, Eric Lensing age 6, Cathy Lensing age 11, and Bud Lensing age 10, (all 4 children of Tommy and Jean Lensing.)  Eric is holding his toy raccoon named Ringo and what looks like a back scratcher, for his cast maybe?- with one of his broken arms.  This was taken at 1210 Hendrix Ave. Little Rock, AR.  The old black and white Zenith TV set and window air conditioner are seen in the photo too, along with some vinyl record albums sitting on the table under the AC - Monkees albums perhaps?  This was taken a year before Mom and Dad opened up the left side of the wall (the TV side) and added on the nice kitchen and dining room.   I remember that dress, mom made it, it had a blue background and lots of color -- it was the late 1960s, the Age of Aquarius.  "When the moon is in the seventh house..."

Sibilla Van Arsdel Welch

Mrs. Sibilla Van Arsdel Welch

Sibilla Welch was not a relative but  she played a significant role in my maternal family history.

Mom mentioned Mrs. Welch several times to me in the course of her lifetime because she was the person who introduced her parents, my grandfather, George Burris and my grandmother, Louise Herrington to each other.

My grandmother was a nurse before she was married and Mrs. Welch was her boss at one of the hospitals in which she worked in Arkadelphia.  In the Find A Grave memorial for Sibilla, it says she "was a registered nurse and for several years owned and operated Welch's Invalid's Home in Arkadelphia, Arkansas".  I assume this is where my grandmother worked and became acquainted with Sibilla.

On the other hand, Sibilla knew my grandfather, too.  Mom never mentioned how they knew each other, but her eyes sparkled with love when she told me how Mrs. Welch introduced her parents for the first time.

One funny story mom told me of her parents dating years was that every time George would ask Louise where she wanted to go or what she wanted to do on a date, my grandmother would say "I don't care."  This answer started to annoy my grandfather a little so he decided that next time he was going to have a little fun and take her at her word.  So he plans a date that he knew she wanted to go on and asked her:  do you want to go or not?  When she came out with her typical "I don't care" answer, he said "OK, then we won't go."  This taught Louise a lesson about George and she never again used that answer when he asked her what she wanted to do.

Now you have to have known them to understand how funny that was to my mom.  George had a real mischievous sense of humor and Louise was just the opposite, very serious and easily embarrassed by words such as those.  But it must have been a successful date because they ended up getting married on November 8, 1929.

George Burris and Louise Herrington circa 1929, the year of their wedding.

There is virtually nothing to show for their actual wedding.  No photographs of the occasion, no invitations, no mementos, exact opposite of my paternal grandparents.  I never really understood that because George had a good job with the U.S. Postal Service, and his family used photographers all the time.  But the great depression was beginning, so maybe there just wasn't enough money at the time for such frivolous things as a photographer, or maybe they just didn't elect to have one.  I only saw two things that proved they were married, their marriage license and my grandmother's engagement ring.  Well three things, the last but most important, my mom!  

The engagement ring was a little bit of a sore spot with my mom.  She told me that Louise's original engagement ring, the one George bought her, was beautiful.  It was a diamond in a white gold setting that was somewhat ornate, had kind of a lace-look it, like filigree.  Maybe it had an art deco style, which the year 1929 did fall in to.

So the modern era came along, with everything streamlined and simple, and Louise wanted to change the setting to reflect that.  So she took her ring in and had the diamond transferred to a simple white gold band.  It was still pretty, but the gorgeous filigree band was gone.  She didn't take it back with her when she picked up her "new" ring.  That was a shame, mom said, because it was so pretty and she for one would love to have had it.

I did however, inherit one of a set of beautiful chairs that were given to them as a wedding present.  Solid mahogany with a pretty beige and pink rose upholstered back and seat.  I had it refinished, which I wish I hadn't done.  The company that recovered the chair did the upholstery part well, but failed putting the chair back together.  It is very wobly and a piece has already fallen off.  I plan to have it put back together soon though.

So back to Sibilla Welch.  Since she brought them together it is not a stretch to discover that she offered her home as the venue for the event.   Mom told me that the Welch's lived in the part of Arkadelphia near the Ouachita River.  Maybe a river view?   If only my grandparents were alive, I'd have so many questions about that day.

According to the Find A Grave memorial website, Sibilla Van Arsdel  married  Theodore Jasper Welch on December 22, 1908 in Clark County, Arkansas.  They had one adopted son, Theodore Jasper Welch, Jr. (1913-1977).

Sibilla died on September 5, 1958 (aged 67) in Arizona.  She was buried in Bethlehem Cemetery in the small town of Joan, Clark County, Arkansas.

I once worked with a woman from that area of the state and she told me you can always tell if someone is from this area or not by the way they pronounce Joan.  It is not the usual pronunciation like  "Jone",  it is pronounced like "JoAnn".  So if you ever find your way to the little town of Joan, Arkansas, you will know how to pronounce it right, and they will be impressed.

Thank you Mrs. Sibilla Welch for introducing my grandparents.  I would love to have met you myself.

Spotlight Memories: My grandfather, George Washington "Wash" Burris, Jr.

My Grandfather, George W. Burris, Jr., has been gone now for 43 years, but he remains a very important man in my family.  He raised my mom (Jean Burris Lensing) to be the beautiful woman she was.  He was quick with a joke and honest and generous to a fault.  He made his living in the "family business", the U.S. Postal Service, as Assistant Postmaster in Clark County, Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The only reason he was not appointed Postmaster was because he was a Republican and he refused to change his party affiliation, which is what he would have had to do in those days to get the top job. He held a license to practice law and a state teaching certificate.  He also worked on South American oil rigs for a time in his youth.  But most important to him was his family -- his wife and 4 children. He was my mom's hero, she loved him, respected and admired him and looked to his example all of her life.  To me, he was a loving grandfather who made me laugh and taught me how to play Chinese checkers.  So I honor my grandfather today, as I do everyday.  The picture below is Granddaddy Wash sitting on the ledge of his front porch outside his home at 808 Crittenden in Arkadelphia, AR, in 1954. He was probably wearing the suit he went to work in that day at the post office.  He was 64 years young.

All my love forever granddaddy! 

❤