Welcome to Bobby and Patricia Ezell Website
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                                                                          Meat Market, 1955

             I remember a grocery shopping day with my mother  in the 1950’s. 

            Five customers from the small east Texas town stood in front of the thick glass at the meat counter located near the back of the local grocery store.  The meat counter housed the steaks, lunch meat, and sausages strategically arranged to show-off their savoriness.  The five customers were dressed in a Saturday attire consistent with the 1950’s notion that traveling to the grocery store was an important week-end ritual, and customers should dress accordingly. 

            The five people included two white husband and wife couples, and Mr. Toby, a local black man who had lived his entire 85 years in the community.  He was dressed in clean khaki’s and sports shirt with a red bandana around his neck.  Mr. Toby knew everyone in the community and everyone knew him. 

            The meat market was run by Mr. Blackwell, a local butcher, who addressed each customer with an enthusiastic welcome followed by an inquiry about their possible meat selection.  “Hey Larry, how are you and Mrtyle doin’?  What can I get for you?”

            On this day Mr. Toby waited patiently as the two couples were greeted, a meat order taken, and their meat selection wrapped in thick white butcher paper with a white string securing the content.  After the two families received their purchase, they moved to other parts of the store, so that only Mr. Toby remained peering through the thick glass ready to share his meat selection.

            As Mr. Blackwell tore off a new sheet of butcher paper to prepare for the next customer, he noticed that Mrs. Imogene Livingston was walking rapidly from the front of the store toward the meat counter.  Imogene was a charter member of the local chapter of the United Methodist Women.  It was the chapter practice to meet on Saturday afternoon prior to Sunday worship.  Topics at the chapter meeting often included homilies praising the  value of fairness, kindness, and consideration.  On this day after their UMW meeting,  Imogene  stopped by the grocery and headed immediately to the meat counter.

            As she neared the glass display, Mr. Blackwell,abruptly turned from Mr. Toby to Mrs. Livingston with his normal, enthusiastic greeting, “Yes mam, Imogene, what can I get for you today?”  Mrs. Imogene Livingston with the themes of fairness, kindness, and consideration still resonating in her mind and without even a glance at Mr. Toby quickly asserted, “I’ll have three of those sirloins, Mr. Blackwell and hurry if you can.  Our UMW meeting took longer than I planned and I need to get home and start supper.”

            I was a boy of ten when I watched Mr.Toby’s reaction, and  today 60 years later, the memory  is still vivid of Mr. Toby continuing to stare pensively at the meats in front of him as Mr. Blackwell wrapped Mrs. Livingston’s meat choice.

            I remember looking at my mother with a curiosity that bordered on anger as I knew I had seen something that was not right, and in my ten year old image of the world, I knew the sadness of this incident was  that  Mr.Toby would not be allowed to express the anger that both he and I felt.

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  • Special Events
    • Thanksgiving 2018
    • Parkinson's Information Fair
    • Beach 2016--Tai Chi
    • Spidermen 2014 (Video)
    • Lisa &Angie 1988 (Video)
    • Clarence--Flag Dedication--April, 2017
    • Patricia-Presbyterian Women Award 2017
    • Family-Isle of Palms-April, 2017
    • Harrison Chapel Cemetery--2014
    • Christmas-2017 Decorations
    • Ricky Brunch 2015
    • Train Ride--June, 2015
    • First Day of Winter 2014
    • First Day of Winter 2017
    • HMNS--July, 2015
    • War Letters 1942, 1944
    • Brendan >
      • Brendan--Basketball-2014
    • Rylie >
      • Nutcracker 2014
      • Choir Presentation 2015
      • Fifth Grade Curriculum >
        • Social Studies >
          • The New World
          • The 13 Colonies
          • The Revolutionary War
          • The new U.S. Government
          • Map of 13 Colonies
          • Map of World
          • Map of World with Continents
          • Map of United States
          • U.S. with State Capitals
          • U.S. with State Capitals
        • Science >
          • Periodic Table
          • Periodic Table and Atoms
      • Bobby
      • Rylie and Bobby >
        • Rylie and Ball 2013
        • Bobby & Rylie-03/ 2014
        • Rylie and Bobby Valentine's Day 2016
    • Friends >
      • Millers---Friends >
        • Millers-David's Birthday July, 2015
        • Miriam 9.15.15
  • Vacations Europe & Australia
    • Europe 1992 London, England
    • Australia 2007
    • Europe 2008 Salzburg, Austria
    • Europe 2008 Vienna, Austria
    • Europe 2008 Munich, Germany
    • Europe 2008 Paris, France
  • Vacations in Americas
    • United States >
      • Nashville-Sept.2015
      • Vermont 2013
      • Grand Canyon, Boulder Dam 2012
      • Western States 2011
      • Hawaii 2010
      • Niagara Falls 2009
      • Alaska 2005
      • New England 2004
      • New York City 2001
    • Central/South America/Mexico >
      • South America >
        • Colombia, South America 2015
        • Peru-2016
      • Mexico Cruise 2017
      • Caribbean Cruise 2018
      • Central America 2015 >
        • Costa Rica 2015
        • Panama Canal 2015
      • From Our Balcony 2015
  • First Presbyterian Church
    • Peppy Pacers
  • Writings
    • Bus Station Cafe 1956
    • Lead Goose
    • Sucker for Movie Lines
    • Last Day of "Hit Me a Few"
    • No Plans
    • Meat Market, 1955
    • A First Year That Never Ended
    • Student Profile--Amanda
  • Photography
    • Photography--Flowers 2013 Front & Back Yards
    • Backyard--Frontyard--2015
    • Butterflies--Backyard--2015
  • Lit Chicks
    • Christmas 2014-Lit Chicks
    • Christmas 2015--Lit Chicks
    • Christmas 2016-Lit Chicks
    • Christmas 2017--Lit Chicks
    • Christmas 2018 Lit Chicks
  • Christmas Drop In
    • Christmas Drop In 2014
    • Christmas Drop In--2015
    • Christmas Drop in 2016
    • Christmas Drop in 2017
    • Christmas Drop-in 2018
  • Train Trip---Sound Experiment
  • Flag Dedication--FPC-April, 2017
  • Non-clickable Page