In my last column, I described a Rockingham institution, Miss Lucy’s Boarding House, which closed its doors in the ’70s.
For a young woman who had recently come to Rockingham to work at the Richmond County Daily Journal, the daily walk to eat lunch at Miss Lucy’s was the high point of my day. Not only was the food delicious and like the home-style food I was used to,the diners were always interesting and entertaining.
Many were regulars at the long table like Giles Yeomans Newton III, whom I described in my last column.
The “queen” of Miss Lucy’s (a title given by other diners) was Johnsie Gasque who always had a reserved place at the head of the table. Johnsie was a lovely older Southern lady who at that time worked as a receptionist at the Daily Journal office; in fact it was she who recommended that I eat lunch at Miss Lucy’s.
Johnsie lived in a beautiful two-storied brick home across from First Baptist Church on Randolph Street. I was always amazed at the number of family antiques in her home … all having a history.
Needless to say, Johnsie knew about everybody in Rockingham and beyond. She was a wonderful asset for me as far as leading me to newsworthy stories and providing background for the stories. Johnsie was widowed by this time and often spoke of her late husband in the present tense. I gathered that they were a very close couple. Her one daughter lived in Pennsylvania but I could tell they were in constant contact.
Perhaps the title of “coolest” regular at the table in my opinion would have gone to Ben Smith. Mr.Smith, a World War II veteran, could have easily been mistaken for a Hollywood leading man by the way he dressed and carried himself. Mr.Smith was married to the original Lucy Shores’s daughter, Lucy, who ran the boarding house. He owned and operated a pawn shop in Hamlet and commuted daily to eat at Miss Lucy’s.
Always impeccably dressed and groomed with a quick wit, he was a rarity in those days … a political conservative. He had no problem espousing his political views and often teased me about having been “brainwashed” at my alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill telling me one time, “Don’t worry Helen. After a few years in the real world, you will recover from all that was drilled into you at that communist hotbed.”
I was later not surprised to learn that in 1962 Mr. Smith gave a good run against longtime county sheriff R.W. Goodman, and also served on the county school board for several years.
Other memorable regulars at Miss Lucy’s included Pinky Evans from Hamlet. Pinky was the table comedienne who often kept the diners in “stitches” with her quips and anecdotes. Pinky was always a regular in the Junior Women’s Club Red Stocking Revue. The Winn-Dixie guys always tipped off Lucy about when the health inspectors would be coming. Dr. Al and Dr. Bill Haltiwanger and members of their staff were also among the frequent diners.
I hope this reminiscing has brought back memories of some pretty special people who gathered together at a unique and special place. Boarding house dining like at Miss Lucy’s is sadly something of the past … sadly gone but for me not forgotten.
Helen Cox is a former journalist and educator in Richmond County.
