By Ray Collett

Hello Readers,
More email is coming in, (and I love it) from our readers about our first jobs, well ANY jobs that we had is more than welcome. This one came in from Linda Majors Breazeale, (Class of '66).

Let's see what Linda did at her first job. Linda writes," My first job was working at the hospital as a tray girl in the dietary department. I was a Junior. I was allowed to leave school early enough to get to work by 2:30. My job was to prepare a tray for each patient's dinner. Most of them were on special diets and I had to learn what each diet consisted of. I would tell the cook how many plates to fix for each type of diet, load the plates in the hot side of the conveyer cart, slide the trays with the cold drinks, desserts and condiments on the cold side. Then go to each patient and present them with a delicious hot meal. I made . 60 an hour. The only thing I didn't like about the job was being required to wear a hair net. I would take it off every time I thought I could get away with it. One day, Mrs. King, the director of nurses, slipped up behind me and said, "Linda, Where is your hair net?" She said it in a voice that sounded like she was really shocked. I was so embarrassed. So, from then on I went by the rules because I didn't want to be caught again." Linda Majors Breazeale Class of 1966. Thanks Linda, I appreciate hearing from you.
An email also came in from Ken Broyles, Ken had this to say, " I remember working for Mr. Bill Waugh at the Home Store for 40 dollars a week. I worked 4 1/2 days a week. They were closed on Sunday. No beer or smokes of any kind. We did not package meats or vegetables then. We had to put the vegetables in the cooler every evening and get them back out the next morning. We mixed the meat for a meat loaf. Beef and sausage. Cut up chickens the way people wanted them cut. You couldn't hardly give the wings away. Now look what they do with the wings. I lived in Eureka at the time. I was working at Oak Ridge, then went to the Post Office and later back to Oak Ridge. We had 4 kids to feed." Ken Broyles......Thanks Ken, I remember the Home Store very well.
James and Vicki Watts Classes of 1958 and 1961) also worked during school. James worked at the Peggy Ann Truck Stop pumping gas, repairing truck tires, and other duties. Vickie worked at George's Pharmacy as a soda jerk.
Susan Poland Golliher (Class of 1971) shared this story. "My junior year during Christmas season, I worked at Emerys 5 & 10. (I really had a hard time staying out of the candy bins). Remember how you could get a dimes worth of chocolate covered peanuts and it would fill up the bag?) Then, my senior year, my best friend's boyfriend was managing Lay's 5 & 10 so I worked there. I think they had heard about my candy addiction because they always put me in dry goods! And thank you Susan. See, if they had left you around the candy bins you might have weighed 350 pounds.
Another Emery's employee was Arlene Hoskins (Class of 1950.) Arlene is a faithful reader and regularly sends an email. Arlene writes," My first job was at Emery's Five and Dime on Rockwood Avenue. I worked during my Christmas vacation before I graduated in 1950. I also worked there after I graduated for a while. Burl Swanner was the manager of the store and to this day, I am very grateful to him for the training he gave us. Kids today would have a hard time learning to have the work ethics we had back then. The rules were extremely different from today. We had to actually be of service to our customers! There was no gum chewing or visiting with the other clerks, and we had to be POLITE to the people. Those really were good days..Arlene S. Hoskins" Thanks Arlene, you are correct about the work ethics that we had back then. It is sure different now.
Since my column is no longer in the Rockwood Times, I feel that I should add a couple of news updates. Let's remember Friday, Aug. 29,2008 at 7:05, the honor being given to Coach Tom Pemberton. This is before the Midway football game and is in honor of Coach Tom's military service. When WW II was over, and the troops came home, he was unable to, due to his being wounded. He came home later, and the welcome home celebrations were all over. Let's join in and give this Marine his just WELCOME HOME !.. And if you will stop by the Roane County School Board Office, show ID that you are a senior citizen, you can get a pass for the sporting events in Roane County School System.( And it will keep you from standing in line.) Pelea Meador called me a couple of days ago, thought I was ill since no column is being published in the Rockwood Times. Pelea is like so many others, no computer but what can I say? Keep the emails coming in, soon another "Rockwood Memories" book will be on the way to the printers and I would love to include YOUR email..

Until next week, Ray