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"Bill was Augusta to me."
William M. and Ina Crawford - Bill Crawford was a fixture in Augusta
when I was a boy. He operated "Crawford's Store" on the square and
lived directly across the street in the home that is now going to
rack and ruin. Bill always kept his store and his home in
excellent condition and it pains me to see both places going down
the tube.
Bill's store was large and well kept. He always had a unlighted
cigar in his mouth. In fact I never saw the cigar lit, but his bald
head and his unlighted cigar will always be remembered by me.
Ina, his wife, I never knew very well. His daughter, Vera, was
younger than I and for that reason was relatively unimportant.
I'll always remember the large steam radiator in the store that felt
good to lean against when the weather was cold and we were just
standing around entertaining each other. Bill was Augusta to
me.
I took Pauline over to Crawfords on many occasions and treated her
to a sumptuous offering of pop (in the bottle) and ice cream, both
costing me the expensive sum of 15 cents each. I was generous
in those days and I'll always remember Crawford's store with a warm
spot in my heart. Sad to see it in disrepair. In front were the gas
pumps. A busy place. Bill Sheckler was a fixture in that
store but I'll probably
get to his name later.
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