Clyde’s Corner: ‘Things that once were, but are no more’
by Clyde Whitaker
Hello again, everyone! I just wanted to start off my column for May by saying how appreciative I am when you tell me how much you enjoy my stories. It means a lot to me and it keeps me going, thank you!
A lot of times when thinking about my next column, I will pull out my old high school scrapbook and look for some ideas. So for my May column, I will be writing about things from the past as I recall them, while including a few photos taken from The Town Crier newspaper, dated Feb. 28, 1973. The Town Crier was owned and operated by Charlotte and Bob Camp. They did a terrific job covering the events of our small community in the weekly newspaper.
On the front page of this issue were two of my friends from school, Tim Diefenthaler and Chuck Vizthum. Both were nominated to the military academies, Tim to the Air Force Academy and Chuck to both the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy. Not bad for two small-town boys from Stockbridge.
Believe it or not, we had two car dealerships operating in Stockbridge, Bob’s Ford and C.W. Glenn and Sons. Meanwhile in Munith, we had H & F Sales & Service selling cars as well. George Freiermuth was a local salesperson for H & F.
Bob Leatherberry was the owner of Bob’s Ford in Stockbridge. He was another great community leader. Herb Dickinson was one of the salespeople for Bob’s Ford, and he was good at it. When my dad was shopping for cars, he always got in touch with Herb. Herb knew if he brought a car out to the house and left it overnight, my dad would fall in love with it and buy it, which he usually did!
C.W. Glenn & Sons was started in Stockbridge by local community leader Caspar Glenn and later managed by David Glenn. Sadly, as most everyone knows, all three dealerships are no longer in operation.
Stockbridge was blessed to have two grocery stores in 1973, Spadafore’s and Ransom’s. Gregory had Munsell’s grocery store, owned and operated by Harlow Munsell, with his son Bob running the store.
Spadafore’s was downtown and owned by Paul and Frank Spadafore. I was lucky enough to work there after school and our sport practices. They let me drink citrus drinks and make myself a sandwich from the deli, usually turkey! Such nice people to work for; it was a fun place.
The Ransom’s grocery store was located on the outskirts of town and was owned and operated by John and Leona Ransom, two of the nicest people you could ever meet. They were always at the store, and John always had a sports story to tell. They loved Stockbridge.
A local hangout we all loved was The Panther Queen. Good food and ice cream, a great place to meet up with friends. As a matter of fact, this was my first trip when I could drive by myself from home in Dad’s old red 1964 Ford Ranchero.
Fran’s Dress Shoppe was located on the town square and was visited by the ladies in town, saving them trips to either Lansing or Jackson. Sadly, I never got a chance to shop in there, just walking on the sidewalk with a peek inside, ha ha.
Real estate companies were successful in the area as well. One of the more prominent realty companies was the Bowdish Real Estate Company. This was owned and operated by Lyle and Evelyn Bowdish, really nice people.
Finally, those of us around in 1973 fondly remember the Price Brothers Auctioneers, operated by Maurice, Robert and Richard. It was always a treat when you could attend one of their auctions. I just liked to go to hear Maurice call out the cadence.
A funny little story concerning Maurice: He lived down the road from me, and my boys hunted on his property. Well one day he called me saying “I got a darn squirrel in my upstairs bedroom, could you come and take care of it?” Of course I called my boys and we went down there. Slowly creeping up the stairs, there he was! A big fox squirrel running around the bedroom.
I told Maurice that there might be some .22 holes in the walls from the misses, but he didn’t care. “Just get that squirrel,” he said. My boys are good hunters and the squirrel was soon retired, with minimal holes in the wall. Maurice was so grateful!
Hopefully you have enjoyed another trip down memory lane. For me, these are the best kind of trips.
Take care of each other and hopefully we can do this again next month.
All photos provided by Clyde Whitaker, from the Feb. 28, 1973, edition of The Town Crier newspaper.
Clyde Whitaker is a 1973 Stockbridge graduate. He and his wife, Mary, raised four children in Stockbridge, and they still reside in the Stockbridge area.
A list of items to be sold at an auction handled by Price Brothers auctioneers. Columnist Clyde Whitaker liked to attend the auctions just to hear Maurice Price call out the cadence.
Lyle and Evelyn Bowdish, owners of Bowdish Real Estate in Stockbridge, found the real estate business was booming in the area in 1973.
In 1973, The Panther Queen advertised that it was under new management. According to columnist Clyde Whitaker, this was a local hangout teens loved for its good food and ice cream.
Fran’s Dress Shoppe saved local women a trip to Jackson or Lansing to buy clothing.
Tim Diefenthaler and Chuck Vizthum were pictured on the front page of The Town Crier’s Feb. 28, 1973, edition with a story about their nominations to military academies. The two were school friends of columnist Clyde Whitaker.
Advertisement for Bob’s Ford, which was one of two car dealerships in Stockbridge in 1973. Bob Leatherberry was the owner of the dealership.
C.W. Glenn & Sons was located on Clinton Street and started by community leader Caspar Glenn; C.W. and Sons was one of two car dealerships in Stockbridge in 1973.
H & F Sales & Service was a car dealership located on Main Street in Munith. George Freiermuth was a local salesperson.
Spadafore’s grocery store was in downtown Stockbridge. Columnist Clyde Whitaker has fond memories of working there after school and sports practices.
Ransom’s grocery store details its sales items in this advertisement. In 1973, Ransom’s was located on the outskirts of Stockbridge and operated by John and Leona Ransom.
