Growing Up In Pendleton SC - Jeanie Sims Hunt

All the little girls in town knew where to buy their Sunday dresses. Roper's Children's Shop had everything needed to outfit a child of any age, complete with adorable Easter dresses, hats, and personal gift wrapping for all baby gifts. I loved to go there.

The sisters always took pride in their shop and an interest in every child that walked into the door. I would stand at their counter and watch as they wrapped gifts, curling the ribbon just right. I still love to wrap my
gifts in the same way I learned by watching them so many year s ago.

During my elementary years, I attended Pendleton Elementary School where Miss Frances O'Dell was the Principal. She ran the school strictly, seeing that we learned appropriate behavior as well as receiving an education. In later years, I realized just how much she loved all of us and how much she influenced my abilities.

At the age of fifteen, I received my first formal job at Welborn's Department Store located on the square. Mr. Welborn taught me the service of others in the business world, how to count change properly, and to sell by suggestion of other needs. He and his wife always showed their pride in me even after I was grown with children of my own.

One of my favorite places on a hot, summer afternoon was at Evan's Drug Store, which also housed a delicious soda fountain. There was always a welcoming smile, giving the feeling that you were a favored guest, not just a customer. I can still see John Evans, Sr. behind the pharmacy counter, later his son and grandson standing in the same place. Mary Lou Evans, Mrs. C.C. Nicely, and Edith Newton stand before my memory's eye along with Martha Sue Dobson. It was a building filled with family and friends.

In the center of the square under the shade of the trees was a small building that housed our Public Library where Helen George could always be found. She was a cheerful person who loved the children of our town and loved books. There I learned to appreciate her books, time and time again.

As I traveled through my teen years, my Sunday School teacher and Girl's Auxiliary leader, Elsie Harris, became my mentor, companion, and friend. The love and friendship between us lasted until her death in 2008. I will always cherish her memory with all my heart.

Photo: Jeanie Sims at 11 years of age

By the 60s, though there was only one doctor's office in town, there were two doctors on duty, Dr. Charles Griffin and Dr. James Hellams. You could always find Nurse Jet Campbell available with a wonderful smile coupled with an infectious laugh that always made you feel better even before the doctor entered the room.

Across Queen Street from the Elementary School was the Episcopal Church, standing since the time of the Civil War. As a child, our class would take tours of the old church lead by Louise Hunter. Her mind was filled with information about the church and the grounds. Walking through the cemetery, you would run across gravestones dating back to our own history books with stories of John C. Calhoun and others who contributed to the building of the church in 1822. The history found in this small location was amazing.

Looking down the street of the old square, you would have seen Pendleton Tire Company owned by the Gambrells, the beauty shop run by Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Baker, Peanut Mullikin's Barber Shop, Pendleton Dry Cleaners, Tommy Holbrooks Sho e Repair Shop, Campbell Insurance Agency, Brown's Five and Dime, and Carolina National Bank. There was Hunter's Store where you could always find Punch and Junebug Hunter ready with a helping hand. On the far side of the square was Jimmy Smith's Esso Station and Miles and Crenshaws Café owned by Doc Crenshaw and Jim Miles. And just down the street from the square, in walking distance, you could have seen a wonderful little supermarket once owned by J.C. Giles.

When remembering my childhood, so many people attack my vision. It would be impossible to name them all in one short muse, though they all deserve recognition.

Photo: Jeanie Sims at 17 years

When I revisit this beautiful place, so many of the wonderful old buildings have been preserved to help remind us of a quieter time when each day was cherished. It was a time when our children were our most prized possessions. It was a place to grow up in ways children today can never know. The old ways are slowly fading along with the memories and most of the people to whom I owe so much are gone from this earth. I find it sad to think with their passing so is the life I once knew and I mourn the loss. And I mourn the youth of today for their never having known it.

Truly, it does take a village to raise a child and it takes such a child to look back and appreciate my great fortune in having experienced it so many years ago in my little South Carolina town of Pendleton.

Photo: Jeanie Sims age 20 graduate of Forrest Business College

Jeanie, as I will always call her, now lives in Florida but returns to Pendleton SC for family visits as often as she can.

The back of her book cover states that "Eugenia is a retired Accountant/Credit Manager and former foster mother with the state of Florida. Eugenia did not begin writing until the age of 26, when her first child was born. Since then, she has found it to be a great pleasure and release of emotion, as well as a testimony of her faith in God."

Jeanie and her husband, Bill, have five grown children, four grandsons, and one granddaughter.