Interview with Mr. Harvey T. Howard

By: Malorie Howard

 

 

 

I, Malorie Howard, interviewed my grandfather, Mr. Harvey T. Howard this summer about the things that had changed in Granville County since he was a child.

 

 

Questions

 

When did you move to Catherige?

We moved to Catherige in the fall of 1958.

 

Did you like it?

I loved Catherige it was beautiful, the climate was beautiful. The only dislike was at the time of the peach crop you just had swarms and swarms of nets which were hard to deal with especially in the classrooms when you didn’t have air conditioning you had windows open and had to fight nets all the time during class.

 

Had a lot of things changed when you moved back to Oxford?

Not that many. We did not have integration of the school even in the political arena the police force and all of that this was just getting to a token of integration. But where I was and what I came back to was basically the same. In the south most of it was basically the same.

 

Were the bus stations, train stations, and restaurants still segregated?

They were still the same.

What ere the gas prices like?

In traveling back and forth it was 100 miles from here to Catherige. Creedmoore was in gas wars, price wars. We would put enough gas in basically to get to Creedmoore. It was even 36, 38 cents a gallon down in Catherige. But we get to Creedmoore we could fill up for 20, 23, 25 cents a gallon. So I would get enough to use while I’m at home and then when we leave going back we’d fill up and carry al we could carry back.

 

Where cars made out of real metal?

They were basically made out of real stuff. If you hit something you bent it p. If you hit something now you break it up. Cars don’t bend up badly now they break up.

 

Did cars have Air Conditioning?

I didn’t have one there may have some cars with one. With one son traveling and things we had to keep the windows down hoping they wouldn’t crawl out the back window because you did not have seatbelts at that time.

 

Do you remember the T-Model Ford?

I remember the T-Model Ford. My father had one. We cranked it with a crank handle. You reached over the bumper and turn it and crank it up.

 

Would you like to name a few of the cars you owned?

I had a 1957 Chevrolet; I had a 1954 Oldsmobile, a 1956 Dodge Truck, a 1973 Buick, a 1965 Buick, a 1960 Ford Truck, a 1988 Chevrolet, a 1958 Oldsmobile, a 1992Cadillac, and a 1999 Honda.

 

Now since you are retired what are some of your hobbies?

One of my hobbies is keeping my driving record clean. I’ve never had a traffic ticket since I’ve been driving I’ve been driving since I was 16. Trying to keep it because it saves me money on my car insurance. My hobbies are general. I like to work in the garden at the house, the fruit trees and occasionally like to fish. My wife like to travel more than I do but I’m one that when I’m traveling, when I get back and I see Granville County or Oxford I think that’s one of the prettiest signs I can see and I’m still athletically inclined and do a lot of civic work and I consider that a hobby too. I guess teaching in some form will always be with me. Because wherever I go or whatever I’m doing there tends to be something that I feel I can lend a hand and help out.