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Vol. 1 No. 1
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Summer 2007
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The Breakfast Club
The second Wednesday of every month finds a group of men
gathered around a long row of tables at the Harriman Cracker
Barrel. Anyone sitting near the 15-20 men must wonder what
brought this group together for breakfast and fellowship. The bond
that connects each man seated at these tables is the fact that all of
them either graduated from or attended Oakdale High School.
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The most recent "breakfast club" gathering took place June
13, 2007, when 14 regulars got together to enjoy a good
breakfast and to get caught up with some of their high school
buddies.
No one can remember exactly when they began these
get-togethers, but two of the original organizers of these
monthly breakfasts agree this tradition started "about 15
years ago." On this particular morning, those two founding
members were present - Jim Cook (Class of 1956) and Felix
Ooten (Class of 1955). The third founding member, Jack
Worley (Class of 1955) passed away a few years ago.
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Some of the men still live in Oakdale, while others live in Harriman
and Kingston. A couple of the fellows drive over from Knoxville and
rarely miss a breakfast. Of the 14 present on this day, there is
only one from Knoxville while the rest are locally based. The
graduating classes represented by this diverse group of men
range from 1949 to 1957.
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Jim Cook explained that originally the group was quite small,
but as word spread, more and more began to show up as the
years passed. He went on to say that people have come and
gone over these last 15 years, but the number of attendees
during the past ten years has remained between 15-20 each
month.
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When asked, most of the men cannot remember when they
personally started attending - they just know it has been a while.
Not everyone is able to attend each month, but a few never miss -
even when they are not at 100%.
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Those in attendance for the June breakfast included: Bill
Bardill, Robert Brown, Sam Burgess, Jim Cook, Tom Dicken,
Charles Francis, L.G. Headden, Felix Ooten, Jimmy Reynolds,
Paul Scarbrough, O.L. Sharp, Alvin Smith, Benny Stevens, and
Bill Turner.
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The men welcome others to join them as they reminisce their days
in high school and get caught up on their present-day lives.
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Growing Up in Oakdale
Anyone who has spent time in Oakdale always develops a love for
the town that once was. I was just thinking, kids who are under the
age of eight, have only known the new bridge that spans the Emory
River and will never know what it was like to get caught by a train
and have to wait for it to clear the crossing. Thank goodness for
photographs - they can tell the history of the town in ways that no
words can.
By the time my dad was able to move our family to his hometown in
1969, the grand old town of Oakdale was already fading into the
memories of those who had lived there in its heyday.
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The "old school" had burned that previous spring, and a pile of
bricks and twisted chunks of metal and concrete were the
only remnants of a building I only know from photographs.
Southern Railway’s last regularly scheduled passenger trains
passed through town that summer. I will never forget my own
adventures of riding the train from Atlanta to Oakdale on at
least three different occasions.
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Oakdale was still alive with a variety of businesses in the summer
of 1969. There were at least three service stations in town - two at
the top of the hill and one at the end of the bridge. That was the
summer of the big gas war, and a gallon of gas could be purchased
for 19.9¢. The stations were full service so no one had to fill their
own tanks.
I remember Watson’s Dime Store and the musty smell of that old
building, but I loved to go in there. They had every variety of candy
and a bottle Coca Cola was 10¢. Of course, everyday items could
be purchased as well.
Other businesses that I remember include: Tom’s Grocery, Leather’
s Hardware, Russell’s Barber Shop, and the "Y". I even recall
having to see Doc Carr on several occasions.
Not long after moving to Oakdale, the "Y" was torn down when a
brick dormitory was built to accommodate the train crews who
needed a place to spend the night.
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A couple of long-abandoned "railroad houses" were still
standing along with a boarding house. The water tank sat up
on the hill above Hole-in-Wall Bridge, and the railroad turntable
was still in place.
My dad worked for the railroad, just as his dad and brothers
did. Because Dad worked for the railroad, we knew all the
rules about the trains. The first rule was never, ever cross the
tracks with an oncoming train, and the second rule was never,
ever play in the tunnels. A third rule was never climb between
the cars of a train no matter what.
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Even though the trains could be bothersome - like when you
needed to get across the river and there was a train just sitting
there blocking the crossing - the trains became my security
blanket. If I awoke in the middle of the night scared from a bad
dream, I would listen for a train to come through and take those
fears away. In no time, I would hear the feint whistle of the engine
as it approached the town, and the clackity-clack of the wheels on
the tracks was the lullaby that guided me back to sleep.
That was never so true on the night my dad passed away. I
remember every train that came through town that night. Word had
already spread up and down the railroad lines that my dad had died
in an accident at our home. As each train approached the town, I
heard a low, mournful whistle that only began to fade as the train
left Oakdale for parts unknown. Although it was probably my
imagination, I firmly believe that each engineer was paying respect
to my dad.
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I have been gone from Oakdale for almost four years after
having spent the previous 34 years in a house that was next
door to where my dad was born and lived out his childhood
adventures.
Today, when people ask me where I live, it is so hard for me to
say "Harriman." Oakdale was part of me for more than half
my life, and it will always be in my heart.
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Having recently taken an early "retirement" from my teaching job, a
former teacher and close friend, Vera Scarbrough (Oakdale High
Class of 1962), has wanted me to help her with some "Oakdale
projects." We have talked about creating a history center at the
city hall so that each new generation who grows up to call Oakdale
home will know why it is such a special place. Vera also asked me
to come up with some ideas of my own. This newsletter is one of
those ideas.
With this newsletter, I want to help keep the memories of Oakdale
alive by providing an outlet for people to share their stories with
others. I want to publish the newsletter four times a year,
depending on the response to this first edition.
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Anyone who would like to share a story or just share some
"Remember Whens", please do. However, this newsletter will
not be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service. It will be
accessible online at www.oakdale-eagles.org.
To be placed on the email list and to share stories for the
newsletter, send an email to
headdenr121@oakdale-eagles.org . You may also email
digital photos that you would like to share. I look forward to
reading your stories and know others will too.
Regina Headden, Class of 1980
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