50 Years
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The 1950s ... ..
Early in the decade the Korean War was in progress less than ten years
after WWII ended. Veterans who fought in Asia and Europe, put their lives on track
and began the biggest economic boom ever seen.
In 1952 my mom and dad built a modest two bedroom, one bath house in Levittown,
Pa for $9,000.00. They eventually added on and made it a nice home. Looking back
I remember watching The Ed Sullivan Show, I Love Lucy, and of course Band Stand
with Dick Clark live from Philadelphia. Of course for a six year old boy my “on
screen” heroes were men like Hop Along Cassidy, and Roy Rogers.
In the beginning of the decade I remember singers like Doris Day, Kate
Smith, and Vaughn Monroe. Big Band music was still strong but fading from popularity.
Time marched on and by the end of the decade things were not quite the same. In
the late fifties the popular TV shows were Rifleman, Lawrence Welk, The George Goeble
Show. Hollywood produced new faces like Debbie Reynolds, Marlon Brando, and Paul
Newman.
And the changes kept changing.
The music industry saw the most dramatic transformation. Dancing went from the Fox
Trot to the Twist. Singers like Fats Domino, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis
exploded onto the scene. Soon to follow would be The Four Tops and The Supremes.
Every age has its’ icons though. In the mid fifties two men began careers
that still have an impact today. I’m writing of course about Elvis and Sid Higginbotham.
Fifty years is a long time. What makes Sids' career even more impressive is that
success didn’t change who he is. Sid is an honest man, treats
people fairly and cares that people who buy his homes get true value for their investment.
As
his fiftieth year in business approached I realized we had to do something special
for him. So the idea of a “cook out” was hatched (believe me a black tie gala never
entered my mind). We were able to secure the amenity center at Eagle Landing. Guests
included employees, realtors, sub-contractors, lenders, family and friends. It was
these friends that gave the congregation “flavor”.
Also in attendance were fellow retired firemen from the time Sid was on the Force, and
high school buddies that have stayed close to Sid all these years.
During the planning of this event I visualized the events of the day. I knew it
would be special. I did not visualize though (and what made it a very special day)
was how much the guests added to the atmosphere of the event. It ended up being
a wonderful event because it was attended by a lot of nice people.
At one of our sales meetings it was decided to present Sid with a plaque with on of his old hammers mounted to it.
It was Rogers
Higginbothams’ job to find a hammer. A few weeks later he called to say he found
one in his own garage that his son Kyle had commandeered at age ten (he’s now 17)
for his own use.
Roger
apologetically said that Kyle had emblazoned it with his own nickname, “Higgie”.
I told Roger it could not have been more perfect.
In addition to that presentation I thought it would be nice to have some entertainment
for the guests. Who better than someone who also has had a career spanning fifty
years. I’m speaking of course of the aforementioned Elvis. For the purpose of surprise,
his appearance was unknown to all but a very few.
With
music provided by DJ (and Eagle Landing Realtor) Chill Hotchkiss, Elvis entered
the stage to the delight of all. He (Rick Morano of Jacksonville) performed for
approximately 40 minutes and stayed for photos for as long as it took. His performance
was terrific, outdone though by who else but Sid himself with his karaoke performance
of David Allan Coes' hit "You Never Even Call Me By My Name".
It was a great event attended by really nice people in honor of a wonderful man.
Bill Sekeres