Elbert with Butch,
Carson's Grocery, Merkel, Texas.
About age 14, Dad began working for Carson's Grocery, Merkel. "Butch" taught Dad to butcher and display meat. Also, by 14, Dad regularly drove a truck to Abilene to pick up a side of beef. Dad worked for Carson's through graduation from Draughon's Business College at age 19, when he went to work for an oil company in Midland.
After he moved to Colorado City, Dad cut meat for Ben Elliot at his grocery store on the corner of Hickory and 12th. In typical fashion, Dad prided himself on cutting the meat so that no bone dust could be seen. Ben often complimented Dad on how nice the display looked.
After he moved to Sterling, Dad would cut meat for a grocery store on 5th Avenue while the regular butcher was on vacation.