Elbert and Dwain's apartment,
2225 S. 2nd Street
Draughon's Business College,
South 1st Street, 2nd floor
Elbert Dean Sr. wanted his son to go to college; they compromised: Dad attended Draughon's Business College. To attend Draughon's, Dwain and Elbert rented a room at 2225 S. 2nd Street, second floor, northwest corner room (closest to the viewer). Dad's room included a stove and pull down table. Dad fixed meals on a corner gas stove hidden by a curtain, and Dwain cleaned up and bought groceries. After a meal, they'd study on the pull down table.
Across the hall in a room lived 3 girls, plus 2 girls in 2 rooms each at the other end: 7 girls, 2 guys, and one bathroom. Elbert and Dwain got ready first, or they wouldn't have had a turn at all. Dad and Dwain became good friends with the 3 girls across the hall and enjoyed wiener and marshmallow roasts by a creek about a half mile from the apartment. Dwain says they never got in trouble, just laughed, talked, and had a good time.
Sometimes the two drove to the east side of Abilene to the state school for the mentally handicapped to visit Elbert's dad who worked maintenance for the school. Driving Dwain's 37 Chevy left him by his grandpa, Dwain and Dad often returned to Merkel on weekends to work: Dad at Carson's Grocery, and Dwain for a plumbing company.
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