Elbert Dean Jr., best man
at best friend Dwain Jones' wedding.
Graduating from Merkel High School in 1947,
both attended Draughon's Business College, Abilene.
(Bride Mona Faye Roberts,
Maid of Honor "Dinky" Roberts, Mona's cousin)
While they attended Draughon's Business College in Abilene, both waited tables at Luby's Cafe. Dad remembers hearing a great crash. While wiping, Dwain had pulled the tub of dishes too far off the table and onto the floor. When Dwain told the story, he remembered the roles reversed: Dwain hearing a great crash as Dad pulled the dishes off the table.
One Saturday evening, Dad and Dwain attended the movies. Parking places were scarce except for a couple under some trees. After the movies, the friends found out why those places had been vacant. Pigeons had roosted and covered their car with "pigeon poop." Hearing the splatters like driving rain, they got "dinged" plenty just getting into their car."
One dark winter night, returning to Merkel in their old car with neither heater nor defrost, dad held a candle to the windshield to melt the ice, so Dwain could see to drive.
Elbert and I were like brothers when we were living together, going to college, and working at Luby's Cafeteria. We also worked in yards after school or any other job we could get so we could survive. We lived in that upstairs apartment (you might call us that hole in the wall gang), one regular size bed, one small size fold down table, and a curtain around one corner was the bath. The other corner of the room was a small cook stove on a small table. In the back on each side of the bed we had nails to hang our clothes on. I can't remember how we took a bath. Maybe that is why people stayed away from us. (from a letter by Dwain)
I would go get the groceries most of the time, Elbert did most of the cooking, and I cleaned up afterwards. One time we were down to our last dime, and Elbert said, "If you will go get a quart of milk, I will make some gravy, and we will have beans and gravy." I went to the nearest store and got a quart of milk. Elbert made a gravy, and he said this gravy doesn't look right. I had picked up a quart of buttermilk, and neither of us had noticed. When you are hungry, red beans, and buttermilk gravy taste good. (from a letter by Dwain) "