Grady Patterson grew up as a small-town boy in Wake Forest in the 1930s and '40s. His family was variously connected to Wake Forest College, as it was known at that time. His grandfather, James L. Lake, was a physics professor. His great-grandfather, Rev. Isaac Lake, was selected to be president of the college but passed on the job when his Virginia church congregation just could not let him go. His father, Grady Patterson, was the registrar and director of admissions.
Grady remembered Wake Forest at that time as a "self-help school for the sons of Baptist ministers" who were required to bring two farm implements like shovels or hoes because half of each day was spent in manual labor, raising crops.
You will enjoy reading Grady's article from the Wake Forest Gazette as he reminisces about large block ice deliveries, the hand-cranked "Central" phone system, moving pictures, soda shops, and other small-town joys and pastimes.
Read Grady's article here - Just a little history: Wake Forest in the 1930s and 1940s
If you love Grady's reminiscences and want more, they were turned in to a series by the Wake Forest Gazette. You will find links to the full series here.
If you love Grady's reminiscences and want more, they were turned in to a series by the Wake Forest Gazette. You will find links to the full series here.
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