The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 1980 Page: 3 of 16
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After 50 years he's still in service
Thursday. May IS. 1980
I UK BASTROP ADVKKTISKK
Page 3
Oren Eskew in younger days when Exxon was still Humble
Gasoline was nine cents a
gallon (plus three cents tax)
on May 10, 1930 when Oren
Kskew opened his gas
station at Chestnut ami
Main.
Fifty years later, fueled by
the extortion of the OPEC
producers, gasoline has
skyrocketed in price but just
about everything else about
Oren Kskew remains the
same.
Trim and wiry at age 73,
he's on a first name basis
with half the people ol
Bastrop. “I've always loved
to give good service that's
why I’m still in the service
station business," he says
with pride.
Last Saturday Kskew
completed 50 years as a
Humble Exxon dealer. In an
age of high labor turnover,
Kskew also points with pride
to three of his workers:
"Kfram Dominquez has been
with me 20 years, Wiley
MacDonald 15 years and Neil
Haywood all his life, starting
on our farm."
SI RV IVED
Kskew also operated two
cotton gins in Bastrop, was a
prisoner of war of the
Germans during World War
II and has survived robber
ies and a had explosion at his
si at ions.
His wife Belle, to whom he
will have been married 50
years come July, tries to get
him to retire or at least take
a long vacation, but he won’t. 1
"When I got back from the
war I was so glad to see
Bastrop that I said I’d never
leave home again. There’s
no place like home," he said.
He does concede that he
enjoys horse racing and he
has to go to Louisiana to
watch thoroughbreds com
pete and place a small bet.
He had open heart surgery
two and one half years ago
but has the alertness and
energy of a man who’s 30.
"One doctor told me, ’quit
working or you won't live.'
A second one said, ’Quit
working and you won’t live.’
So I took the advice I like the
best and am still here."
He also raises cattle at
Watterson.
The son of Henry and
Mary Watterson Eskew, and
a descendant of an old
Bastrop County family,
Eskew had four brothers and
five sisters. Of these. Dave
and Vernon survive plus
County Commissioner Wil-
ma Wiley and Mrs. Hugo
Walter of Fredricksburg.
He’s linked to numerous
other local residents bv
blood and marriage, such as
Sully Simpson, Bryan Sun-
ders and Bryan Whitten.
STARTING OUT
Eskew had seven hand
pumps when he opened his
downtown station. "It was
the second station in
Bastrop. There was
Maynard's Mobil where the
Post Office now stands plus a
pump in front of the Erhard
Hardware and Ortz’ Gar
age." Today there are
around 15 places to buy
gasoline in Bastrop. “And I
sell more in one day now
than I did in a month then,"
Eskew says.
"I usually gave school boys
a job after school. Every boy
who worked for me turned
out good in life,” says
Eskew. "Every one. Some
became doctors. They
included Dr. Gordon Bryson,
now in Corpus Christi,
Robert E. Jenkins, Sonny
Perkins, Charles Allen, Gene
Schaefer, Suger Sanders and
many others. I never had a
misunderstanding with one
of the boys."
After he joined the Army
during World War II, Belle
ran his station and continued
to do so for 25 years. “She
was in competition with me,”
he laughed. • Sixteen years
ago, when Highway 71
moved, Humble opened a
station and Eskew took over.
Juan Castillo now has the
old station at Chestnut and
Main.
Kragh new
Lions head
Roy Kragh was elected
Tuesday as president ol the
Bastrop Lions Club for the
1980 81 term. He xurrccdx
P.J. Jolly.
Nolan E. Raney was
elected first vice president,
Judge Jack A. Griescnbcrk.
second vice president and
Gary Sell iff, third vice
president.
G.M. Blackman will be
secretary, STeve Rivers,
treasurer and Allen Kskew
tail twister. Jack Davis will
be the lion tamer.
Named to the Board ol
Directors were: M L. Die
ball, one year director. J.W.
Cottle, two year director and
Curtis Sanders, two year
director.
Reunion
planners
to meet
Planners of the June 19 22
Emile School Reunion in
Bastrop will meet Monday
night, May 19 at the Bastrop
County Courthouse at 7:30
p.m. to "tie the ends
together for the reunion,"
according to one ol the
organizers, T.C. Franklin.
The committee is working
on a souvenir book and a fee
schedule for events. A
membership of $25 will
admit each person to many
separate events, including a
city tour, picnic, part ies and
memorial service. Entrance
can also be by $5 per ev out.
$2.50 for children, according
to the committee.
The commit I ee on ads and
patron’s list will be v isiting
Bastrop area merchants and
residents to sell space in the
reunion souvenir book.
"Wo need your help in
making tax exempt dona
tions and buying advertising
space to help meet expenses
of the reunion," said
Franklin. “The money or
donations should be for
warded to Kirov William .,
the bonded treasurer, at Rl.
1 Box 15, Cedar Creek, TX
78612," he said
Ladies set
May 20 lunch
The Ladies Luncheon for
May will be held Tuesday,
May 20 at Pine Forest Inn &
Racquet Club at 12:30 PM.
Reservations should be
made with Ernestine Zinn at
321 3815 or Ruth Moncure at
321 6421.
Lost Pines
Printing Company
Is a Full-Service Printing Company
★ Typesetting and original art layout
★ Color work
★ Carbonless business forms
★ Snap-out forms
★ Restaurant guest checks
★ Social and business stationary
★ Wedding invitations
★ Menus
★ And all your personal and business
printing needs
Hwy. 71 * Smithville
237-4117
retail'1 has the
“YOUR GRAD WILL LOVE
Watches-Rings-Pendants
Chains-Earrings
Billfolds
Don’t Forget
Bastrop Junior High Graduation May 30
Bastrop High School Graduation May 30
Smithville Junior High Graduation May 22
Smithville High School Graduation May 23
m
JEWELERS
Trust him who is skilled in his art."
Main Street • Bastrop
V/S4’
°«J
Oren Eskew still gives same service he perfected 50 years ago.
Eskew helped Lyndon
Johnson campaign for Con
gressand LBJ never forgot.
After Eskew was captured
during the Battle of the
Bulge, Johnson would find
out where he was each time
the Germans moved him
and notify Belle he was OK.
COTTON DAYS
For around 25 years,
Eskew ran Bastrop cotton
gins, the* old Goodman Gin
Co. square bale gin for
around 18 years and th«C
round bale gin, still standing
in ruin behind Long’s Starf
Mart, for about eight years, f
He says the nicest thing?
about still being at work is*
“seeing customers I’ve had*
for 50 years when they come;
through, from all over.” |
And unlike some, he has a*
good word for the
companies.
"Did you know it cost?
them a dollar a gallon? £
That’s before they refine it,'
put in additives and deliver
it. Crude is $1 a gallon when
it comes out of the ground.”
Girls league
starting
This year’s Girls Little
League softball play will be
organized Monday, May 19
when parents “and all
interested adults" meet at 7
p.m. at the home of Phyllis
Tadlock, 608 Magnolia St. in
Bastrop.
A sign up of players will
he held Tuesday, May 20 at 7
p.m. at Mrs. Tadlock's home.
Girls age 7 to 12 are
eligible to play. Information
is available by calling
3215774.
&
VISA
DISCOUNT PHARMACY
112 HIGHWAY 71 WEST
BASTROP, TX
321-2551
TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THESE...
Savings
MYCITRACIN
triple antibiotic
First Aid Ointment
Soothing Doer Not Sting
BURNS
NICKS
CUTS
SCHAPCS
SCRATCHES
SCUFFS
abrasions
FIRST AID
OINTMENT
1/2 oz.
Mycitracin
First Aid Ointment
$1.39
DESENEX
SPRAY POWDER
FOR RELIEF
AND PREVENTION
OF ATHLETE'S FOOT
2.7 oz.
$2.13
EXTRA STRENGTH
DEXATRIM
APPETITE
CONTROL CAPSULE
AND
d,et plan
20 capsules
$3.39
GERITOL
HIGH POTENCY
IRON AND VITAMIN
TONIC
100 tablets
$4.88
CORRECTOL
Tne
W°rnan .
Gen",?ve - tx
I ^*5$
mofu /
THE WOMAN'S
GENTLE LAXATIVE
30 tablets
$1.69
OS-CAL
SUPPLEMENTAL
CALCIUM
WITH VITAMIN D
100 tablets
$3.29
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McAuley, Davis. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 1980, newspaper, May 15, 1980; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth737303/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed June 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Bastrop Public Library.