I had an opportunity to get back down South and I took it and made a move to Cary, North Carolina.
Courtesy of The Friends of Page-Walker Hotel & Town of Cary | HDIngles.com
Here’s how it happened:
In late June of 1968, my family and I moved from Poughkeepsie, New York to Raleigh, North Carolina.
My wife, Carolyn, and I didn’t own a house in New York and we rented a small duplex in Raleigh. It was a bit cramped but adequate.
My younger daughter, Laura, had her first birthday there, on July 14th. Lisa turned seven on July 25th.
Buying a House
Note: The Dollar was of much more value in 1968.
Carolyn and I discussed buying our first house but it was a big move to make. At the time, we weren’t exactly what you would call flush.
Somewhere around September, we decided to look for a house.
We decided to look at homes in the $16,000 range. That didn’t work out.
We decided to look at homes in the $18,000 range. That didn’t work out.
Then, hell, let’s go $19,000.
A salesman showed us a place in north Raleigh. It was close but no cigar.
The salesman said, “I have a house in Cary which is slightly larger and it may be what you are looking for. Are you willing to go $20,000?”
I hesitated and then said, “Show us.”
He took us to Cary.
The house was in the middle of the block. The street itself was only a block long, intersecting with a street at either end.
A nice little neighborhood on a beautiful little street. Trees all over the place.
The house was a bit over 1,600 square feet and sitting on 1/3 acre. Three bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, and den with a fireplace.
And the master bedroom actually had a bathroom. We had never had that before.
It was a two block walk to Briarcliff Elementary School.
In other words, we were hooked. We signed the papers. I had a GI loan for a bit over $20,000.
Twenty grand was a lot of money. Carolyn and I spent the entire evening after we signed wondering if we had made a mistake.
In October, we moved in. And, as it turned out, we hadn’t made a mistake.
An Immediate Serious Problem
Something always seems to pop up, doesn’t it?
In mid-October, we hadn’t been in the house very long when Laura, my one-year-old, became seriously ill.
There were two doctors in Cary. Both seemed to have good marks. Dr. Thompson was close to retirement and I had a young family so we went to Dr. Thomas, a much younger man.
By the way, we stayed with Dr. Thomas until he retired in the early 2000s.
I went downtown to Ashworth Drugs where I had my first prescription in Cary filled. After 53 years, I still use Ashworth Drugs.
For Laura, things became worse and she ended up in Rex Hospital in Raleigh.
Because Laura was only a one-year-old, Carolyn was obliged to stay at the hospital with her. If I remember correctly, five nights.
One of those nights was Halloween. I remember taking Lisa to the hospital with me and, on the way home, stopping at a Burger King in Raleigh. I then took Lisa home and got her ready for “trick or treat.” We walked around the neighborhood.
Laura recovered and things went back to normal.
One thing I will always remember is that between moving and Laura’s illness, I forgot to register to vote. In 1960, I was 21 and it was the first time I voted. To this day, 1968 was the only time I didn’t vote.
Living In Cary
For my family, although money wasn’t abundant, we were the happy family you see on television.
Carolyn quickly made a few friends.
There were quite a few children on our street and Lisa was as happy as a lark.
In back of the houses across the street, there was a small creek, maybe a foot or two wide. Of course it was heavily wooded. It was a perfect place for children to play.
Our little street wasn’t busy at all and the children played kick the can or some such in the street.
Ashworth Drugs had a lunch counter, which is still there. You know, a drugstore soda fountain, which you don’t see much anymore. It was a good place to grab a bite of lunch and talk with people. It still is.
There is another small town not too far away, Fuquay-Varina. When we moved to Cary, the only bank in town was The Cary Branch Bank of Fuquay-Varina. It was a nice little bank. I shall always remember the older gentleman who was in charge there. If I remember correctly, his name was Mr. Lawrence. At one time, I needed some short-term cash and I made a 90-day loan against some shares of IBM stock. Well, I was busy and the time passed quickly. In other words, I saw Mr. Lawrence on day 91 or 92. I shall never forget what he said to me, “Mr. Ingles, I wouldn’t sell that stock out from under you.”
That attitude was the general attitude of Cary.
If Carolyn went to the A&P and needed some extra cash when she wrote the check, they gave her the money. No ID required and no questions asked.
In other words, all of the advantages of a small town outweighed the disadvantage of having to drive into Raleigh for things not available in Cary.
What I am telling you is that I found a perfect place to live and a perfect place to raise my two girls.
Today, 2021
My younger daughter, Laura, is married and lives in Morrisville, only a few miles from Cary. Morrisville is another town which, like Cary, has grown quite a bit since 1968.
My older daughter, Lisa, and her husband, Don, live in Cary and own an auto repair shop, Frantz Automotive, in Cary. By the way, my son-in-law, Don, is a member of the Cary Town Council.
I have nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, all of whom live in the area.
My wife of 53 years, Carolyn, died in Cary in 2017.
I am 82 years old and I still live in Cary, and I am quite sure I will die in Cary.
