Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (Austin: safe, rail)

[Vector28]

Originally Posted by ged_782

Henry B was leaving Earl Abel's, along with some other individuals that were dining with him. Henry walked by a table on his way out where another diner and his companion recognized the congressman, and made a comment to his companion about Gonzales being a "communist", in his opinion.

When they got out to the parking lot, one of the members of Gonzales' party asked him if he heard the derogatory comment the other diner in the restaurant made of him when he walked by his table. Gonzales didn't hear it, but asked his companion to walk him back inside the restaurant and point out who called him that.

Gonzales confronted the man, and asked if he referred to him (Gonzales) as a communist. The man said yes, he did. Gonzales then punched the man.

What a difference time makes. Call a democrat a communist now and they would just shrug it off.
I believe HBG was also responsible for keeping Kelly AFB active as long as it was. Through relatives that were near top level, both military and civilian, I was aware of the Air Force's desire to close the base - the least efficient in the system - years before it became a news item.

[E. Campbell]

Steubing's was on the corner of Porter and Piedmont, I'm pretty sure. It appears to be a vacant lot now. It was a two-story building with the Steubing's living upstairs. I visited them several years after leaving San Antonio for college and found Buck and Vastine (the son) then in the printing business of some kind.

[E. Campbell]

The name Donnegan's Drug Store does not ring a bell at all, but I guess that could have been the name. The Winn's store was definitely in that strip center, along with a Staffels Feed Store and a barber shop. The center north of the Katy track was not there at the time. I could be mistaken about Donnegan's because Seibert's was first located on Gevers at Denver Blvd. next to an A&P, and later moved to the center you are talking about. This was during the 1940s. One Highland Park teacher I can remember was Mrs. Hunt in the 5th grade. She used to put her ring on her knuckle and pop me on the head if I was talking. I think Mrs. Burnett taught the 4th grade. We would ride the bus down Rigsby to the Highland Theatre for a double feature, previews, cartoons and newsreels from the war. It cost 10 cents. When I went to Page, I visited the Boys Club often. At first, it was next door (or maybe a door or two down) to the Highland Theater. You probably don't remember Peck Ave. since it was completely taken for the route of I-10. This would have been about 1953.

[E. Campbell]

The more I think about it with my aging mind, the drugstore on the corner of Drexel and New Braunfels was a Rexall, maybe Sommers. The Donnagan's must have bought them out. I was a number of years ahead of you. I feel sure that the Seibert's would not have moved twice. As a side note, my father had died in 1938 and my mother went to work for USAA to support the kids - I was the youngest. When I would be sick and have to stay at home, I could call Seibert's and order a sandwich and a milkshake which they would deliver to me and charge it to my mom's account. It would usually be somewhere around $1.60 or so. Have times changed?

[RGJ]

Originally Posted by E. Campbell

Steubing's was on the corner of Porter and Piedmont, I'm pretty sure. It appears to be a vacant lot now. It was a two-story building with the Steubing's living upstairs. I visited them several years after leaving San Antonio for college and found Buck and Vastine (the son) then in the printing business of some kind.

Vastine(sp?) did run a printing business out of the two story building. They did nice work. The grocery store must have been before my time.

[E. Campbell]

Vastine went off to A&M with about a brand new 1949 Mercury convertible. So, that's the time frame. I'm not sure when the grocery store ceased to exist. I went to college in 1951 and didn't really spend much time in S.A. after that. My mother was relocated by the I-10 thing, and moved to the McCrealess (sp) Addition farther south only to move again when they built the interstate to Corpus Christi. She then moved north near North Star Mall. I didn't spend much time in Highland Park after 1951.

[Lee W.]

I just heard about the passing of one of the strong and vital Fenstermaker women of Maverick Ranch. My sympathies to Bebe, Mary, Martha and all this lady's family and friends.
Fenstermaker

[BudB]

Originally Posted by E. Campbell

Steubing's was on the corner of Porter and Piedmont, I'm pretty sure. It appears to be a vacant lot now. It was a two-story building with the Steubing's living upstairs.

Mr. Campbell is this the old Steubing's market below first, left to right? I found this old building on Google Maps showing it at Porter & Piedmont. It sure looks like a store with apartments above and is similar to the one a couple blocks west down Porter at Aransas & Pine St. The old Wah Hing Chinese store on Aransas at Pine St.(middle foto) closed just a few years ago and was typical of the many family owned stores of various ethnicities with the market at street level and family home upstairs that dotted the landscape of San Antonio before supermarkets came in. By 1960 there were over 70 Chinese mom & pop markets all over town as I told a while back and there were several in Denver Heights. One of the smallest and last ones was Han Lee that sat a few blocks north on Pine at Iowa. Its longtime owner/operator Roger Lew passed away Thanksgiving 2008 then the store opened by his grandfather in 1930 finally closed its doors permanently. Wish I had known the Steubings but we mostly shopped at Dierolf's Market on Hedges and the Piggly Wiggly mentioned previously on New Braunfels at Essex.

[RGJ]

I may be wrong, but I don't believe any of those were Steubings print shop. Next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'll see if I can find it.

[E. Campbell]

It's true that none of those buildings are the old Steubing's. It was on the corner of Porter and Piedmont that is now a vacant lot. The Steubing's building had a concrete porch all across the front that you had to step up on. Then you went up about three more steps in the center of the porch to enter the store. The porch had wooden posts, or columns, across the front and the upstairs apartment extended out over it. There were stairs on the outside of the building (on the left side) that came down from the apartment. The lot was large with space behind the store where they kept a horse. It was on the corner so deliveries could be made through a door that was at the back on the right side of the building. On the subject of Chinese stores, do you remember Yee's Grocery on the corner of Drexel and Gevers across the street from the Baptist Temple? On Google, it appears that the building is still there.