~ OV Tour MAIL ~
Professor "Dixie" Griffin wrote: Sun 12/21/2003 11:01 AM
From: Dixie Griffin Subject:
The original Dixie
Visited your website. Was flabbergasted to see Dixie's Grocery.
My father bought the store in the late '50s from a Mrs. Whitlock, when it was Whitlock's
Grocery. It had a cast iron, pot bellied stove for heat and the building owner, a Mrs
Hughes, lived in the back of the building.
As a teenager I had the unenviable task of crawling under
the store to shore it up to support new and heavy refrigeration units my father bought.
Believe it or not, my father did substantial remodeling when he bought the place. I was
born and raised there and know a bit about the history, if you are interested. [We most
definitely are!] I usually drive down Willoughby while I'm there, but I can hardly
figure out where I am anymore. I keep expecting to see the amusement park!
-- D.M. Griffin, Jr. Ph.D., P.E.
The Boston Blackie Professor of Civil Engineering/Department of
Civil Engineering
- Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
Professor Griffin discovered our original 1981 Dixie photo, and graciously shares the photos below; mouse
over images to determine size and/or click them to enlarge these
spectacular shots!
[once enlarged,  go to "the
max"--
mouse over bottom right corner of the photo, and
sizing icon will appear] Extraordinary! Thank you Professor Griffin from
all of us! --R K
1940's Willoughby
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Hurricane Hazel survivors
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60's view of single span, HRBT
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Dad on the deck of the USS Missouri, 1950's
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Our Home
[when enlarged, look for little black arrow pointing to family on the beach]
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Dad, luncheon guest/Lion's Club member on the USS Missouri
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Top/center photo: Gathering on the
beach, near Colonel Trujillo's home, soon after the brunt of Hurricane Hazel (Oct 15, 1954-- ): Mary Green (former GHS Business/Bookkeeping Instructor); Billie Posivac (wife
of USN Chief Posivac, mother of Mike and Kathy Posivac on the
overturned boat-- long-time Dixie Grocery cashier); and Viola Griffin, wife
of Dixie Sr., mother of Dixie, Jr.
--and Jimmy Griffin (now a physical therapist in San
Antonio) who also wrote us-- "...We bought 1067 (WOV) from the Pines. Mrs
Malcolm was the mother of Helen Pine, and a frequent visitor. Peter Pine
had been a fighter pilot in WW II for England, and was British, I believe..."
Professor Dixie Griffin replied to brother Jimmy's email,
with "...Yeah, I forgot about the Pines. I didn't know Peter Pine was a fighter
pilot. They [the Pines] had two daughters Angela & Pam-- and an older
brother, I think. I also remember the segregated Greyhound bus terminal,
separate waiting rooms, restaurants, bathrooms, everything. Dad use to let me play in the
baggage room. I got to climb over the stacked baggage, cool..."
Jimmy Griffin added some personal info:
"...[I'm] Granby-- 1968 --was on the swimming team. I have more
photos, I think of Norfolk in the 50's, which I will try to forward. I recall staging for
the Oyster Bowl Parade in Jr & High School bands, downtown amidst the
ruins of were all the warehouses on the Elizabeth River.
Bottom/left & right photos: Ocean View
Lion's Club members were invited aboard the USS Missouri as guests, after it
ran aground on Thimble Shoals in 1950. Professor Griffin's father (Dixie
Sr., 1903-1967 ) is the gentleman circled in red. The Griffins' home is
circled in the center photo. These photos were taken by John Hanson who lived right
next door (left of the Griffins') --a USCG photographer. Professor Griffin
also recalls neighbors: the Trujillo family: the Colonel
(Roy), Hattie, Pattie, Bucky, Kit, Joey & Johnnie (whose
house was originally owned by the Bakers --front and center home in the "Our
Home" photo), the Ware family, and the Reichert family: Jim,
Joan, Julie, Jamie, Joe & JoAnn.
In another email Professor Griffin wrote:
If you look at the picture where my first home is circled (in red) you will
see a very large house to the right of it (1067 West Ocean View). We bought
that house from the Malcombs and moved there in the late fifties-early sixties. Stayed
there until my father died in 1967, then my mother moved across the street to 1044 West
Ocean View (between the Wares and the Reicherts). The big house (1067) had
three stories and about 7 bedrooms. During the Ash Wednesday storm
you could see (from the third floor) nothing but water with houses sticking
out in any direction, no land anywhere. At the time I thought it was pretty cool. I was in
Junior High I think. Lost power, we heated water with a blow torch.
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