As a little girl, I distinctly remember sitting in my bed drifting off to sleep while listening to my grandmother’s sweet voice telling stories of her childhood. While eating dinner with my grandparents, I heard the stories of my grandfather’s exciting life. Until last year, I did not know that my grandfather had a deep scar where a voracious monkey bit him while in the Vietnam War. As I interviewed my grandparents, I could see their eyes shining as they retold the story of their lives. Even though they both grew up in the same small town their childhood recollections were vastly different.
Alice Pressly Robinson was born on March 31st, 1943 in York, SC at Divine Savior Hospital to her precious parents: Thomas Pressly Robinson and Nancy Alice Brown Robinson. Alice is a family name passed down from many generations. My great-great-great grandmother, my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and I all bear the name Alice. Some of my grandmother's earliest memories include believing that her grandfather was her father, for her father was overseas during World War II during the first part of her childhood. After arriving home from being stationed overseas, Thomas Pressly Robinson, my great-grandfather, came home and his 3-year-old daughter was afraid to even speak to him, for she had never seen him. Living on the same land as her grandparents as a small child, my grandmother grew up surrounded by family members. She spent her early childhood in a little house on a piece of her grandfather’s farmland until 1954 when the family moved into a farmhouse that her father purchased in Clover, SC. The farmhouse in Clover remains in our family to this day where each year our family gathers to enjoy a rather large meal, play games, and fellowship together. Growing up on a farm gave my grandmother a love for the outdoors. As an illustration, my grandmother and her siblings enjoyed swimming in their pond, which had a diving board where they performed tricks. Behind their adorable country home was a creek where they splashed around and played. My grandmother’s imagination freely roamed, as she and her siblings would play make-believe in the shady grove of pine trees. They created homes under the pine trees, played family, and so many other games. My grandmother has three siblings; Becky Robinson Jackson, March 1, 1947, Marion Robinson, November 28, 1949, and Don Robinson, February 28, 1950, and they are all alive today.
My grandfather, Donald L. Dover, was born on March 16, 1943, in his home in Kingscreek, SC to Leslie Howard Dover and Lucille Ethel Evans Dover. Since my grandfather came two months early into the world, his mother placed him in a bread pan and laid him on top of the open oven door in order to keep him warm. One of my grandfather’s earliest memories was playing tag with his brothers and cousins. Unfortunately, my grandfather upset a beehive during the game and received 100 bee stings, resulting in a trip to the doctor because his throat had begun to swell shut. To this day my grandfather detests bees. My grandfather was born in Kingscreek where he lived during his early childhood. When he was about six years old his family moved to a house in Clover, SC. Mumbly peg, a game that my grandfather played with his new neighborhood friends, was dangerous. The game consisted of two players, each taking turns throwing a knife at the other person and trying to get as close as possible to the other player's foot without hitting them. In order to make money, my grandfather and his older brother would put on plays for their neighborhood friends and charge one penny for admission. Catching crawfish and selling their bones, which they called pearls, was another money-making enterprise. Playing tree top tag in the pine trees near their home, was a game where you swung from tree to tree like Tarzan trying to tag each other. My grandfather has two siblings; Sonnie Dover, September 9, 1941, and Jerry Dover, May 13, 1946, and they are all alive today.
At 7:00 every school day, my grandmother and her siblings would wait for the bus and journey to their school. She attended Bethel Elementary school from first grade until seventh. She went to Clover Junior High School in the eighth grade and then to Clover High School for four years. Unfortunately, my grandmother somehow managed to catch every sickness under the sun. She ended up with mumps, measles, chicken pox, colds, flu, and many other illnesses. Inconveniently, my great-grandfather caught the mumps from his daughter during the cotton harvest, so their neighbors had to lend a helping hand in order for their cotton to be picked.
My grandfather and his brothers attended Clover Elementary, then Clover Junior High School, and Clover High School. Just like my grandmother, my grandfather caught several diseases including mumps and measles. My grandparents met each other in the eighth grade while attending Clover Junior High School. My grandmother recalled hearing several girls talking about a cute boy named Donald Dover, while my grandfather remembers waving and talking to my grandmother in the hallway at school. Amusingly, they began to like each other while in the eighth grade and are still together to this day.
Every Saturday my grandmother’s family would gather together. eating farm fresh food, playing games, and enjoying each other's company. They would also drive to the movie theater to watch a “picture show” each Saturday. On Sundays, the Robinson family attended First Methodist Church in Clover, SC. As a young girl, my grandmother attended summer bible school at her church, and as a teen, she attended Methodist Youth Fellowship, a type of youth group, which she attended with her best friend Kay. Every Sunday afternoon, the Robinson children and their parents took a country drive, while sipping Orange Crush and chowing down on potato chips. Orange Crush and potato chips were a special treat for my grandmother and her siblings, for my great-grandmother, Nancy Alice, cooked three fresh meals a day for her family.
My grandfather spent his Saturdays as a young boy playing games like Mumbly Peg and attending the movies. It cost him 10 cents for admission, 5 cents for a drink, and 5 cents for a candy bar or popcorn. On Sunday morning, my grandfather attended West End Methodist Church in Clover, and he also participated in Sunday School. In the afternoons his family would visit his grandparents and enjoy a meal together. Unlike my grandmother who worked on her farm, my grandfather had several different jobs as a child. At the age of six, my grandfather picked cotton for one penny per pound. When he was 12 and 13 years old he worked at Brown’s Grill as a curb hop, and when he turned 14, he worked at a turkey packing plant. These were just some of the jobs my grandfather had as a child.
After graduating from Clover Highschool in May 1961, my grandmother attended Winthrop College, an all-girls college at the time. In order for my grandmother to go to college, her father rented a field to plant, grow, and sell cotton so that she could attend college. After being at Winthrop for two years, she graduated with a business degree and received a business certificate. She went to work at Bowater at the age of 21 as a floater and then as a secretary in the Bowater accounting office. She remained working at Bowater until her retirement.
After my grandfather graduated from Clover High School, he went into the Marines at the age of 18. His basic training took place at Paris Island, Geiger Marine Base, and Camp Lejeune. He went overseas to the Mediterranean and several other countries for a goodwill tour and for more training. In the 1960s the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred, and my grandfather was sent to be part of the Cuban Blockade. Afterward, he was sent to Haiti to stop riots. Later, he went to Okinawa, where he spent time training. During one of his training sessions, his superiors dropped him off on an island where he was instructed to use his survival skills. Finding a pineapple plantation, he was able to sustain himself until his survival training was complete. To this day the sight and smell of pineapple perturbs my grandfather. After Okinawa, my grandfather then fought in the Vietnam War as a reconnaissance Marine, where he and six others would spy on the enemy and gather information. When the Vietnam War was over, my grandfather flew to Camp Pendleton in California. Camp Pendleton was his final destination as a United States Marine. After returning from war, my grandparents got married at the age of 23 years old on October 14th, 1966.
My grandparents have only lived in Rock Hill, SC as a married couple. After living in a small duplex for six months, they moved to a house on Cummings Street, while living in this house my grandmother had my Aunt Courtney in 1970. In the mid-1970s my grandparents moved one last time to a house on Reese Road, while living here my grandmother had my mom. Currently, my grandparents still live in their house on Reese Road.
My grandfather had multiple jobs after serving in the Marines. He worked at Charleston Rubber Company, U.S. Plywood, Bowater, Duke Energy, and several other jobs. He also graduated from Winthrop with a bachelor's degree and then he went on to get his master's degree. After receiving a college education, thanks to the GI Bill, my grandfather worked at the hospital as a pathologist assistant. After working at the hospital he retired.
My grandmother and grandfather both participate and have participated in multiple community events and gatherings. They were active at their local YMCA, my grandmother attended the Bowater Women’s Club, she also was a part of the PTA (parent-teacher association), each year they went to the Come See Me event that the city of Rock Hill still hosts to this day, and many other events. Today, my grandmother goes to BSF, which is an international bible study for women of all ages. Both my grandparents volunteer with their church, Epworth United Methodist Church of Rock Hill. They attend Sunday school at their church once a week. Once a month they go to an assisted living home called Divine Manor to play bingo and bring snacks to older people that live in poverty. At Christmas time my grandfather enjoys playing Santa Clause at the Christmas party at Divine Manor. My grandparents love being able to serve their community.
In conclusion, I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to and writing down the stories of my grandparents' lives. Although I knew a handful of stories from their past, I did not know any specific details; like where they were born, what games they played as children, how old they were when they got married, and many other details. This essay has given me the opportunity to discover more about my grandparents, to better appreciate their stories, and to look forward to hearing more about their past.
Works Cited
Dover, Alice. Personal Interview. 10 September 2022.
Dover, Donald. Personal Interview. 18 September 2022.
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