An interview with Charlie Crocker

Memories about Old Timers.
      Charles Crocker has many good memories about Milan's old Timers day, but what stands out is the friends. "I just talk until I can't talk any more, I just absolutely run down, it's fun to see all the people you've known before. It's a grand time, a really grand time." He went on to say, "I just see so many people that I don't see every day, old friends, that's what it's all about. They can have all the rest of it that's going on, but it's the Old Timers. That's what its all about. We used to see Bus Poole, and Hugh Baldridge but we're the old timers now. They're all gone but now we are the old timers."
     Charles started farming but he soon gave that up, he then was an auto mechanic in Milan for a number of years. He built and started his auto mechanics business where Keith Rinharts's business now is. He then started teaching Auto Mechanics at Kirksville Vocational School, from where he retired in 1988. He didn't stay retired long before he went to work as a screen printer for D and J's sporting goods where he worked about 6 years. Sitting back in retirement was still not for Charlie and he started tying lures and spinners, which he still does today. He said however it is not a very lucrative business, more of a hobby. His basement well attests to his love of fishing and fishing related items. Charles's toys as a boy were rubber band guns, slingshots and a BB gun and he admitted that he sometimes got into trouble with these, especially the BB gun. He began to share some stories, then with a nostalgic look for bygone days said "kids that grew up when I did could find a way - the kids anymore from the time they are babies until they get out of high school, everyday is programmed for them. They don't know how to have fun by themselves" after a couple of stories about steelies we asked if he had played marbles and his response was "oh lands yes, and jacks, all kids then played marbles and jacks." His favorite childhood holiday tradition was Edgar "Tweet" McDuff's birthday. They always got to go to Trenton to swim. He didn't remember if they had watermelon, but he did remember stealing watermelons. We just went in and got a watermelon or two and ate the heart out of it. That was all, we never tore up a patch, but they started tearing up patches so we quit. My dad had a big watermelon patch and they always stole some watermelons but he didn't care. One particular watermelon story stands out in his mind and he told it this way. "One time he (his dad) had vines out in the garden and he had one great big watermelon that he was saving for seed. Porter Cannon and I made it up that he would bring Bill Tipton out and I would be out there with a shotgun and just about the time they were going to plug that big watermelon I would shoot off the shotgun. That night I lay down on the porch and went to sleep and didn't wake up. Next morning dad went out and found the big watermelon broke open, now you talk about being steamed up, he was mad. I never said a word."
    This reminded him of May baskets and a trick he and Bill McClanahan used to play. They would pick flowers and put them in a May basket and tie a long string to it, then they would put the basket right up by the door, knock, and run back to the end of the string. They were out of sight of course, but could see when the person started to pick up the basket and then they would jerk the string. He then remembered with a little prodding that one Halloween they took a neighbors wagon apart and rolled the wheels into the pond.
     At this point Charles said "I may tend to incriminate myself if I keep going. We did ornery things but we never did any damage. We just pulled pranks and I haven't' outgrown it. I just hassle everybody now. But I have fun, I've had a good time all my life". Charley couldn't' remember ever getting up in a bad mood or going to bed in a bad mood.
     We didn't want charley to incriminate himself so we asked what he likes best about Milan. His answer was simple but from his heart. "Its my old home town, its always been my hometown."
     Charley entertained us with a few very enjoyable numbers on his guitar then announced "the concert is over" and returned to his discussion of old timers and friends and his love of people. He said he is fortunate to have so many friends but acknowledged " to have friends, you have to be a friend".
     We thank Charley for his hospitality and memories and only hope that some day we may be counted as his friends.