by Charly Mann

Much of what makes Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina such a memorable place comes from a family who emigrated to Chapel Hill in 1939 from Vienna, Austria. That family is the Danzigers. Many of us recall Papa Danziger and his Old World Restaurant & Gift Shop, and his son Ted's Rathskeller, Zoom-Zoom, Ranch House, and Villa Theo. Yet the most extraordinary Danziger, in my opinion, is Ted's younger brother Erwin.

Erwin Danziger, UNC Class of 1951 at age 22

Erwin was born in Vienna on December 9th, 1928 into a family of candy makers and merchants. His grandfather had owned coffee houses in Italy and what is now Croatia. He also had a pastry and candy shop in Vienna. Erwin's father, Edward "Papa D" Danziger owned a candy factory in Vienna as well as candy stores in Berlin, Baden, and Vienna before he came to the United States. He was also the Austrian distributor for the top three premium chocolates in the world; Lindt and Tobler (both Swiss) and Droste (Dutch).

When the Danzigers moved to Chapel Hill in May of 1939 Erwin saw his father working 18 hour days for the next four months to get his store, Danziger's Candy and Coffee Shop, ready to open on Franklin Street by September. Once the store was open his Dad cut back to working 12 hours a day. Even though Erwin was eleven in 1939 he also worked in the new Danziger's Candy Store along with his mother, Emily and brother Ted.

One of the first ads for Danziger's Candy and Coffee Shop from 1939

Erwin left Chapel Hill in 1948 to serve in the US Army and was stationed in Germany. He returned to Chapel Hill in 1950 to attend UNC, and received a BA in business administration in 1951. He then returned to Germany and worked for the Army in a civilian capacity learning skills that would today be similar to those of a systems analyst. In 1952 he came back to UNC to get an MBA which he received in 1954. The entire time Erwin lived in Chapel Hill, from junior high school until he finished graduate school, he always worked at his father's store. The family has a tradition of working hard and being smart. His brother Ted, who was Chapel Hill's greatest restaurateur, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UNC in only 2.5 years with a degree in chemistry.

After receiving his MBA Erwin decided to break from the family tradition of owning a restaurant or being a candy maker and try something else that would give him more time to enjoy life. He had seen how hard and long his father had worked to be successful as a candy maker and merchant, and by this time his brother Ted had established the Rathskeller and the Ranch House, he saw the physical toll this was taking on him. Erwin decided he could to enjoy life more if he worked for someone else. For the next ten years, from 1955 to 1965, Erwin worked as a Programmer and Systems Analyst for a succession of the top corporations in the United States including Chrysler, Dow Chemical, General Electric, and RCA. At this time large companies were just beginning to use computers to automate some of their processes. Computers before this had been used primarily for military and scientific purposes. Programming computers was a slow and tedious task that required writing code in the binary language of "0s" and "1s" which is all computers really understand. It was not until five years later, in 1960, that the "higher level" language COBOL was introduced to make programming vastly easier for business applications.

Erwin Danziger, Director of UNC's Administrative Data Processing 1965 to 1989 

After ten years in industry Danziger again returned to Chapel Hill to take on the challenge of bringing UNC into the computer age. For the next twenty-four years, from 1965 to 1989, he was the Director of Administrative Data Processing for the University of North Carolina. In addition to this, from 1965 to 1987 he taught a class in Business Systems Analysis for the department of Computer Science, as well as a computer course for UNC School of Public Health from 1975 to 1980. He was also one of three UNC representatives for TUCC, the Triangle Universities Computer Center, which was established in 1965 as a cooperative venture between Duke, NC State, and UNC-Chapel Hill to provide mainframe computing services to the three universities, the Research Triangle Institute, and other schools in the area.

Joe Ragland, TUCC Information Services manager, Erwin Danziger, TUCC Board member from UNC, Leland Williams, TUCC Director

Over Danziger's years of managing the UNC's ADP Computer Center there were several large mainframe computer systems that the University used including a UNIVAC 70/7 and a IBM 370. These were huge computers that took up several thousand feet of space and had to kept in specially designed rooms. In the beginning most of the programming and data was entered into the computer by punch cards. The ADP department eventually included around 120 programmers and systems analysts. Today almost all this work is done by personal computers that are networked to UNC's central computer.

1960s UNIVAC computer system. Today's laptop computers are many times more powerful than these machines.

In the summer of 1968 Richard Nixon, who was running for President, visited the UNC computer center to talk to Erwin about a program developed for Manpower Development Corp (MDC) that would match unemployed people to jobs with their skills. The meeting was covered by all the major network news programs and most national newspapers.

Erwin Danziger talks to Richard Nixon in 1968 shortly before he was elected president

Today Erwin Danziger is 81 and in good health, still enjoying life and the hobby he has had since he was a young boy, stamp collecting. Working for someone seems to have added longevity to his life. His Brother lived to 46, his Grandfather 72, and his father to 78. Erwin Danziger has also had a long and happy marriage. He married Betty Heath, daughter of UNC Economics Professor Milton Heath Sr. and they have two daughters, one who is now married to a Law Professor at George Mason University, and the other who is married to a Chemistry Professor at N.C. State.

Richard Nixon's visit to Chapel Hill in 1968 to meet Erwin Danziger

1981 was the year that IBM introduced the personal computer. It cost $5000. Dynasty was the top television show in the United States, and the most popular songs were Superfreak by Rick James and Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes. Included in Chapel Hill High School's Class of 1981 was the distinguished group seen below joined together for an impromptu mini-reunion at Bailey's Pub and Grille. 

Ladies left to right: Angie Jones Smith, Michelle Council Brooks (Class of 1982), Letitia Jones Davison. Gents: Richard Sanders, Danny Williams, and David Brooks.

by Charly Mann

In 1969 Hector's restaurant opened at the corner of Henderson and Franklin Street, across from the Chapel Hill Post Office. It served a unique variety of high quality fast food at great prices and was huge success the first few years it was open. Lines of people waiting to order often stretched far out their doors.

Less than forty years ago dogs ran free in downtown Chapel Hill and Hector's was the most popular fast food restaurant in town. This photo was taken at Harry's and the downtown Post Office and a Hector's sign is in the distance.

The people who owned Hector's were Greek, as well as many of the people who worked there. It was originally owned and managed by Pete Galifinakis. Though many refer to it as a Greek restaurant, it was actually more American. They had by far the best hot dogs, fries, and cheeseburgers ever served in Chapel Hill. They were also open 24 hours a day during most of their existence (the only Franklin Street business to do so during most of the 1970s).

In their early years Hector's could do no wrong. The restaurant was well-managed, service was great, prices were incredible, it was clean, and most of the food was amazing. It seemed that their concept was so good that a chain of Hector's could have been launched that would have been as successful as Subway or Starbucks. Alas Hector's stumbled, and quality and cleanliness declined by the mid-seventies. At the same time an array of sub and sandwich shops, as well as other all day eateries sprang up downtown. Hector's eventually got back in its groove in the late 1980s and a new generation of UNC students became enamored by its food and charm. Gyros and Souvlaki became the most poplular fare among their customers. They also gained a reputation for their great Greek grilled cheese wraps and extra sweet iced tea.

The best of all possible worlds - late Spring on the lawn at McCorkle Place on the UNC campus with two of Chapel Hill's all time favorite restaurants, Hector's and the Dairy Bar, behind.  

About ten years ago Hector's moved from its original location at 201 E Franklin St. to the basement below Zogs Pool Hall on Henderson Street. A few years later Hector's closed, and the restaurant that had been famous since 1969 was no more. Hector's still has a rabid and loyal following who decry its passing as much as others bemoan the loss of the Ram's Head Rathskeller. Now that the Varsity Theater has been resurrected, perhaps the town of Chapel Hill will help some entrepreneurs bring back both of these landmarks.

Hector's sign and those of competing businesses on Franklin street 1973
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HECTOR'S RULES!  famous since 1969

1. Unless you are sleeping with the help, no free food.
2. No, the napkin holders are not yours to keep.
3. The tip jar is your friend.
4. No one here is actually called "Hector".
5. Do not hurl objects from the windows.
6. Do not hurl.
7. The Bathroom sinks and stalls are not removable.
8. The Gyro is seasoned lamb, not human thigh.
9. You breaks in line, we breaks you face.
10. 30 minutes in line is more than enough time to decide what you want.
11. Everything is better on pita.
12. Tradziki sauce (sod-zee-kee) - the white stuff - is good on absolutely everything!
13. No Coke ... Pepsi, Pepsi.
14. This is not a fat free restaurant.
15. If the employees look like they've been here all night, it's because they have been.
16. Only the best take it ALL THE WAY!
17. Regular is for the average, large is for the thirsty, and medium just plain doesn't exist.
18. Pitas, although not smooth in texture, still make excellent Frisbees.
19. Thou shall not steal someone else's food.
20. Why take TIME OUT for SUBS when HECTOR'S RULES!

by Charly Mann

It is said that the greatest generation of Americans were born in the 1920s. They endured the hardships of the Great Depression, died and suffered the horrors of the Second World War, and then created the prosperity that made the United States the dominant and wealthiest country in the world. The generation that came after them was born between 1933 and 1945. They are called the Silent Generation.

UNC students from the Silent Generation having a great time at a slumber party in 1956

I was seven when the UNC Class of 1956, which was part of the Silent Generation, graduated. 1956 is the first year of my life I have a clear memory of. These men and women are all now at least 75 years old. In 1956 I thought of someone who was 60, like my grandmother, was old, and surely believed someone who was 75 was ancient.

Love was often in the air among UNC students in 1956

Today many members of the UNC Class of 1956 are still with us, and I now reflect on what their legacy is to us. During their days as students in Chapel Hill they were serenely uninvolved in social issues or politics. Their focus was on getting the education necessary to secure a good job and often finding a compatible spouse. This was a great time to be alive. The economy was robust and there were no wars that Americans had to fight and die in. Poverty and racial inequality were part of the American landscape, but these UNC students who came from largely middle and upper class families were largely unaware of these issues. These problems simply were not discussed very often by the mainstream media, and certainly were not subjects of the movies, television, or music they were watching and listening to. As a result this generation was the last group of Americans to accept, almost without question, traditional American values.

These are UNC students in 1956 enjoying Hogan's Lake in Chapel Hill. This was an extremely popular spot for students and other Chapel Hillians to enjoy in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Students enjoyed drinking beer and getting close to their sweetheart here. There were even cows that roamed freely around the lake.

Humans do not grow old chronologically. We grow unevenly. Even at 75 we can be mature in some areas and childish in others. While dementia is more likely to come to us than wisdom as we age, I now know several members of this class who often inspire me. Each one of them has a remarkable strength of character and a purpose to their life.

A romantic moon on a cold winter night over UNC's Wilson Library in 1956

While almost all the members of the Greatest Generation are no longer with us, the Silent Generation are still around in large numbers. They knew the generation that preceded them better than any of us. They also were the guardians of the entire Baby Boom generation. They are the bridge between these powerful and influential groups. They have seen the limitations and hypocrisies of both, and many of them have synthesized that knowledge into a common sense and wisdom that is valuable for all of us to know.

UNC Class of 1956 Senior Photos
First Row: Mary Ruth Morse Silliphant, Daniel Shiver Sylvia Jr., Margaret Joan Sinclair, Second Row: Jane Kirksey Sink, John Frederic Sipp, Oren Scott Skinner, Third Row: Karey Lyerly Sledge, Clyde Smith Jr., Miriam Marcia Smith, Fourth Row: Sherwood H. Smith Jr., Wilbur Ritchie Smith Jr., Raymond Fletcher Snipes

by Charly Mann

Bruce Strowd and friend Ernest Hutchins on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill in 1903. The Methodist Church now stands where the house behind them is.

Bruce Strowd was born on August 18, 1891 in a large house on what is today Davie Circle. The house was called Plum Nelly because it was "Plum out of Chapel Hill and Nelly to Durham". Today this area is considered part of central Chapel Hill and is located less than a mile from the center of town. As you drive up Franklin Street from Estes Drive almost all the land you pass was at the time part of the Strowd estate which consisted of about 1200 acres. The hill you go up towards downtown has been known as Strowd Hill for more than a century. It was not until 1950 that this area became part of Chapel Hill.

This is a photo of Plum Nelly, The Strowd House on Davie Circle, from 1985. It use to be one of the grandest houses in Chapel Hill.

This is a photo of Plum Nelly from 1978.

William F. Strowd was Bruce Strowd's grandfather, a U.S. Congressman, and one of the largest landowners in the area in the late 19th century.

Bruce's family was one of the most prominent in Chapel Hill at the beginning of the 20th century. His grandfather W.F. Strowd (Dec. 7, 1832 - Dec. 12, 1911) had been a two term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1895 to 1899, and was largely responsible for the building of a railroad to Chapel Hill. His father R. L. "Bob" Strowd was Vice President of the Bank of Chapel Hill, and had been the Chapel Hill postmaster, and a local merchant. A building that he built on Franklin Street is still standing and is called the Strowd Building. Sutton's Drug Store is now one of the tenants there.

Both Pickard and Strowd were involved in many Chapel Hill businesses. At the time of this ad in 1907, Mr Pickard also had a livery stable and a hotel. In the 1950s through the 1970s Leadbetter Pickard Stationery Store was a leading business downtown, first on Henderson Street and then in the center of Franklin Street.

 
R.L. Strowd was a leading Chapel Hill merchant all of his life. This is a 1909 ad. His son Bruce established the first car dealership in town.

R.L. Strowd was a banker during most of his career in Chapel Hill. His house, "Plum Nelly", was one of the largest in town. This ad is from 1931.

From an early age Bruce had a fascination with internal combustion engines and automobiles. In 1903 the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, Vernon Howell, brought the first automobile to Chapel Hill. This new contraption fascinated Bruce and by the time he was sixteen in 1907 he built his own rudimentary automobile using parts from a sewing machine, wheelbarrow and a boat motor. It only went about five miles an hour and made a terrible racket that scared the horses in town when he drove it down Franklin Street. It had a smokestack that billowed out a cloud of smoke as it roared by it went "chooka, chooka, chooka, pow, pow, pow, pow." Chapel Hill soon banned him from driving the thing in town saying it was too noisy and unsightly.

Drawing of early automobile built by Bruce Strowd in1907 called the Strowdmobile

Bruce worked hard from an early age and was employed at Carr Mill in Carrboro for most of his teenage years. In 1911 he left Chapel Hill to learn more about cars by working in a car manufacturing plant in Wisconsin. In 1914 he returned to Chapel Hill and opened the first auto repair shop, in what is now Porthole Alley behind the Carolina Coffee Shop. The location had been a livery stable, and horses were still the primary mode of transportation in town. He was the only person in town who could work on cars. There were then thirteen cars in Chapel Hill. Bruce also got the rights to sell Ford Motors cars which people could special order from his shop.

This is Bruce Strowd's Garage and first Ford Dealership in 1914. It was behind where the Carolina Coffee Shop is today. Before this the building had been a popular livery  stable for many decades.

The Strowd Ford Dealership in about 1946. This was the largest retail space in Chapel Hill with over 20,000 square feet. In later years the Zoom-Zoom, Logos Books, Copytron, and even a short-lived 5 and 10 cent store would occupy some of this space. In 1970, when I was twenty, I ran a music management company from an upstairs office here. 

His car business grew slowly, specializing in used cars for much of the depression era 1930s. Eventually he opened the first modern car dealership in Chapel Hill at the corner of Columbia and Franklin Street.

Bruce Strowd in October 1937 with 1914 Ford 

This is the auction for the sale of the huge farm that the Strowd family  owned in Chatham County. It was almost 3,000 acres. It was never a very profitable farm. The R.L. Strowd  family  owned 1200 acres that are now part of central Chapel Hill. The auction occurred on May 22, 1928. Land and real estate prices plummeted in Chapel Hill a few years later during the Great Depression.

Bruce was an outgoing and gregarious man and in 1937 the Chapel Hill Kiwanis Club named him Chapel Hill's "Most Valuable Citizen" for that year. He was an avid Tarheel basketball fan long before the team attracted much local attention.

This is Johnson Strowd Ward furniture store on West Franklin Street in 1965. It was the only furniture store in town in those days and also sold televisions. One of the owners was Gene Strowd

Bruce Strowd retired in 1953 and sold his Ford Dealership to Crowell Little. He died in 1955.

Well into the late 1940s Strowd Motors sold more used cars than new ones. These are prices for some of their used cars in 1937.

This is the corner of Franklin and Columbia Street in Chapel Hill in 1925 soon after the building was built and Strowd Motor Company moved in to sell Ford cars and ESSO gas. If you look closely you can see a pump at the corner of the two streets. 

Thanks to Susan Prothro Worley for the Strowd House photos

This is William Strowd of Chapel Hill who graduated from Medical School at UNC in 1909

On the right is Annie Strowd's UNC graduation picture and information from her 1923 yearbook . In those days there were less than 200 students in the senior class, and everybody knew everyone else. For years graduating seniors merited not only a description about themselves, but height and weight were always given in the class yearbook. Age was given for men, but not for women. Only about 6% of the class was female.

  
Mae Braxton Strowd was Frank Strowd's daughter. This is her graduation photo from UNC in 1933. When she was a little girl she had a pet turkey named "Billy Sunday" that she would often walk with up and down Franklin Street.