by Charly Mann

Harold McCurdy was a truly extraordinary man, A UNC Kenan Professor of Psychology who was probably Chapel Hill's most knowledgeable resident and the epitome of what is referred to as a polymath. He was a man who excelled in many things and had an almost limitless capacity to learn and become accomplished in any subject that interested him. He came to UNC in 1949, the same year as my father, William Robert Mann, and they quickly became good friends. I learned much about McCurdy from my Dad.

Harold McCurdy - UNC Psychology Professor and Polymath of Chapel Hill

A subject that McCurdy was keenly interested in was what factors most contributed to someone becoming a genius. After considerable study of the lives of twenty geniuses McCurdy wrote The Childhood Pattern of Genius. His first conclusion was that genius was most common among children who spend the majority of their time with adults and little time with children near their ages unless they were siblings. His research actually showed that preteen children who are sent to school and must do their socializing with their peers are significantly impeded in their intellectual and character development. Boys he found are particularly impaired if they begin interacting with people their age before 14. His second discovery was that highly intelligent and socially mature children are usually immersed in the interests of adults around them, and are allowed the time and loving support to naturally master these subjects. Children who grow up in this kind of environment develop a high degree of intellectual and artistic creativity. Finally he found that most geniuses were given a high degree of family responsibility from a young age that builds self-respect and confidence. This often meant making things that could be useful or even sold, and at a minimum taking a major role in maintaing their home. What this all means is that home schooling is far better than public schools for primary education. Children, McCurdy found, are just not socially or academically mature enough for institutional education until they are teenagers. Children in fact are negatively socialized by having to spend their early youth interacting with other children, and become less creative and much more likely to have mental and emotional problems throughout the rest of their lives.

McCurdy was also an expert on William Shakespeare and wrote a book on his personality. He also did extensive writing and research on D.H. Lawrence and Emily and Charlotte Bronte.

McCurdy was an outstanding poet and several volumes of his poetry were published. Harold McCurdy died in Chapel Hill in November of 1999. The following poem by McCurdy showcases his genius and his love of God.

Meteor

When softly and slowly fell the other night
That meteor flaring through my screen of trees,
Maybe I only was privy to the sight.

Eastward it fell of great Orion's knees
And his dog Sirius; southward of Jupiter;
And it was very bright, brighter than these.

If others glimpsed it (as, say, Lucifer,
Or some dull chunk of matter being consumed),
Let their view of it be as they prefer.

To me it was a miracle, subsumed
Within the ancient mystery and profound
From which the whole starred universe once bloomed.

For look! I was alone on private ground
Awed by the starry heavens at Christmas Eve,
Yet sorrowful, and in self-pity drowned,

Pleading, as one who clamors to believe,
"Oh God, whom none can see and live, do you
Care in the least for us? Did you conceive

Us and this world and come incarnate too
To lodge here? "Me, Lord, have you loved? Me, heard?"
--And then, abruptly, silently, fell and grew

That flare of light, that bright, that lordly word

by Charly Mann

My Evening with Joni Mitchel and James Taylor

On Christmas Eve of 1970 I had just turned twenty-one and was managing the Record and Tape Center at 456 West Franklin Street. It was the largest record store in Chapel Hill history, and had a basement level that included a waterbed store as well as a high-end audio store. It had been a busy day for us, and I had been in the store since about 7:30 that morning. We opened at 10 AM and usually closed at 9 PM, but that night we stayed open until the last customer had finished shopping which was about 9:30. It was several degrees below freezing outside and I was eager to get home. I let my employees leave and started adding the day's receipts so I could place them in a deposit bag to drop off at the bank's night deposit window on my way home. As I was about to leave at 10:15 when there was a knock on the front door of the store from two bundled up people. Annoyed, I approached the door to say we were closed. As I got closer I noticed that the faces looked familiar. As I opened the door I saw in front of me James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, who were at the time the two most popular singer-songwriters in America. James' new album, Sweet Baby James, had been one of the top selling albums in the world since October, and Joni Mitchell's recent album, Ladies of the Canyon, had produced the radio hit, Big Yellow Taxi and her signature song The Circle Game, as well as the song Woodstock which was currently a top hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Joni Mitchell and James Taylor did their Christmas shopping at the Record and Tape Center on Christmas Eve 1970

James explained that he needed to do his Christmas shopping and pleaded with me to allow him to buy some records. Of course I was excited about having James as a customer, but it was Joni Mitchell who I was most in awe of for her magnificent songwriting and incredible voice. I let them both in and James began going through our extensive racks of records and shelves of prerecorded cassettes. He said he wanted to first get some classical recordings for his Dad and I showed him where they were located. I told him to take his time, and explained how the rest of the store was organized. I then locked the front door, and it was just me, Joni, and James inside. Joni looked a bit bored and I offered to take her downstairs to see the waterbed store while James searched for gifts.

The Record and Tape Center opened on West Franklin Street in early 1970. In 1971 a second location was opened in NCNB plaza in downtown Chapel Hill.

Most of the lights in the store were turned off, with just a few security lights left on. I told James to come downstairs when he was finished shopping and I would then ring him up. I was excited about spending some one on one time with my idol, Joni Mitchell. As I recall we both sat on a large waterbed in our darkened basement lit only by several black lights. The long day and the surprise of getting to meet Ms. Mitchell in such an unusual way contributed to me being particularly awkward. I suggested we listen to the new Matthew's Southern Comfort album (which included a cover of her song Woodstock). She seemed delighted and holding the album noted how she had written that song. For some reason, which I have yet to understand, I assured her that she had not written than song, and it had been written by Ian Matthews, the leader of that group. For the record, I have an almost an encyclopedic knowledge of music facts going back to almost 1900, and Joni Mitchell was someone I was especially knowledgeable about, even before she released her first album, so I immediately recognized my mistake. Ms. Mitchell did not argue with my faux pax and remained polite and talkative until James came downstairs to say he had finished shopping.

Joni Mitchell in 1970. James Taylor had been her boyfriend for the last several months of that year.

I walked Joni and James back upstairs to the front of the store where the cash register was located and rang up the records and tapes James had chosen to purchase. The total was more than $110, a huge amount in those days (the average price of an album or cassette was about $3.50). As I gave James his total he began fumbling for his wallet and started to look a bit embarrassed. He said he had forgotten his wallet, and asked if he could come in the day after Christmas and pay for his merchandise. Being in the Christmas spirit and hoping to redeem myself from my embarrassing statement to Joni I said that would be fine.

James Taylor in 1970 at time of the release of his album Sweet Baby James

Early Saturday morning Joni Mitchell came into the store and presented me a personal check for the merchandise James had bought. (I still have a copy of that check somewhere.) I did think it strange that Joni paid for the gifts James got for his family. She was all smiles and seemed to enjoy seeing me again. I asked what they did on Christmas day, and she said they went out caroling. I imagine the Taylors' neighbors on Morgan Creek Road were delighted and surprised to hear and see Joni and James singing  in their yards..

James Taylor painting done by Joni Michell in Chapel Hill over Christmas 1970

The following Monday Trudy, James's mother, came into the store and asked if I would like to display a painting Joni Mitchell had done of James over Christmas. I told her I would be delighted (ecstatic was more like it). She brought it in, and I placed it in the front window of the store for at least two weeksbefore she came to collect it. I am not sure what that painting would be worth today, but I am guessing at least several hundred thousand dollars.

The first song of the music playlist at the top of this article is a rare recording of Joni and James singing live together in 1970. The second selection is James singing Joni Mitchell's Christmas song River.

by Charly Mann

In 1818 the University of North Carolina consisted of the following four buildings, Main Building (now known as South Building), Steward's Hall, East Building (now known as Old East), and Person Hall. Old East was an all purpose building in those days that housed 56 students in 14 small rooms, as well as having several classrooms. The Main Building was just four years old then, and had dorm rooms upstairs and most of the school's classrooms downstairs. The building looked far different then. It was not until 1861 that the small dome was added to the top of the building. The great entrance with the wide doorway was constructed in 1897, and the large porch supported by Roman columns was not added to the south side until 1927.

Map of Chapel Hill, 1818 - View large size

To the left of the Main building was Steward's Hall, a wooden building of 36 by 36 feet which contained four rooms. Two were for students to live in, one was a campus dining area, and the other was a kitchen with a brick floor. By 1818 the University no longer operated this building and it had become a private boarding house. The building was torn down in 1848 and replaced by Smith Hall (which is now the Playmaker's Theater).

Main Building at UNC, now known as South Building.  Upstairs were dorm rooms and downstairs were classrooms

Person Hall is the second oldest building on the UNC campus. It was completed in 1798, and was the site of the University's first graduation in July of that year. In those days students and townspeople simply referred to it as the Chapel. It was then the only church in town, and students were required to attended religious services there every day.

UNC's Person Hall, The UNC Chapel which all students were required to attend daily

First painting of East Building (now called Old East) from 1797

The second oldest home in Chapel Hill today is the Puckett house built in 1796 by the widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Puckett, and stands at 501 East Franklin Street. The Widow Puckett, as she was known, was a very enterprising woman. She rented several rooms in her house to students, as well as offering the best home cooked meals in town. In addition she provided a laundry service for students. Across the street from the Puckett house is Chapel Hill's oldest home built for William Hooper, a university professor. It is located at 504 E. Franklin St., and was recently the home of the great band leader and movie star Kay Kyser.

As you look at this map you can see that in 1818 Chapel Hill only had about a dozen houses and two stores, Trice's and Tom Taylor's store. You can now follow William D. Moseley walking through Chapel Hill in those days in a letter he wrote many years later to UNC professor Elisa Mitchell on  August 15, 1853. 

I would take a stroll through the village, beginning at Nunn's and going eastwardly down the Main Street, first by Mrs. Mitchell's on the right; Trice's store on the left; then Major Henderson's, James Hogg's immediately opposite; then Tom Taylor's store; then, on the left, Edmund Pitt's dwelling, then Tom Taylor's house, then (East of the Raleigh road) President Caldwell's , then Mr. Hooper's; immediately opposite to the latter was Mrs. Puckett's. This was then the principal street. South from Mrs. Nunn's Hotel was William Barbee's house, and then your house (Elisa Mitchell's). Then west was Panell's and Watson's homes. These I believe were at that time the houses composing the village; with two college buildings; and Person Hall, Chapel.

by Charly Mann

The University of North Carolina has one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States. It also boasts one of the top MBA programs in the nation, as well as one of the best urban planning programs. For the last 65 years UNC has strived to excel at something else, football, and has for the most part failed in this effort. The pinnacle for success in football is getting invited to and winning a major college bowl game. By 1940, there were four major Bowl games: The Rose Bowl, The Orange Bowl, The Sugar Bowl, and the Cotton Bowl. During the late 1940s UNC had a very good football team made up of several all-stars who had played football for the military like Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice. During the Justice era UNC got its first three bowl invitations to the Sugar Bowl in 1947, the Sugar Bowl in 1949, and the Cotton Bowl in 1950. Unfortunately, UNC was not a national contender, and lost all three of these games.

1929 UNC team captain Ray Farris and star halfback Strud Nash. The Tarheels went 9 - 1 for the season and were considered the second best team in the country that year. 

UNC desperately wanted to have a great football team, and in 1956 hired Jim Tatum away from Maryland where he had been one of the most successful coaches in the country. He had won the national championship in 1953 and in each of three other years his team had at least ten victories. He had also previously coached Oklahoma to a successful season and a bowl victory in 1947. In Chapel Hill his luck would change. In his first season Carolina won only 2 games, and the following two years his record was a mediocre 6 - 4. There were high hopes for his fourth season in 1959, but he was bitten by a tick and contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and died at the age of 46 before the beginning of the season.

Jim Tatum, UNC football coach 1956 to 1958

Jim Tatum's tombstone is the most prominent in the Chapel Hill cemetery, and reminds those like me of his untimely death and the potential he might have brought to UNC football. Jim Hickey (1920-1997), Tatum's assistant, was UNC's head football coach for the next eight seasons (1959 to 1966). He only managed a single season with a winning record, but in that year UNC did something it had never done before... it won a bowl game.

In 1963 UNC had the best and deepest team it had ever fielded. It featured two All-Americans, halfback Ken Willard and end Bob Lacey. It also had a great quarterback. Junior Edge, who was a brilliant passer and a good runner. UNC went 9-2 that season, losing only one ACC game to Clemson, and to powerful Michigan State on their home field. UNC was invited to play in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida on December 28th against the Air Force Academy.

The UNC - Air Force game was rated a toss-up by sports experts and bookmakers, but the game turned out to be a blowout. The game was dominated by UNC's great fullback, and probably Carolina's best all around athlete, Ken Willard.

UNC fullback Eddie Kesler runs through Air Force defenders at 1963 Gator Bowl game in Jacksonville, Florida

The game began a little inauspiciously with Air Force winning the toss, but after that it was all Tarheels. UNC began its second possession of the game on their own 23. During that drive Willard had runs of 12, 24, and 10 yards. The Big Bull, as he was nicknamed, then smashed it in from three yards for the first score. UNC missed the extra point and with 2:31 left in the first quarter UNC had a 6-0 lead. When Air Force got the ball back they raced down the field to the Carolina 16 before being stopped by an interception at the ten yard line by UNC's Ronnie Jackson. UNC Quarterback Junior Edge then completed a series of long passes to get the ball within a few yards of the end zone and then ran it in himself for the next score. Carolina tried for a two point conversion to make up for the missed extra point but that failed, and UNC now led the game at 12-0 with 9:40 left in the half. The next Air Force drive stalled, and UNC raced down the field for its third touchdown led by second string quarterback Gary Black who threw a series of passes that culminated in a touchdown. Black also tossed another pass for a two point conversion giving Carolina a 20-0 lead. As the first half came to a close the Falcons seemed on the verge of scoring their first touchdown until UNC quarterback Junior Edge, now playing defense, picked off a pass from Air Force Quarterback Terry Issacson at the Carolina two yard line.

Carolina began its second series of the second half with Ken Willard having consecutive runs of 7, 10, and 7 yards. UNC halfback Eddie Kesler then scored from one yard out, and then Edge threw to All American Bob Lacey for another two point conversion giving UNC a 28-0 lead with 4:44 left in the third quarter. Second-string quarterback Black replaced Edge on UNC's next possession and led the team with several long pass plays. The most memorable was a pass to UNC tackle Gene Sigmon, who was made eligible to receive the pass by Carolina's unusual formation. The drive included six consecutive completed passes and ended when Black ran it in from the six yard line. UNC then kicked their first and only extra point of the game making the score 35-0.

UNC Quarterback Junior Edge scores a touchdown for UNC at 1963 Gator Bowl

Throughout most of the fourth quarter UNC used players with names even few loyal fans were familiar with. They were the Carolina third string team, and while they were prevented from running up the score, their defense continued to hold Air Force scoreless for the rest of the game, giving UNC its first ever bowl victory 35 - 0. UNC would not win another bowl game until 1972.

At the end of that day UNC Coach Jim Hickey was the most popular man in Chapel Hill. Ken Willard was voted the game's most valuable player. Hickey had three more seasons at UNC, all with losing records and in 1967 was replaced by Bill Dooley.

A victorious Gator Bowl UNC football team carry coach Jim Hickey on their shoulders

It was not long ago when a UNC college football coach's salary was not that different from that of most professors. Jim Hickey lived in a very modest house on Greenwood Road across from where it intersects with Stagecoach Road. Jim Tatum also had a modest house on Laurel Hill Road, and after he died his wife became a teacher at Durham Academy to make ends meet. In the 1930s the greatest football coach of all time, Knute Rockne, was paid only $10,000 a year at Notre Dame. Today UNC's head football coach Paul Davis has a contract through 2015 that is worth more than $2,000,000 a year, several times higher than any administrator or faculty member at UNC. I love Carolina football but I would rather see UNC recruiting top faculty for its students than spending millions on a football coach.

Contract for UNC football coach Paul Davis: Nov. 27, 2006 – Jan. 15, 2015
Annual Salary: $315,000
Bonuses/Perks:
• In order for UNC-CH to provide the coach with a compensation package that is competitive with other institutions, UNC-CH agrees to make supplemental compensation payments to coach in the following amounts:
o Sept. 2007: $750,000
o Dec. 2007: $250,000
o March 2008: $287,500
o June 2008: $287,500
o Sept. 2008: $287,500
o Dec. 2008: $287,500
o March 2009: $300,000
o June 2009: $300,000
o Sept. 2009: $300,000
o Dec. 2009: $300,000
o March 2010: $312,500
o June 2010: $312,500
o Sept. 2010: $312,500
o Dec. 2010: $312,500
o March 2011: $325,000
o June 2011: $325,000
o Sept. 2011: $325,000
o Dec. 2011: $325,000
o March 2012: $337,500
o June 2012: $337,500
o Sept. 2012: $337,500
o Dec. 2012: $337,500
o March 2013: $350,000
o June 2013: $350,000
o Sept. 2013: $350,000
o Dec. 2013: $350,000
o March 2014: $362,500
o June 2014: $362,500
o Sept. 2014: $362,500
o Dec. 2014: $362,500
• Coach shall receive a $157,000 retention bonus each year
• 1/12 his salary if the football team is invited to participate in the ACC Conference Championship
• 1/12 his salary if football team is invited to participate in a post-season bowl game other than an ACC first or second choice (non-BCS) bowl game or a BCS game
• 1/12 his salary if football team's graduation rate equals that of the undergraduate student body
• $30,000 annual expense allowance per year for entertainment and other purposes to advance the university's football program
• Coach shall be entitled to operate a summer football camp, for which he could receive outside compensation
• Coach shall be entitled to advise and comment on all proposed scheduling of university football games

by Charly Mann

In the late 1930's and early 40's UNC students spent many evenings at the castle-crowned height of Battle Seat near Gimghoul Castle that overlooked the coastal plain that stretches to the ocean. Giant oaks and large maple trees shaded the walks and lawns of the UNC campus. Students were a regular site on these paths trudging or pedaling to class, lounging on the benches or entry stairs of buildings, or loafing on the wide lawns. On many Saturdays in the Fall they would march to Kenan Stadium to enjoy a football game.

UNC Coeds in front of the Playmaker's Theater 1941

Every day everyone would pass the Confederate Soldier, who we now refer to as Silent Sam, who never fired a shot as a coed walked by.  Most of the buildings on campus were ivory covered, and the sight everyone most remembered was the moon rising over the Bell Tower.

G.B. Lamm (the photographer of all these photos) on left studying in Magnum Dormitory

Students in those days recall their dorm and fraternity rooms being strewn with papers, books, chairs, and bottles and that sleep was an elusive commodity. This was because of campus overcrowding which forced three students to a  room.

Attentive UNC students in Geography class 

Years after these students left Carolina their most vivid recollections were of "Spring on the Hill," during which time the grass was green and most inviting to be lolled upon. At the same time one would always hear the sound of marching feet as many of the men on campus were in a military training program preparing to go off and fight in World War II. These men would soon be risking their lives to ensure that the peace and beauty of Chapel Hill would not be threatened.

UNC Coeds under Dogwood Spring of 1942

UNC student catching up on sleep in 1941 in Wilson Library

During the war the Navy took over the UNC cafeteria for its students, and everyone else had to stand in long lines at downtown restaurants for meals. Students also could not travel home on weekends or enjoy your their usual evening treks to Durham and Raleigh because buses and trains to and from Chapel Hill were always overcrowded with servicemen.

UNC Coeds in pajamas at Spencer Dorm studying in 1942

One amazing tradition at this time was that male students not enrolled in the military would not date in order to give those in the armed forces a better chance of finding a girl to spend time with. 

UNC Male cheerleaders at Fetzer Field 1939 

UNC female cheerleaders putting on makeup 1941

All photographs by G.B. Lamm. Please see the following article for more information on this very talented former UNC student:
The Essence of UNC in Photographs

 by Charly Mann

The Carolina Coffee Shop has been a cerebral eating institution in Chapel Hill for 87 years. It is the restaurant where people go as much to create new friendships as to dine. Within its walls are daily discussions of literary, intellectual, and social topics. For nine decades it has been the cultural center of Chapel Hill. The clientele has always been colorful, but its wait staff has often been more interesting, consisting of the most gifted artists, writers, and musicians in the community.

Carolina Coffee Shop 1963 meal specials

George Livas opened  the Carolina Coffee Shop in 1922 and created the charm and style that continue to this day, but the heyday of the restaurant was from 1959 to 2001 when it was owned by Byron Freeman.  In 1959, Freeman recalls the space rented for a very reasonable $400 a month. When he sold the business it had increased  to $6,700 a month.

I have had more than three dozen emails from former Carolina Coffee Shop devotees recalling the great food served during Freeman's tenure, but most remembered are their cinnamon rolls which many swear were the most delectable morsels they ever tasted. Byron has graciously shared the secret of this treasure. It begins with his great recipe for yeast rolls. Like the nearby Porthole, the Carolina Coffee shop made almost identical mouth-watering and highly addictive rolls. The cinnamon rolls used the same dough. They became Carolina Coffee Shop cinnamon rolls when cinnamon and nutmeg was folded into the dough, and icing containing confectioners' sugar and lemon was added to the top. His dough was mixed in a sixty quart mixer, but he says the most important part of the success was the cooking time. So for those of you looking to replicate this delicacy you can get the recipe for the Porthole yeast rolls here: The Porthole, Their Rolls, and The Recipe

We have tried this formula at home and recommend drizzling the icing over the rolls as soon as they are out of the oven and then letting it harden for about six minutes before serving.

What follows are three stories which convey what has made the Carolina Coffee Shop such a special place.

This first piece is by David Massengill, one of best and most respected singer-songwriters in America. For almost 40 years he has been living in Greenwich Village and is a disciple of folk legend Dave Van Ronk. In the early 1970s he was a student at UNC and worked at the Carolina Coffee Shop.

Carolina Coffee Shop 1935 - Lunch 35 cents - Dinner for 40 cents 

Waiter was the top position or the position with the best money at the Carolina Cofffee Shop. Nobody started as a waiter. First you worked the kitchen or bused tables etc. Byron Freeman was the owner and he possessed a calm and a fury at the same time. As owners go I give him good marks. I'm old fashioned in that when I played football or worked as a swordfisherman or any other really tough physical labor I adjusted to the boss or coach instead of expecting them to adjust to me. So if somebody yelled at me I didn't take it personal I just tried to not do what I got yelled at for again. That worked well for me. Byron was not a yeller, but he did not suffer fools and he had standards that MUST be met. Make Byron happy and the job atmosphere was cool. Byron liked to drink a bit and when things were going good he'd sit at a back booth and play Pachelbel's Canon in D over the sound system. A pretty piece. Many a customer asked about it and I'd go back to Byron and ask who wrote it and see his eyes a touch glassy and decided to commit to memory so I didn't continually bug him in his happy state. I had the record store stock up on it too and would inform customers they could buy it on record for $2.99 at Record And Tape Center. When Pachelbel was on we all knew Byron was happy and we could relax a bit.

Carolina Coffee Shop Shop late in the evening

My friend Steve Levitas was a waiter at the Carolina Coffee Shop and introduced me to Byron asking him if there was a position I could take. Byron was in foul mood because the chop steaks went bad the day before. Chop steak was hamburger meat basically, and Byron never wanted to let the meat go bad again. He made me head chop man. Every day I came in to make the chop steak and hamburger patties FRESH, never let them go more than 3 days he said. Byron himself showed me how to weigh each chop and pattie, slap it around then pounce it down on the wooden cutting board and form it into a nice circle or parabola. The chop steaks were very popular and had different toppings like mushrooms. Hamburgers were also popular. Breakfasts were of course a mainstay and there were often lines of customers waiting to get in. Hashbrowns were good. The rolls and cinnamon buns were made fresh every day in this big ass oven. Byron took special pride in those rolls and if someone forgot about time and burned a batch of rolls, Byron would dress them down like a drill sergeant. We tried to keep Byron happy so everyone did their job well. I learned to mop up efficiently and quickly. I don't know where Byron got his recipes but they had people coming back for sure.

Ad for the Carolina Confectionery & Coffee Shop 1929. Many businesses in Chapel Hill were known as confectioneries in the 1920s and 30s. Only Jeff's retained that title throughout its existence.

I liked being head chop man. I came in every day for an hour or 2, got a meal too. I did a few dishwashing shifts and liked that too. There was a Zen to dishwashing I found and years later in NYC I found another dishwashing job which allowed me to continue my folk singing quest and eat several times a week. I moved up to busing tables and the waiters shared their tips with us. Most of the waiters were students but there were full time workers who had a less cavalier attitude than the students. I particularly remember a very proud-to-not-be-a-student waitress that had worked there for years and she was a bull in instructing the host to guide the best customers to her tables. Very bullyboy though she wasn't butch. Occasionally someone would stand up to her and a good show that always was.

Inside the Carolina Coffee Shop in the early 1960s 

I remember passing on my chop man job to a kid I had seen as up and coming. Didn't know him well but he seemed a smart one and not too cynical. I took him in to meet Byron and told Byron he'd be an excellent head chop man and that I would show him the ropes. Byron nodded his head with a weary ok. I took the kid in the kitchen, showed him the meat, grabbed the meat and I said slap it around weigh it make sure it's not underweight; pounce it down and don't be afraid of the meat... I told him how important it was that the meat ALWAYS be fresh.

The Carolina Coffee Shop, a place for friends, good food, and comfort from 1936

Bob Jurgensen's father managed the Carolina Coffee Shop for much of the 1950s. He remembers this classic tale:

Andy Griffith attended UNC when my father was the manager of the Carolina Coffee Shop. Andy apparently was very much a real country boy then and he wore bib overalls with no shirt. My dad had a policy of no shoes, no shirt, no service. My dad often threw Andy out when he came in barefoot and shirtless, wearing those bib overalls. He'd argue with my father, who was quite stubborn and fussy about cleanliness and being barefoot was not his idea of good sanitation. Apparently it once escalated right out onto the sidewalk and Andy stormed away, only to try again and again.

The Carolina Coffee Shop great meal for between $1.00 and $1.35 in 1965

Finally Tom Scism who with James Vickers coauthored An Illustrated History of Chapel Hill recently relayed the following stories, one of which received national attention.

A Lehigh professor of statistics and great poker player was in town one Sunday in the 1970s for a game and volunteered to run the cash register for Byron because the cashier called in sick. Byron slipped up to the register and surreptitiously stuck a sign on it that read:

GUEST CASHIER: DR. JOHN ADAMS,
PROFESSOR OF STATISTICS, LEHIGH UNIVERSITY.
Please count your change.

Roy Carlton, who managed the Coffee Shop for Byron for many years, wrote up this incident and sold it to Reader's Digest, who published it on one of their joke pages, and Roy got a $100 payment from them.

This is from1938. During the depths of the Depression the Carolina Coffee Shop gave free meals to students and other Chapel Hillians who could not afford food. 

In the late 60s, most Carolina Coffee Shop employees were musicians in Chapel Hill bands, and there was a constant banter about whose band and whose guitar picker was the best. One day Byron posted a sign on the kitchen door that read: "There's too much bickering over musicianship back here and it's interfering with kitchen operation. From now on the only topics you are allowed to discuss are politics and religion."