Ralph Quackenbush was happy to see "The Hub" sign uncovered

Happy Early Valentine’s greetings to all our readers.  Hope everyone has a relaxing sunshine-filled long weekend to celebrate with a box of chocolates and an extra bit of vacation on President’s Day.

Around Davidson keeps up its tradition of visiting with the Bruce Smith family for whom Valentine’s Day has special meaning.

Super Bowl XLIV may be history but we will be smiling for weeks as we think about those “Who Dat” Saints and our own Dave Fleming who writes about his Super time in Miami.

We also include a bit of town history talking to Ralph Quackenbush, former “Hub” owner on North Main Street. 

OUR ANNUAL SMITH FAMILY VALENTINE

For the past ten years, Around Davidson has followed Tyler and Jared Smith, twin boys who became part of the family of Bruce and Heather Smith on February 14, 2000.  Following twenty months of living with foster families in Romania, the boys were adopted by the Smiths and have called Davidson home ever since.

From Romania with love on Valentine's Day (l-r - Tyler, Bruce, Heather and Jared Smith)

Now eleven years old (and soon to be 12 in May), Tyler and Jared are sixth graders at Lake Norman Charter School and name Social Studies as their favorite subject.  They continue in the school’s music program, both playing trombone – just like their dad.  They love the outdoors and are active boy scouts in Davidson’s Troop 58, having crossed over from Cub Scout Pack 58 last May.  How proud they are with their “Outstanding Webelos” wall hangings, having earned all 20 cub scout activity badges.  Now they have their sights set on merit badges with boy scouts.

Camping comes naturally for Tyler and Jared since the family enjoys traveling, especially with their new pop-up camper.  Last summer the family made a loop to New York state and Ohio visiting family but also taking in the sights at Shenandoah National Park, Watkins Glen, Chicago and Mammoth Caves – to name just a few of the spots they visited.  Chicago’s Sears Tower was a highlight with its newly opened glass observation platforms!

Catching up with Mom and Dad, we learned that Bruce continues to work for Spraylat and that Heather is now Director of Special Ministries at Davidson United Methodist Church.  Happy Valentine’s Day to all the Smith family:  ten years of special memories of that Valentine’s Day in 2000!

SUPER BOWL WITH DAVE FLEMING

Around Davidson heard that our very own Dave Fleming, talented senior writer for ESPN, The Magazine, would be at the Super Bowl so we decided to lean on him for a few notes about the event.

David Fleming

He got to Miami in time for a Friday night bash hosted by ESPN and of course a ticket to the big game on Sunday evening.  Be sure to link to Dave’s January interview with Drew Brees (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4822809) that ran on SportsCenter and if you see him in town, thank him for sharing his interview as well as his amazing “way with words” that follows.

ESPN threw a great party Friday night on South Beach (it was in a giant pink tent and it included two of my favorite things: Ne-Yo on stage and free Snickers). The next night, outside the Playboy party, I bumped into Eric Dickerson and Kenny Chesney — that pretty much sums up what it’s like to be at a Super Bowl: it’s a melange of free candy, Hall of Famers and second-rate country music stars.

"The view from my seat" - Dave Fleming at the Super Bowl

I’ve spent a lot of time with the Saints over the years — from my cover story on Drew Brees that ran just a few weeks ago to back in 2005 when I stayed with the team in San Antonio after Katrina and visited displaced residents in shelters after the storm — so I was happy to see them win the game. It was one of those rare moments when sports transcends the playing field. That scene after the game, with Drew Brees holding his son with tears in his eyes, definitely put a lump in my throat.

Dave also shared with us the ending of his magazine column for this week:

I was supposed to fly home from Miami early Monday afternoon, but my flight was mysteriously delayed for more than an hour.

I was just on the verge of getting irritated when I saw a row of police cars, motorcycles and airline workers lined up outside on either side of the tarmac. It was as though everyone at the airport had dropped what they were doing — delays be damned — so that they could line up and properly honor the group that was heading out to the runway.
A few minutes later, I got my answer when the Saints plane motored past on its way home to New Orleans. That’s when I realized that despite their amazing success on the field this season, and their scrappy, underdog triumph in the Super Bowl, the best part of the Saints’ story has nothing to do with football and everything to do with hope, rebirth and putting Hurricane Katrina behind us.

And as the windows shook from the engine noise, passengers inside the terminal placed their hands on the cold, smooth glass, as if reaching out to touch the Saints as they passed.

Well done, Dave.  Again our thanks for sharing – especially from one very enthusiastic sports fan (and Saints supporter) who also happens to write Around Davidson!

CHECK OUT THE HUB

When Davidson College’s “Cats on Main” opened we heard that the college would take responsibility for upkeep of the outside of that entire block of buildings.  What a surprise to see the old aluminum sign with the name, “The Hub,” visible when the awning was removed at 123 North Main Street.  Those who have lived in Davidson for the past fifty years remembered well when Ralph Quackenbush owned the store with a shoe repair, a barber shop and other small shopkeepers as neighbors.

With shopping bag full of Farmer's Market vegetables, Ralph and Carol pause on Main Street in front of The Hub.

(Mary Beaty’s book, “Davidson, a History of the Town,” indicates that James Sloan built 121-123 North Main as a two unit building in 1922.  The southern half, which is now Joe Poteat’s office, used to be the post office.  Ralph’s “Hub,” used to be Hugh Sapp’s College Pharmacy which Mary wrote, “was a popular gathering place …where high school students had been known to sit in the back booth and smoke Camels.”)

From 1962-1976, The Hub kept Ralph busy from morning until night.  He rented the building from Miss Louise Sloan and operated a soda shop with grill, stools at the counter, booths for customers plus an area to sell magazines, records and school supplies since there was no student store on campus.  The Hub also was the town’s Greyhound Bus Terminal where townspeople and students could buy tickets as well as send and receive cargo.  Its particular distinction in 1962 was being the first food establishment in town to integrate, serving all patrons regardless of race.  (The Davidson Historical Society names three other integrated facilities at that time as the town library and the restrooms at Bill Gurley’s Esso station and Cliff Archer’s Gulf station.)

How did Ralph get into the food business at The Hub?  He was a textile engineer in New Jersey who came south in 1959 to work for Hird and Sons in Cornelius (where Food Lion now is).  When that business failed in 1960, Ralph decided to go into business for himself and built the Tastee-Freeze on South Main in Cornelius (which now houses Laspada’s Original Philly Cheese Steaks).  Ralph’s Tastee-Freeze was the first in North Carolina to serve food in addition to soft serve ice cream.  Ralph operated both the Tastee-Freeze and The Hub for three years until he got tired of the long hours and sold the soft serve ice cream franchise in 1965.

Closing The Hub in 1976, Ralph started a new venture:  The Workbench.  This new business was furniture repair and restoration and being the boss as well as the only employee suited Ralph just fine.  After two years in Davidson, he relocated the business to The Chair Factory in Cornelius and then moved again to the Oak Street Mill before closing The Workbench for good in 1996.

In the meantime, he and his wife, Carol, built a home on Pinecrest in Davidson in 1970 and they continue to live there to this day.  Carol is a registered nurse who worked at Huntersville Hospital, University Hospital and the Davidson Clinic before retiring.

It is hard to know what the college has planned for exterior renovation at 123 North Main but we hope the aluminum sign remains in place as a window on our past.  What fun to delve into a bit of Davidson’s Main Street history!

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Have news for Brenda? Write to her at hbarger@bellsouth.net.