John Rundle High School

Gus's Little Widget

Sandra Hodges contacted me in June with the following note concerning her father,

Gus Hodges and the Little Widget.

Sandra Hodges

June 22, 2004

Dear Mike, I really enjoy your emails about all the JRHS folks. My mom recently

went to Grenada for my cousin Gloria's sons' graduation. Mom sent me the special

edition newspaper that had a write up about the Widget. I was surprised that there

wasn't very much mentioned of my dad, Gus Hodges. Since it is close to Father's

day, I was wondering if any of your mailing list may have some fond memories of

dad they may want to share. Just feeling a little nostalgic.

Thanks, Sandra Hodges class of 1971

Here are replies that I received from JRHS Alumni ---

James Tharpe

June 23, 2004

Gus did not just feed the teen agers, he gave them a place to go and a place to hang out.

He looked out for all us teen agers. He was a very positive figure in our lives.

I do not know of anyone who ever went to the Little Widget that did not love and respect

Gus Hodges. Gus did everything he could to help our parents mold us into honest hared

working productive young peaple. We were not just an income to Gus, we were all members

of his extended family and he truly loved each and every one of us. The teenagers of today

desperately need a Little Widget and a lovable man like Gus Hodges to be a positive influence

on them. Not only did we teens love Gus but all of our parents loved him. Our parents knew

as long as we were at the Little Widget they did not have to worry about us and that Gus

would make us behave. My favorite story about the Widget and Gus is one that my Mom often

tells. On Saturday nights I had to be home by 12:00 midnight because on Sunday mornings I

had to get usp early for Sunday School and Church. One Saturday night my date, Brenda Haley,

and I went to the Widget for burgers and then to the show. After the show we back to the Widget

to visit with friends then I took her home. I immediately went back to the Widget and went inside

to visit with my friends and Gus. As irresponsible teens do sometimes, I forgot the time. At

12:05 AM the phone rang and when Gus answered the phone, I heard him say, "he is sitting right

here.............I will send him right home". Gus looked at me and said for me to go straight

home. He then gave me a good talking to about respecting my parents, bing dependable and being

responsible. When I got home I got the stern talking to that I knew I was in for. The amazing

thing is the talking to that I got from Gus was worse than the one I got from my parents. The

next day I told my Mom and Dad about what Gus had told me and how he had talked to me about being

late going home and how it made him look bad. On Monday my Mom called Gus to thank him talkl he

gave me. She also thanked him for looking for me and all the other teenagers. I have told many

people all over the country about Gus and the Little Widget. I used to drive by and look at the

building and relive old teenage memories. Now I drive by and gaze at an empty lot and it makes

me sad. Looking back most of my teenage memories revolve around Gus and the Little Widget. I

thank God that we had Gus Hodges, Yancy Lee and the Little Widget. Jame Tharpe

Bonnie Austin Craft

June 23, 2004

GUS WOULD NOT ALLOW GIRLS INSIDE..BEST CHEESEBURGERS IN THE USA

WONDERFUL CURB SERVICE..GUS WAS A GREAT PERSON THAT WE ALL WILL REMEMBER FOR THE

REST OF OUR LIVES. YOU CAN NOT THINK OF GRENADA AND NOT THINK OF GUS AND THE

LITTLE WIDGET.

BONNIE AUSTIN CRAFT CLASS 1963

Jamie Houston

June 25, 2004

I have a lot of great memories of Gus and the Widget. Gus was the first person who extended

credit to me and lots of other folks. He maintained a system of personal charge accounts on

index cards. Gus had a wonderful, gentle way of reminding you when your bill was getting a

little high and needed to be paid down. I think when I started going to the Widget hamburgers

were $.35 and steak sandwiches were $.50. Gus and the cook did it all on the big griddle in the

small kitchen. Of course the fries were the genuine deep fried variety and they were great.

The Widget was always a refuge from the storm--a few stools at the counter, a booth or two, a

couple of pinball machines, a great jukebox and a lot of great company. When I started going there

no females except the cook and the girl who was handling the cars outside came inside the Widget.

It was strictly a male environment. The younger guys, like I was when I started going to the Widget,

probably as a freshman in high school, learned a lot about the facts of life and other valuable stuff

from the patrons there. Gus was always very protective of the younger customers. He wouldn't put up

with anyone hazing or mistreating anyone else in the Widget. He always wanted the Widget to be a

very customer friendly establishment, and he really was a good friend to everyone who came there

on a regular basis. On Friday and Saturday nights the parking lot would be packed with guys and girls

on dates, and girls there to see and be seen by the guys inside the Widget. While I was in high school

girls started coming inside the Widget at night on some occasions, I think after pep rallies, or maybe

after ball games. I'm not sure Gus ever got used to that, but he tolerated it pretty well. Later in high

school we started sneaking to the Widget for lunch. I think Gus was a little surprised

to see us when we first started coming at lunch on school days, but Gus had seen just about everything

by then, and he took in stride like he always did. I can still picture Gus standing behind the counter

talking to a customer who hadn't been in for a while, like some of the guys who went off to college or

to Vietnam, and were back for a while. Gus enjoyed catching up with where people had been and how they

were doing. He was a great friend to a lot of us. I remember being at the Methodist Church playing football

one Saturday or Sunday afternoon when I heard Gus had passed away. I really couldn't believe it. I remember

the funeral at the Catholic Church and the large number of people there to pay their respects. Gus and

the Widget really were important in the lives of a lot of us as we were growing up in Grenada. It was always

the place to be, and Gus was the perfect proprietor. I have a lot of other memories of the Widget, and

all that happened there. It would take me a long time to tell all of the stories I think I remember, and

to describe all the characters who came there. Please let Sandra know that I remember Gus quite well, and

I have great memories of him. Jamie Houston

Bill Daly

August 8, 2004

I have a couple of thoughts about Gus:

* I worked at the Widget through most of my high school years and

off and on during college. Gus had a reputation for giving us

guys alot of grief if we started messing up. Of course, in those

days messing up was skipping school, poor grades, speeding,

drinking a bit of underage beer, etc. In those situations, Gus

would give us a public reprimand to the tune of, "You need to

tighten up. I know you can do better." What the world did not

see was how he dealt with those who were in or about to get into

some real trouble - dropping out of school, pregnant, excessive

drinking, bad family situations, etc. When things were quiet

around the Widget, Gus would set the boy (I don't think I ever saw

him do this with a girl) down on the bar stool and gently counsel

him about growing beyond the circumstances and realizing that he

had to take on the responsibility for his own life. It was a

tough love kind of counsel, but done quietly and privately. there

is no telling how many kids lives were turned around because of

his support, encouragement , and challenge to stand up and be a man.

* But my favorite memory was at Gus' funeral. If my memory serves

me correctly (which it does not do as well now days) Gus died

while decorating his Christmas tree a few weeks before Christmas.

The work spread throughout the college campuses and across the

state and we showed up in force at the funeral. The priest was

relatively new in Grenada at the time and he did not know Gus very

well. Because of the 7 day a week Widget schedule Gus did not

attend mass on a regular basis. I have to assume that Father ?

had prepared a homily that he normally used for someone not too

involved in church or any type of ministry. Well, the church was

PACKED; the front porch was over flowing; the sidewalk was covered

up. There were young folks there - high school, college, and

young adults from several states and all across Mississippi. My

memory is this: When the priest (wish I could remember his name)

got up to the pulpit to deliver his homily, he said something to

the tune of, "I have prepared some remarks which I am going to

discard. Obviously, there is much about Gus Hodges that I do not

know."

Gus most definitely left his mark on the young people of Grenada. At every class reunion -

even from classes of the 50's and probably even before that - the memorabilia always includes

pictures of Gus.

I just had the thought of how much better off Grenada would be right now if there was

still someone like Gus to help direct the young folks. But, obviously, Gus was one of a kind.

Bill Daly

Class of '66 and ex-Widget Carhop

Carol Ann Middlebrook Carter

September 12, 2004

I think everyone that grew up in Grenada loved the Little Widget. Girls didn't go inside so

I never knew Gus as well as the guys did. I do remember my first real date with Ronnie

McRee to see the Gants play. Not only was the Gants playing in Grenada a big deal but

it was my first Widget experience at night in a car. Ronnie ordered a "salty dog" (sprite,

lemon with salt on the edge) which I had never had and it was my favorite forever. After

pep rallies the girls could go inside and we were thrilled to see where the guys hung out.

( We never did get to see the inside of the Pool Hall.!?! ) How many times did we ride by

the Widget to see WHO was there or who was meeting who? We didn't know it at the

time but Gus was our best friend. He provided a hang out for teenagers that no one today

could ever duplicate. Thanks Gus for caring about us!!!

Carol Ann Middlebrook Carter

John Hunter

September 13, 2004

Dear Sandra,

The timing of this email from Mike couldn't have been any better. On Friday I was talking with some of the guys at my office about growing up, or more specifically our teen years. This is a conversation, similar to many, that I have taken part in over the years. I ask them where they 'hung out" and generally they answer, "we gathered at the local 7/11" or something to that effect. Some had spots that sounded a little like the Widget, you know, a drive-in burger joint. None of them, however, have ever mentioned a "Gus Hodges". Like Jamie and James Tharpe and Bill Daley's stories there are millions of memories associated for all of us with the Widget and that was because of your dad. The conversation Friday ended, as they all have over the years, with my trying to tell them who Gus was. The only way I know how to do that is to share with them what Bill shared about your dad's funeral. We all went home. Gus Hodges and the Widget were part of home to most of us who grew up in Grenada, Mississippi.

Sincerely,

John Hunter

(all grammar and punctuation has been edited to the best of my ability in the event that Lois Gulley is observing from wherever it is teachers go)

Jay Gore

Sept. 14, 2004

Gus WAS the Widget. I remember so very much that happened there, mostly in the parking lot, but to bring those things back up would cause a lot of red faces. But we all have and cherish those memories.

Gus was the one who understood and who always gave good counsel as we were going through those 'adjusting' years. I'm sure all our parents were truly appreciative that there was another adult in whom their children could confide with the assurance they wouldn't be ridiculed or exposed. (Who among us won't admit that we wish our children had a Gus Hodges??)

Everybody, without exception, loved Gus......the annual picture was even altered to add his glasses because everybody wanted to have a picture of Gus as we knew him, no pretense, just a caring, loving, man who did more than he ever knew to shape lives and help people, and the best part is ,he didn't do it because he set out to......it just was the way he was.

Jay

Terry Ray

September 15, 2004

I hope I have mentioned this in the past, but "Thank You" for the time you spend in helping us remember our past. The Little Widget had a huge, positive impact on many of our lives. Gus was truly one of a kind. With out him, I sometimes wonder where many of us would be today.

Terry Ray

You can contact us via email at michael@maxeycoffee.com.