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- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 23 Apr 2005.
The Plain Talk
„E2005 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL You know Mack Willis at the Kenjo BP station located off Knoxville Highway. With him are employees Faye Wright, on the left, and Nola Shaver. Other employees not shown are Duretha Howard, Amy Smelcer, and Vick Wallin.
By: David Popiel
Source: The Newport Plain Talk
04-23-2005
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Many of you have been in search of low gasoline prices. In some areas of Appalachia the price for regular hit $2.30 a gallon. Last Wednesday when I drove along the Knoxville Hwy. the cars were lined up at the Kenjo BP station because regular was only $2.12 but the real treat, other than coffee and a tasty big cinnamon roll, was chatting with Mack Willis. I hadnˇ¦t seen him in years and didnˇ¦t realize he managed the station. You old timers may recall when he worked at the old Co-op in Eastport from 1964-69 when Gray Oˇ¦Neil was the manager.
In 1969, he started driving a gasoline tanker for Gulf/Williams Oil and did this until 1980. He said when he first started he recalled that diesel sold for 14.9 cents; kerosene 15.9 cents and gas was only 28.9 for high-test. Then in 1980, he took over running what had been a two-bay Gulf service station at the current BP location.
Although he is not as slim as Lee Willis, I wondered what the kinship might be. Mack said that Leeˇ¦s grandfather Lee Willis and Mackˇ¦s grandfather Juluis Willis were brothers. Unfortunately, the elder Lee Willis was killed in a horse a buggy mishap in Morristown when struck by a train.
Mack said that his parents were Emerson Willis and the former C. L. Henderson¬ˇVI thought it strange she had no name other than initials. There were several children that you must know beside Mack: older brothers Joe Willis, who lives in Florida, and Lester of Talbott; sisters: Alma Jean Lane, of Bogard, and Doris Jennings, of Cosby. I know Alma because her husband Ken Lane is a good friend of mine. I bumped into Ken last week while shooting a photo of the wisteria covered fence at Kathy Codyˇ¦s house. Mack is an interesting and friendly fellow but I got the rest of the story from his friends. It seems that when he is not working in Newport, he goes home to Del Rio where he enjoys spending time with his pet roosters. You see a photo here of one of many roosters who greet him when he arrives home in the evenings. He has made pets out of a rooster and hen.
Unfortunately, he now has six grandchicks to worry about. You wouldnˇ¦t think he is old enough to be a grandpa because he celebrates only his sixty-second birthday today, April 24. We hope that his pets are not on the main course for Sunday dinner. We kid Mack and I can thank his friends for this. His sister-in-law Brenda Gilbert, at Rhyne Clock Co., took the photo but I assure you it was not submitted by her, Doris, or Alma Jean.
As an after note, Mack told me that a long-time fellow worker with him is Wendell FordˇVI know him as the son of my late friend, J. I. Ford, of Denton. Wendell has worked with Mack for about 35 years having started with Mack at the Gulf distributor located off Asheville Hwy.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 27 Oct 2005.
Doris Jennings obituary
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: Emerson Willis
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 19 Jul 1931
Event Place: Cocke, Tennessee, United States
Age: 20
Birth Year (Estimated): 1911
Spouse's Name: C L Henderson
Spouse's Age: 18
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1913
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, d. 3 Sep 1974, Cocke County, Tennessee