| Sources |
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 6 May 2003.
Pauline James Myers obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 22 Aug 2009.
One bean or another & Fried pies with great coffee
(c)2009 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL
New owners at the East Tennessee Coffee Co. shop on East Broadway are Beverly
and Fred Myers. They took over the business in early August. Both are retired from
the old Detroit Gasket plant.
Author: David Popiel
Night rain at week's end brought the summer closer to close but didn't arrive in time to spoil high school football in our hometown, easing into a cooler last week in August.
The Plain Talk had a commercial booth to get the word out about our new business, Cockecountymarketplace.com. Mark Taylor and I set the tent up Sunday, Aug. 9, when it must have been 92 degrees. I asked Libby Strange, fair manager, where we should place it and she pointed to a spot along the green fence behind the Little Theater. "Who are in the other booths?" I asked. "The Republicans and Democrats." At least we were in between and later joined by the folks with Cross Roads Community Church. Monday night's rain had left the ground soaked. I chatted with Billy Hugh Sparks, who was seated on a hay bale covered with plastic in the Republican Women's tent. We wondered if the Democrats had anything to do with causing the flooding around our tents. They had chosen the dry, higher ground. The thing I like about the fair is the people you get to see, many of whom you have not seen in quite a while, Like Gene Branam. He told me how some 40 years ago he and Skip Gregory would visit the fair, one that was much different than today's. The Karaoke music just across the paved drive from us featured Reece and Penny Grooms. The Cross Roads tent must have been a hit with thirsty people because the church members were giving away those long popsicle sticks. Volunteers included Joyce Clevenger, Diane Watkins, Kelly Flaming, Jana and Donald Farley that night.
One of the food booths in our line of tents, was operated by some local folks you know. Because the fried pies were good, I returned for a pile of pies on Thursday and to chat with chief pie person Sue Lane. She was being aided by Mervene Owenby and Marilyn Huff. She is married to champion bean grower Charles Lane. He suffers from some joint problems but still grew 10 varieties. When I asked Sue her maiden name, she said Strange, which makes her a cousin to the late fair organizer Dewey Strange. Another bean grower we talked about some weeks ago was Tommy Strange, who is her brother. Sue uses her pantry skills to aid such groups as Relay for Life and Northport Baptist Church. For the past 15 years she has fried pies, starting this venture because of the fall festivals. One year at On Cosby Festival she prepared and sold 800 pies in two days. These are prepared with her own dough recipe, dried apples soaked for 24 hours, and secret seasonings. It takes 12 to 14 minutes for a batch of the deep-fried pies. A handmade dough cutter, seven-inch circle, keeps them uniform. When Sue is not helping others and selling pies, she manages the Food City East Gas 'n' Go station. Food City has been her employer for about 17 years. The Lanes have one son, Todd, who is a tractor mechanic for the county road dept.
You may recall that some days ago I learned that East Tennessee Coffee Co. shop had been sold. Fred Myers and his wife, Beverely, took over the business located in Bettye Ann Bewley's center that includes the Men's Den on the corner of East Broadway. Last week Fred stopped by the office and we talked about his family and work. Then, I made another visit for a coffee and her homemade brownies. Many people know Fred well having worked with him at Detroit Gasket, where I first met him 30-plus years ago. Yet, I didn't really know about him. His Dad was Fred Myers Sr.-not the same as the late prominent attorney Fred Myers Sr., Dad to Bill and Freddie Myers. The Myers family hails from the Old Fifteenth and Fred was a brother to Ben Myers. Fred married Pauline James of Edwina. To court her, he had to walk across Rocky Top. They married and had five children, the oldest being Sammy Myers, who works at Bush Brothers. Sister, Marilyn Henderson works at ConAgra, and the youngest sibling, Benny Ray, also works at Bush Brothers. Fred told me that his Dad farmed and also was a deliveryman at Bryant & Pack Lumber. The family lived for many years behind what was Bryant's Super Market, across from Bryant & Pack and now owned by Danny Wester as Dixie Pawn. The Myers family rented a house from Charlie and Ophas Bryant behind the store. Marvin Keys Sr. ran the popular grocery and had loyal customers because of the generous credit he extended. This was important to tobacco farmers who got their paycheck once a year. Fred recalled the family paid $15 week rent and he often visited the sawmill. He was there when William McAllister was seriously injured. "The good Lord provided for us," said Fred, who knows a lot of history of Bryant Town. He told me that Woodard Keys owned the land just east of the grocery that now is the site of LaCaretta restaurant, Town & Country drugs, A-Z Rental, and the gas station. Woodard eventually sold the property to Charlie Bryant for $100,000-an unheard of price in that era. Charlie's son, Jerry Bryant, now owns the same property. As a teenager, Fred helped Jerry build the Bryant Town Motel, now the Park Way Inn, in the mid 1960s. Fred also recalled walking to town with Mom. "We looked like a bunch of ducklings." He attended West End School and has fond memories of teacher Lucille Cureton. In 1967, Fred graduated from Cocke County High School worked at Enka but got a great offer to join a new plant, Detroit Gasket, which had started up in 1960. Jerry helped Fred get this job because a company official was staying at the motel and asked Jerry if he knew any honest, hardworking men. So Fred was hired as a quality control worker. But by 1969, he and many other Cocke County men were drafted because of the Vietnam War. "I hadn't been to Morristown or Greeneville" and then he was shipped to Vietnam for 13 months. He returned to Newport back at DG. Some of the management at that time included Jerry Smith, Garland Layman, Joe Luttrell, and Fred Gregg. Fred accepted a supervisor's position but only when fellow employees told him they would support him. By 1984, Fred became plant manager, again because of employee support. Indian Head Industries and Ron Parker owned the company. During its peak years until the early 1990s employment reached 250 as Newport supplied gaskets to GM, Ford, Auto Zone and another retailer today known as O'Reilly's. Eventually, manufacturing started seeping away from the US, and a German company bought DG, Freudenberg, and moved the plant to Canada closing the Newport DG in 2007. It took more than 60 trucks to haul all the equipment and stock away. Some Newport workers were bused to Canada and paid to set up equipment and train Canadians. The irony, said Fred, is now the company is bankrupt and is being sold and moved to Mexico. Fred worked for about 16 months in Montreal and expects to assist as a consultant with the next plant move. When Fred returned to Newport he not only brought back memories of the coldest winter there in 40 years, with 30-foot snow banks, but fondness for the coffee shop atmosphere. Now, at 60, he says "I'm retired" but his wife, wants to stay active in the community and hence East Tenn. Coffee.
Beverly is just the right person to run the business. She worked at DG for 25 years operating a stamping press. She knew Fred because two of her aunts married two of his uncles: Opal Corn married Ben Myers and Beatrice Corn married John Myers. Beverly's parents were Homer McKinney, of Del Rio, who married Wanda Corn. Homer died when Beverly was young and Mrs. McKinney then married Caulie James. Beverly has two sisters, one of which is surviving: Viola Mayes, of Morristown.
Fred has two sons from a previous marriage: Randy and Rodney Myers. I saw his daughter-in-law, Shannon Myers, who is married to Rodney, buying a frappacino on Wed. I think she urged Beverly to take over the shop so her source of frappacino did not dry up. Later I realized that She is Arzella Mantooth's little daughter. Randy is married to the former Tracy Walker. Beverly had three children by a previous marriage: Blake, Chasity Seaton, and Maggie Thacker. I have seen some of Chasity's photography, and she does excellent work. Fred and Beverly have been married for about 11 years and live off Bridgeport-Edwina Road on land that came down through her family.
When the couple was in Canada, they fell in love with the coffee shop atmosphere and wanted to be sure such a place was available in Newport. They offer a place for socializing; even Cross Roads church members have Bible class there. And because of the free WiFi connection to the Internet, pastors often drop in to check their e-mails or work on sermons. "You can't make a living" at the business, said Fred, but it is something they wanted to do for the community. "I'm totally retired," said Fred, who is 60. "It's her business." The shop opens at 7 a.m. and doors close at 4 p.m. Saturday hours are from 9 a.m. until things slow down. If you want a different blend of coffee, some homemade snacks, then I recommend that you drop in soon.
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Abt 1949 - (~ 75 years)
(Age 79 years)