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Everlasting love, Goody Goody and growing old
© St. Petersburg Times The first time Nina Marie Webb saw Arthur Ballard was on a Valentine's Day eight decades ago. Marie was 12, Arthur was 15. She was short with "long, long blond hair" and blue eyes. He was tall and thin with dark curly hair, and dressed like a railroad engineer in denim overalls, railroad cap and red handkerchief around his neck. Marie can recall every detail of her love story, born in Tampa and cultivated in east Hillsborough. Arthur was delivering produce when she saw him from her home on Nebraska Avenue. She was instantly impressed. Arthur used to say she overwhelmed him that day, but Marie always insisted it was the other way around. "He walked into my life and stole my heart away," Marie said. It was three months before Arthur asked if he could kiss Marie. When he did, it was barely a peck -- and Marie thought to herself, "Why didn't you ask me that years ago, you dumb dope?" Years later, Arthur said he was too nervous because Mr. Webb had a double-barreled shotgun above the door. The Webbs soon moved to a farm in Dover. Arthur began driving the produce truck when he turned 16 and came to see Marie. It was always under the guise of visiting Marie's older sister, but when Marie heard him blow the whistle on his truck, she got all giddy. They were married three years later. Love bonded them through the ups and downs of life: the death of their toddler daughter, Arthur's job changes, the birth of four other kids, nine grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren. Marie, still able to recall vivid details, insists there was never a raised voice, never a crossed word. But on Feb. 26, something finally came between Arthur and Marie. After 80 years of romance and 77 years of marriage, Arthur died at age 95. Marie, 92, carries on but misses Arthur terribly. What advice would she offer people getting married today? "Love each other, trust each other," she said. "If somebody tells you something (about him), let your husband explain instead of believing them. "And count your pennies and cut up those credit cards." Nostalgia of a different sort is offered at one of Tampa's most venerable restaurants. Goody Goody is still going good on Florida Avenue, and if you haven't been in awhile you will be impressed with all the memorabilia on the wall. An array of pictures show what Tampa used to look like, including photographs of the original 1925 Goody Goody on Grand Central Boulevard (now Kennedy) and the current location when it opened in 1930. There are television listings from 1955, and postcards of Franklin Street when it was the street. Yvonne Freeman, who began working as a waitress at Goody Goody in 1959 and once served Col. Harland Sanders, leased the restaurant in 1984 after it closed. What compelled her to keep the once popular drive-in going? "I needed a job," she said with a laugh. Canterbury Tower, a senior citizens residence on Bayshore Boulevard, was featured in a New York Times story Tuesday. Renowned journalist Dudley Clendinen, a Tampa native, is living at Canterbury in an effort to write a book about growing old in America. If the story is any indication, the book will be a bestseller. It wonderfully weaved portraits of the residents with details on the difficulties of dealing with the extended years provided people by modern medicine. Most of all, it was another reminder of how much we should treasure our elders, their dreams, their stories, their lives. After hearing all about her Arthur, "the most precious person on earth," I wished Marie Ballard well. She told me to give my wife a hug for her, and then she said, "I love you." Right back at you, Marie. That's all I'm saying. -- Ernest Hooper can be reached at 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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Times columns today Howard Troxler Bill Maxwell Ernest Hooper From the Times Metro desks Ernest Hooper Howard Troxler |
