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Wlaf1450By Charlie Hutson
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Back in the day around La Follette, this old Chevrolet truck (above) was well known especially for its speed or lack of speed. It was owned and operated by Shelley Ivey of Shelley Ivey’s Barber Shop fame. The building that housed his shop still stands today next to Wender Furniture.
Those of us of a certain age will remember Shelley and his co-pilot wife Della, always wearing a bonnet, traveling at a blazing speed to his farm up the valley. Most drivers tried to get around Shelley before he made it to the two lane valley road. Once on the two-lane, he was traveling at that blazing speed of 10-MPH down hill with a stiff tail wind. In short order, Shelley would soon be leading a parade of cars and trucks. Once Shelley arrived at his turn off, his arm would come out the window to let those in his parade know that he was turning.
Shelley’s second ride was a GMC truck close to the same year model as the Chevrolet. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 09/23/2021-6AM-PHOTO COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)
Shelley & Dell were our neighbors in town, up on East Mountain Drive. I loved that truck. He also had a myna bird – cannot remember it’s name – who would sit in its cage on the front porch and speak a few words every day loud enough for us to hear a hundred yards away. He and Dell kept the town’s pigeons fed, too. The power lines and road in front of the house were full of the whole flock at various points throughout the day.
I picked up a few things from observing Shelley as a youth. One was specific about that truck he drove: You don’t need a new car every model year or even every few years. I had a new 1985 Ford Ranger I didn’t get rid of until 2008, when I bought my new Honda Pilot – which I will swap out of in 2028 or ’29, depending on how well it’s doing at that time. A vehicle is an expense from beginning to end. As long as it goes well and doesn’t cost too much to maintain, it’s worth keeping for a while.
Another point was endemic to life back then: Always keep a big garden. Now, my Granny and Papaw kept three big gardens, but having Shelley’s and Dell’s two right next door helped sink the lesson deep. Seeing them working the garden every day, and helping out with our own, taught me that with a little work, you could turn a tiny little seed into a mountain of good food. Our little 40 x 40 foot plot nets us an unbelievable ton and more of veggies, fruits, melons, every year (I know that because my Mother-in-Law weighs and records everything we get out of it). With the world going the way it is these days, next Spring I’m plowing up another piece. This one will be 40 x 100 feet. Granny, Papaw, Shelley & Dell, and the rest of our Depression Era folk knew what was important.
Thanks, Shelley. I know a lot of my generation laughed at you, but I never did. You set a timeless example, whether you meant to or not, for frugal living – no matter what one’s income is.
That belongs to my father, his nephew Henry Ivey. He’s no longer with us. But we still have the truck. Looks exactly like this and running.
I remember when he was on the road with his wife in her bonnet..
Shelley Ivey was my uncle.
Felix Ivey my grandfather