Stuckey: The Biography of Williamson Sylvester Stuckey, 1909-1977

Rating:
Summary: Never a Car Trip without Stuckey's
Review: A nice biography in a narrative and oral fashion of the family /man behind the once ubiquitious Stuckey's roadside candy, pecan log-roll and gas station chain. It was the place where my sister and I "blew" our souvenir money on those cross country station wagon vacations. A richly detailed, folksy biography of a cultural icon that was swallowed up and spit out by corporate conglomerates. An important book that documents roadside America. This book demonstrates that Ameican wealth is a function of opportunity and circumstance. Not everybody is in a position to become wealthy. However, the author showed through the workings of Williamson Stuckey and his stores, that when shared, the "pecan pie" can get bigger for everybody. One can surmise from reading this bio that a market economy and wealth sharing are not mutually exclusive. Mr. Stuckey shared his chain and ideals with people who might not otherwise have had the chance at wealth. The most important line in the entire book: "They (blacks) would tell me that they had to plan their trips back in the '40s and '50s when they were going across the country so they could use the rest rooms at Stuckey stores. In those pre-integration days, public restrooms were off-limits to blacks, but Stuckey's was different." A very interesting read and it was nice to learn that Stuckey's was back in family hands.

Rating:
Summary: Never a Car Trip without Stuckey's
Review: A nice biography in a narrative and oral fashion of the family /man behind the once ubiquitious Stuckey's roadside candy, pecan log-roll and gas station chain. It was the place where my sister and I "blew" our souvenir money on those cross country station wagon vacations. A richly detailed, folksy biography of a cultural icon that was swallowed up and spit out by corporate conglomerates. An important book that documents roadside America. This book demonstrates that Ameican wealth is a function of opportunity and circumstance. Not everybody is in a position to become wealthy. However, the author showed through the workings of Williamson Stuckey and his stores, that when shared, the "pecan pie" can get bigger for everybody. One can surmise from reading this bio that a market economy and wealth sharing are not mutually exclusive. Mr. Stuckey shared his chain and ideals with people who might not otherwise have had the chance at wealth. The most important line in the entire book: "They (blacks) would tell me that they had to plan their trips back in the '40s and '50s when they were going across the country so they could use the rest rooms at Stuckey stores. In those pre-integration days, public restrooms were off-limits to blacks, but Stuckey's was different." A very interesting read and it was nice to learn that Stuckey's was back in family hands.