My dad, PAUL HARMON BISHOP, was born Oct. 16, 1904 in the library at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina. His mother Matilda Bishop, was a teacher there and his father, Elmer Elsworth Bishop, the principal. They were hired by the Methodist Conference to work as principal and teacher in their schools. When dad was about three years old, his parents were transfered to Vashti School for Girls in Thomasville, Georgia.
Dad graduated from Thomasville High School and then entered a business college where he graduated. He became an accountant and begin work. Dad was very good in math. When he was eighty years old, he took a navigation class at Florida State University and made the highest score in the class. Well, he was just getting on his feet in accounting when the depression hit. He was the youngest and newest hired in the firm therefore he was the first to lose his job.
Dad had some savings which he took and purchased a small country store, but so many people charged their groceries because they did not have cash and dad had such a kind heart he could not bear to see people suffering, he finally had to close the store because he didn't have the money he needed to restock.
By this time dad had married BEAUNA BELL GASKIN and had two small sons, Paul Jr. and Walter. He, like thousands of other men during the depression, went on the road to find work. Mom told what hard times these were. Her little boys were so hungry that she slipped over and milked a neighbor's cow to get milk for them. Dad worked for the railroad for a year or two until he found work as a mechanic. He moved his family from Thomasville, Georgia down to Tallahassee, Florida because there seemed to be more work there. He & his family stayed with Uncle Henry and Aunt Ruby for awhile until they could find a place to live. When I was growing up dad was so good at working on cars that he could take a car apart and put it back together again. He worked as a mechanic for several years and then got a job as a carpenter. He became very good at this and he and a contractor, a Mr. McElwain, went into business together. Mr. McElwain was a contractor and a brick layer, so he picked the house plans and did the brick work and daddy was the foreman in charge of building. I remember dad going down Gaines Street in the early morning in his truck and stopping in front of a store there and picking up any laborers that wanted to work. They would hop in the truck and work for dad. He and Mr. McElwain built many beautiful houses. When I was a teenager the Tallahassee Seventh-day Adventist Church asked dad to build their new church. He did a great job supervising and building the church. It is still standing today and is still beautiful. Years later they built another church farther out because they needed more parking spaces and room to build a school. I believe today the church dad built is a Presbyterian Church, but it is still beautiful. I believe the street it is on is Gadsden Street. Us kids were always very proud of our Daddy. Whatever job he did, he did well. I think all of us have been raised up with that motivation that whatever you do, do your best.
Dad eventually bought the house at 1500 Lake Avenue which was a one story house. Dad turned it around and made a two story house. A little old lady owned this house. It was outside the Tallahassee city limits and it had a big water tower. She sold water to the neighborhood. When dad bought the house he & mom took over the business of selling
the water to the neighbors. Mom told me that dad said that if she would collect the money that the neighbors would bring to pay for the water then she could have that money to use. I remember people coming to the door to pay their water bill. In the mid fifties the city of Tallahassee moved the city limits farther out and included this neighborhood in the city limits and brought water out to this area, therefore this put mom and dad out of the water selling business.
Dad continued to work as a builder for many years. He and mom instilled in us five kids how important an education was. We are proud that out of five kids four graduated from college. Paul Jr. was drafted into the army when he took a break from college to get married. He decided to make the military a career and got his Engineering degree while serving in the army. He served in Viet Nam three different times. He lives in the Tampa/Clearwater, Florida area. Walter was always a hands-on guy and makes beautiful custom cabinets. He is retired but still makes some cabinets. Walter lives in
Tallahassee, Florida. Wayne worked for IBM for years and became head of the robot department and then their European Representative before his retirement .Wayne lives in the Orlando, Florida area. I, (Betty) became a teacher and worked 37 years as an elementary teacher. I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sandra became a nurse and worked for many years in a Veterans Hospital. She now lives in Walla Walla Washington.
As you can see us kids loved our parents very much and was proud of them. Mom was busy raising us kids for years and their couldn't have been a better mom. When Sandra and I became teenagers mom went to night school to get her LPN nursing degree. She worked many years as a nurse to help put us all through college. There were four of us in college at the same time. I asked mom one time how she could study for her night classes when she was taking care of us five kids. She said she would prop herself up in bed after she had gotten us all to bed then she would read her textbooks and dad would drill her. How she did it I'll never know.
In August, 1993, mom & dad got up, went out to meet friends and eat breakfast at a restaurant, then dad went by Sears to buy a part for his car, then went to visit Aunt Jewel at her house where they sat around and drank coffee and talked. They got home and dad took a nap while mom cooked. They ate later and watched the 6 o'clock news. They were sitting side by side on the sofa when mom made a comment to dad but he didn't answer. He had died. He was 89 years old and never made a sound or even a movement. Mom died 3 1/2 months later when she fell and broke her leg and had a heart attack in the hospital. Both parents were good Christians and I expect to see them again in heaven.
Betty Bishop Swafford
Dad graduated from Thomasville High School and then entered a business college where he graduated. He became an accountant and begin work. Dad was very good in math. When he was eighty years old, he took a navigation class at Florida State University and made the highest score in the class. Well, he was just getting on his feet in accounting when the depression hit. He was the youngest and newest hired in the firm therefore he was the first to lose his job.
Dad had some savings which he took and purchased a small country store, but so many people charged their groceries because they did not have cash and dad had such a kind heart he could not bear to see people suffering, he finally had to close the store because he didn't have the money he needed to restock.
By this time dad had married BEAUNA BELL GASKIN and had two small sons, Paul Jr. and Walter. He, like thousands of other men during the depression, went on the road to find work. Mom told what hard times these were. Her little boys were so hungry that she slipped over and milked a neighbor's cow to get milk for them. Dad worked for the railroad for a year or two until he found work as a mechanic. He moved his family from Thomasville, Georgia down to Tallahassee, Florida because there seemed to be more work there. He & his family stayed with Uncle Henry and Aunt Ruby for awhile until they could find a place to live. When I was growing up dad was so good at working on cars that he could take a car apart and put it back together again. He worked as a mechanic for several years and then got a job as a carpenter. He became very good at this and he and a contractor, a Mr. McElwain, went into business together. Mr. McElwain was a contractor and a brick layer, so he picked the house plans and did the brick work and daddy was the foreman in charge of building. I remember dad going down Gaines Street in the early morning in his truck and stopping in front of a store there and picking up any laborers that wanted to work. They would hop in the truck and work for dad. He and Mr. McElwain built many beautiful houses. When I was a teenager the Tallahassee Seventh-day Adventist Church asked dad to build their new church. He did a great job supervising and building the church. It is still standing today and is still beautiful. Years later they built another church farther out because they needed more parking spaces and room to build a school. I believe today the church dad built is a Presbyterian Church, but it is still beautiful. I believe the street it is on is Gadsden Street. Us kids were always very proud of our Daddy. Whatever job he did, he did well. I think all of us have been raised up with that motivation that whatever you do, do your best.
Dad eventually bought the house at 1500 Lake Avenue which was a one story house. Dad turned it around and made a two story house. A little old lady owned this house. It was outside the Tallahassee city limits and it had a big water tower. She sold water to the neighborhood. When dad bought the house he & mom took over the business of selling
the water to the neighbors. Mom told me that dad said that if she would collect the money that the neighbors would bring to pay for the water then she could have that money to use. I remember people coming to the door to pay their water bill. In the mid fifties the city of Tallahassee moved the city limits farther out and included this neighborhood in the city limits and brought water out to this area, therefore this put mom and dad out of the water selling business.
Dad continued to work as a builder for many years. He and mom instilled in us five kids how important an education was. We are proud that out of five kids four graduated from college. Paul Jr. was drafted into the army when he took a break from college to get married. He decided to make the military a career and got his Engineering degree while serving in the army. He served in Viet Nam three different times. He lives in the Tampa/Clearwater, Florida area. Walter was always a hands-on guy and makes beautiful custom cabinets. He is retired but still makes some cabinets. Walter lives in
Tallahassee, Florida. Wayne worked for IBM for years and became head of the robot department and then their European Representative before his retirement .Wayne lives in the Orlando, Florida area. I, (Betty) became a teacher and worked 37 years as an elementary teacher. I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sandra became a nurse and worked for many years in a Veterans Hospital. She now lives in Walla Walla Washington.
As you can see us kids loved our parents very much and was proud of them. Mom was busy raising us kids for years and their couldn't have been a better mom. When Sandra and I became teenagers mom went to night school to get her LPN nursing degree. She worked many years as a nurse to help put us all through college. There were four of us in college at the same time. I asked mom one time how she could study for her night classes when she was taking care of us five kids. She said she would prop herself up in bed after she had gotten us all to bed then she would read her textbooks and dad would drill her. How she did it I'll never know.
In August, 1993, mom & dad got up, went out to meet friends and eat breakfast at a restaurant, then dad went by Sears to buy a part for his car, then went to visit Aunt Jewel at her house where they sat around and drank coffee and talked. They got home and dad took a nap while mom cooked. They ate later and watched the 6 o'clock news. They were sitting side by side on the sofa when mom made a comment to dad but he didn't answer. He had died. He was 89 years old and never made a sound or even a movement. Mom died 3 1/2 months later when she fell and broke her leg and had a heart attack in the hospital. Both parents were good Christians and I expect to see them again in heaven.
Betty Bishop Swafford
My dad, PAUL HARMON BISHOP, was born Oct. 16, 1904 in the library at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina. His mother Matilda Bishop, was a teacher there and his father, Elmer Elsworth Bishop, the principal. They were hired by the Methodist Conference to work as principal and teacher in their schools. When dad was about three years old, his parents were transfered to Vashti School for Girls in Thomasville, Georgia.
Dad graduated from Thomasville High School and then entered a business college where he graduated. He became an accountant and begin work. Dad was very good in math. When he was eighty years old, he took a navigation class at Florida State University and made the highest score in the class. Well, he was just getting on his feet in accounting when the depression hit. He was the youngest and newest hired in the firm therefore he was the first to lose his job.
Dad had some savings which he took and purchased a small country store, but so many people charged their groceries because they did not have cash and dad had such a kind heart he could not bear to see people suffering, he finally had to close the store because he didn't have the money he needed to restock.
By this time dad had married BEAUNA BELL GASKIN and had two small sons, Paul Jr. and Walter. He, like thousands of other men during the depression, went on the road to find work. Mom told what hard times these were. Her little boys were so hungry that she slipped over and milked a neighbor's cow to get milk for them. Dad worked for the railroad for a year or two until he found work as a mechanic. He moved his family from Thomasville, Georgia down to Tallahassee, Florida because there seemed to be more work there. He & his family stayed with Uncle Henry and Aunt Ruby for awhile until they could find a place to live. When I was growing up dad was so good at working on cars that he could take a car apart and put it back together again. He worked as a mechanic for several years and then got a job as a carpenter. He became very good at this and he and a contractor, a Mr. McElwain, went into business together. Mr. McElwain was a contractor and a brick layer, so he picked the house plans and did the brick work and daddy was the foreman in charge of building. I remember dad going down Gaines Street in the early morning in his truck and stopping in front of a store there and picking up any laborers that wanted to work. They would hop in the truck and work for dad. He and Mr. McElwain built many beautiful houses. When I was a teenager the Tallahassee Seventh-day Adventist Church asked dad to build their new church. He did a great job supervising and building the church. It is still standing today and is still beautiful. Years later they built another church farther out because they needed more parking spaces and room to build a school. I believe today the church dad built is a Presbyterian Church, but it is still beautiful. I believe the street it is on is Gadsden Street. Us kids were always very proud of our Daddy. Whatever job he did, he did well. I think all of us have been raised up with that motivation that whatever you do, do your best.
Dad eventually bought the house at 1500 Lake Avenue which was a one story house. Dad turned it around and made a two story house. A little old lady owned this house. It was outside the Tallahassee city limits and it had a big water tower. She sold water to the neighborhood. When dad bought the house he & mom took over the business of selling
the water to the neighbors. Mom told me that dad said that if she would collect the money that the neighbors would bring to pay for the water then she could have that money to use. I remember people coming to the door to pay their water bill. In the mid fifties the city of Tallahassee moved the city limits farther out and included this neighborhood in the city limits and brought water out to this area, therefore this put mom and dad out of the water selling business.
Dad continued to work as a builder for many years. He and mom instilled in us five kids how important an education was. We are proud that out of five kids four graduated from college. Paul Jr. was drafted into the army when he took a break from college to get married. He decided to make the military a career and got his Engineering degree while serving in the army. He served in Viet Nam three different times. He lives in the Tampa/Clearwater, Florida area. Walter was always a hands-on guy and makes beautiful custom cabinets. He is retired but still makes some cabinets. Walter lives in
Tallahassee, Florida. Wayne worked for IBM for years and became head of the robot department and then their European Representative before his retirement .Wayne lives in the Orlando, Florida area. I, (Betty) became a teacher and worked 37 years as an elementary teacher. I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sandra became a nurse and worked for many years in a Veterans Hospital. She now lives in Walla Walla Washington.
As you can see us kids loved our parents very much and was proud of them. Mom was busy raising us kids for years and their couldn't have been a better mom. When Sandra and I became teenagers mom went to night school to get her LPN nursing degree. She worked many years as a nurse to help put us all through college. There were four of us in college at the same time. I asked mom one time how she could study for her night classes when she was taking care of us five kids. She said she would prop herself up in bed after she had gotten us all to bed then she would read her textbooks and dad would drill her. How she did it I'll never know.
In August, 1993, mom & dad got up, went out to meet friends and eat breakfast at a restaurant, then dad went by Sears to buy a part for his car, then went to visit Aunt Jewel at her house where they sat around and drank coffee and talked. They got home and dad took a nap while mom cooked. They ate later and watched the 6 o'clock news. They were sitting side by side on the sofa when mom made a comment to dad but he didn't answer. He had died. He was 89 years old and never made a sound or even a movement. Mom died 3 1/2 months later when she fell and broke her leg and had a heart attack in the hospital. Both parents were good Christians and I expect to see them again in heaven.
Betty Bishop Swafford
Dad graduated from Thomasville High School and then entered a business college where he graduated. He became an accountant and begin work. Dad was very good in math. When he was eighty years old, he took a navigation class at Florida State University and made the highest score in the class. Well, he was just getting on his feet in accounting when the depression hit. He was the youngest and newest hired in the firm therefore he was the first to lose his job.
Dad had some savings which he took and purchased a small country store, but so many people charged their groceries because they did not have cash and dad had such a kind heart he could not bear to see people suffering, he finally had to close the store because he didn't have the money he needed to restock.
By this time dad had married BEAUNA BELL GASKIN and had two small sons, Paul Jr. and Walter. He, like thousands of other men during the depression, went on the road to find work. Mom told what hard times these were. Her little boys were so hungry that she slipped over and milked a neighbor's cow to get milk for them. Dad worked for the railroad for a year or two until he found work as a mechanic. He moved his family from Thomasville, Georgia down to Tallahassee, Florida because there seemed to be more work there. He & his family stayed with Uncle Henry and Aunt Ruby for awhile until they could find a place to live. When I was growing up dad was so good at working on cars that he could take a car apart and put it back together again. He worked as a mechanic for several years and then got a job as a carpenter. He became very good at this and he and a contractor, a Mr. McElwain, went into business together. Mr. McElwain was a contractor and a brick layer, so he picked the house plans and did the brick work and daddy was the foreman in charge of building. I remember dad going down Gaines Street in the early morning in his truck and stopping in front of a store there and picking up any laborers that wanted to work. They would hop in the truck and work for dad. He and Mr. McElwain built many beautiful houses. When I was a teenager the Tallahassee Seventh-day Adventist Church asked dad to build their new church. He did a great job supervising and building the church. It is still standing today and is still beautiful. Years later they built another church farther out because they needed more parking spaces and room to build a school. I believe today the church dad built is a Presbyterian Church, but it is still beautiful. I believe the street it is on is Gadsden Street. Us kids were always very proud of our Daddy. Whatever job he did, he did well. I think all of us have been raised up with that motivation that whatever you do, do your best.
Dad eventually bought the house at 1500 Lake Avenue which was a one story house. Dad turned it around and made a two story house. A little old lady owned this house. It was outside the Tallahassee city limits and it had a big water tower. She sold water to the neighborhood. When dad bought the house he & mom took over the business of selling
the water to the neighbors. Mom told me that dad said that if she would collect the money that the neighbors would bring to pay for the water then she could have that money to use. I remember people coming to the door to pay their water bill. In the mid fifties the city of Tallahassee moved the city limits farther out and included this neighborhood in the city limits and brought water out to this area, therefore this put mom and dad out of the water selling business.
Dad continued to work as a builder for many years. He and mom instilled in us five kids how important an education was. We are proud that out of five kids four graduated from college. Paul Jr. was drafted into the army when he took a break from college to get married. He decided to make the military a career and got his Engineering degree while serving in the army. He served in Viet Nam three different times. He lives in the Tampa/Clearwater, Florida area. Walter was always a hands-on guy and makes beautiful custom cabinets. He is retired but still makes some cabinets. Walter lives in
Tallahassee, Florida. Wayne worked for IBM for years and became head of the robot department and then their European Representative before his retirement .Wayne lives in the Orlando, Florida area. I, (Betty) became a teacher and worked 37 years as an elementary teacher. I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sandra became a nurse and worked for many years in a Veterans Hospital. She now lives in Walla Walla Washington.
As you can see us kids loved our parents very much and was proud of them. Mom was busy raising us kids for years and their couldn't have been a better mom. When Sandra and I became teenagers mom went to night school to get her LPN nursing degree. She worked many years as a nurse to help put us all through college. There were four of us in college at the same time. I asked mom one time how she could study for her night classes when she was taking care of us five kids. She said she would prop herself up in bed after she had gotten us all to bed then she would read her textbooks and dad would drill her. How she did it I'll never know.
In August, 1993, mom & dad got up, went out to meet friends and eat breakfast at a restaurant, then dad went by Sears to buy a part for his car, then went to visit Aunt Jewel at her house where they sat around and drank coffee and talked. They got home and dad took a nap while mom cooked. They ate later and watched the 6 o'clock news. They were sitting side by side on the sofa when mom made a comment to dad but he didn't answer. He had died. He was 89 years old and never made a sound or even a movement. Mom died 3 1/2 months later when she fell and broke her leg and had a heart attack in the hospital. Both parents were good Christians and I expect to see them again in heaven.
Betty Bishop Swafford
