It seems like so many stories, so many memories, so many life lessons are lost for future generations when society’s senior citizens pass away.
Fortunately, some people, like longtime Oxford resident Perry Hathaway, have committed their life story to paper.
A few years ago, the 92-year-old, who owned and operated Perry’s Shoe Service in downtown Oxford from 1950-1989, sat down at his computer and wrote his autobiography.
Hathaway’s book takes readers on a journey that includes growing up in Oxford and Lake Orion, serving on the island of Saipan during World War II, returning home to start his own shoe repair business and raise a family in small town USA, and finally finding love again at the age of 75.
He decided to pen his life story after his friend, the late Eldon Powley of Lake Orion, wrote his. ‘I thought I can write the story of mine,? said Hathaway, noting he’s handed out 50-75 copies to family and friends over the years.
In the beginning. . .
Born in Almont in February 1917, Hathaway’s mother died when he was just 18 months old. As a result, he went to live in Oxford with his aunt in 1921, while his father and sisters moved to Lake Orion.
He spent part of his childhood living in the Dennison family home ? the same family for which the village street is named.
Because his dad lived in Lake Orion, Hathaway had to attend school there. Everyday he rode street cars back and forth between Orion and Oxford. ‘In those days, they were the mode of transportation,? he wrote. ‘A nickel each way, morning and night!?
First job
As a young lad, Hathaway started working at a shoe store in Lake Orion, owned by Clyde Hacker. He was paid $4 a week, which in those days was a princely sum for a boy.
‘It was intriguing for me just to watch. He was always busy!? Hathaway wrote. ‘Never did he really spend time training me ? he was too busy. But by observation I learned many basic things.?
It was while Hacker and his son were building a cabin near Atlanta, Michigan that Hathaway received lots of on-the-job training and soon became a major part of the shoe repair business. He was even reading trade magazines cover-to-cover. ‘I loved it . . . It was in my blood!,? he wrote.
‘There’s few people that know before automobiles, Detroit was a shoe manufacturing town,? Hathaway noted. ‘When the cars came in, that disappeared. They went east.?
Serving Uncle Sam
In spring 1943, Uncle Sam called Hathaway’s number and he was off to serve in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was part of the 537th Salvage Repair Battalion, part of the Quartermaster Corps.
During the war, Hathaway did what he did in civilian life, except now he was repairing footwear for soldiers.
Before he reached the island of Saipan, where he would be stationed for the war, Hathaway spent about eight months on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Of arriving in Honolulu Harbor in January 1944, he wrote, ‘To our eyes, it was paradise!
While in Hawaii, he got to see Pearl Harbor. ‘The harbor was full of ships,? he wrote. ‘We were to learn later that they were part of the invasion fleet which left in a few days for the Marshall Islands, which at the time were Japanese-held.?
In August 1944, he landed on Saipan, the prior battle for which had one of the highest casualty rates of any WWII engagement.
‘Wow, what a stench we rode through!,? Hathaway wrote. ‘Talk about ‘the smell of death being in the air!??
On Saipan, Hathaway spent his days working out of an 18-wheel trailer outfitted as a shoe repair shop. ‘I marvel to this day how everything we needed; mechanical equipment, materials, everything was all there ? for the whole time we were on Saipan!?
While stationed on the island, Hathaway met fellow Lake Orion resident Dick Frizzle.
‘That contact was helped by our weekly paper, The Lake Orion Review,? he wrote. ‘A story they had printed mentioned that Dick was on Saipan, too.?
A member of the Army Air Corps, Frizzle managed to secure Hathaway a ride aboard a B-29 bomber called the ‘American Maid.? He later learned that plane was shot down over Japan. ‘To this day, I have a gut feeling of loss for the friendly radar operator and the crew members of that plane who became casualties of war,? he wrote.
Hathaway’s days on Saipan were numbered when he received a phone call for his captain about the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.
‘What excitement it created! Our questions were ‘Will this be the end of the war?? We all hoped so, big time!,? he wrote.
Soon it was time to head back home to the U.S. and his wife Margaret, whom he had married in 1936. But he had mixed feelings about leaving Saipan. ‘No question I wanted to go home! But the months spent there, in many ways, had become a time in my memory I would never forget,? Hathaway wrote.
In business for himself
Upon his return, he started back to work at Hacker’s shoe store in Lake Orion. A few years later, he bought a shoe repair store in downtown Oxford, located on the east side of N. Washington St., across from The Oakland Hotel. ‘Years before, in the street car days, it has been a traveler’s mecca for the area,? he wrote of the once grand hotel.
Back then, downtown Oxford was a bustling place to open a business with what Hathaway called a ‘drawing group of stores? that attracted ladies from Birmingham.
A short while after opening Perry’s Shoe Service, he decided to construct a shop across the street. We know it today as the location of Sisters? Hair Care.
‘It was a good living for me all the time I was in it,? he said. ‘Back in those days every man’s shoes were made with stitches and nails, no cement. Everything could be repaired . . . What’s sold today are throwaway jobs.?
Hathaway always made sure to do a ‘professional job on everybody’s shoes.? That’s why stores located 25-35 miles away recommended customers take their shoes to him.
‘I did them the way they were supposed to be done,? he said with pride.
Hathaway enjoyed many, many years at that location until he turned the building over to its new owners on Jan. 1, 1990.
Finding love again
Unfortunately, after retiring, he lost his ‘wonderful wife? Margaret after nearly 56 years of marriage. However, in September 1992, Hathaway found love again and married his late best friend’s wife, Merolynn Burnham, a former Registered Nurse whom he referred to as ‘this precious gal that I have now.?
Probably, the most important thing Hathaway’s learned in his 92 years of life is to always marry the right person ? something he was fortunate enough to have done twice.
‘Margaret was a professional cook. I’d come home from the shop everyday and she’d have lunch on the plate,? he said.
As he got older, Hathaway found he didn’t eat as much, so his priorities shifted.
‘I needed a nurse at this point in my life, so I married an RN,? he said. ‘That’s my story and I stick to it.?
It ain’t over yet
Just because Hathaway’s written his life story and is currently enjoying his tenth decade on the planet, don’t for a minute get the impression that he’s ready to go anytime soon.
Longevity runs in his family. His three older sisters lived to be 94, 95 and 99.
‘I can’t let them get ahead of me,? Hathaway said. Now that’s sibling rivalry.