Gip The Barber: Gip gave me my first haircut. Somewhere, I have a picture of me sitting on a booster seat in the barber chair while he cut my hair. I don't know Gip's actual name. I think his last name was Gipson, but everyone just called him Gip. I went to him for haircuts until I was well into my teens. I miss ol' Gip.
Gipson's: Not to be confused with Gip the barber, I miss Gipson's discount store. We could see the store from our kitchen window. It was so close that Mom would sometimes make more than one trip over there a day "just to pick up a few things." Dad said it was almost too close. I miss Gipson's.
Mr. Gatti's: I can't tell you how much pizza I gorged out on at this place in the mall. Mom would pick me up on her lunch hour, and we'd go eat the buffet at Mr. Gatti's. We put away more pizza in that hour than you could believe. I thought that was the best food ever. Oh, I miss Mr. Gatti's.
Gattis Shoe Store: John Gattis and his wife came to Pampa in 1968 from Amarillo and he owned and operated Gattis Shoe Store until his retirement in 1984. It was a family friendly shoe store with a personal touch where they actually took time to measure your feet to make sure you're getting a good fit. Because I needed special shoes, John and his son, Gary Gattis, spent extra time to make sure the shoes would work with my braces. I miss the customer service at Gattis Shoe Store.
The Breezeway: The outdoor walkway at the old Pampa Middle School connected the main hallways with the girls' and boys' gyms. Because the school was so close to our house, I would ride my three-wheel bicycle over there and race it up and down the breezeway. It was so invigorating. This was before there was a ramp, and I had to bounce my bike up and down the steps. Such fun! The breezeway is now just a memory. The breezeway, along with the school building, was torn down a few years ago, and it's now just a vacant field. I miss that old school.
KSZN Radio: I loved listening to this country radio station because it had "live and local" DJs, while the other station in town used a satellite feed to pipe in programming from New York, L.A. or who-knows-where. I would call the KSZN listener line to request songs, enter contests or just chat with the DJ. I'd also go to all the live remotes to try to meet the DJs in person. It was a sad night in 1988 as I listened to KSZN sign off the air for the last time, and the station went silent. I still miss "Country 1340 AM - KSZN - Pampa."
Competition: If you need anything in Pampa these days, there's really only one place to go, and that's Walmart. But before the mega superstore came in and snuffed the life out of the small shops in town, we actually had different stores where you could shop around to get the best price. There was M.E. Moses, Woolsworth, Alco and the aforementioned Gipson's where you could compare and get the best deal. I miss small-town shopping.
I have to say what I miss most in Pampa is Mom and Dad. Mom was born right here in Pampa and lived here all her life. Dad came to Pampa as a small boy. grew up here and taught in the Pampa schools for nearly 30 years. They've both moved on to their heavenly home, but I have many fond memories of them and all the places they took me around this town of Pampa -- the parks where they took me to play, the restaurants where we ate together and, of course, the house on Hamilton Street where we lived. I really miss you, Mom and Dad!
I will cherish all these memories forever.
