I Used to Haul Stuff All Over the South

George Cromartie Sr., 532 13th St. NE, spoke with Marc Borbely on Friday. Mr. Cromartie was leaning against the wall of his garden while he spoke. Four of his young grandchildren — three of whom are from Florida, visiting their grandparents for the summer — were playing on the sidewalk in front of the house. One of his daughters was sitting on the steps with a friend, watching and once in a while playing with the children (Simon Says, for example). The kids were a bunch of giggles. Periodically Mr. Cromartie would speak sternly to one of the children ("Dre! Don't you jump off that no more!"). Mr. Cromartie, 81, grew up in Kelly, North Carolina. We last heard from him when he spoke about his experiences in World War II, in the Nov. 11 issue of the Corner Forum.

You were just telling me about how you used to drive a truck.

I started when I was 13. And I drove up until I was 20, 'cause I went in the service. Then I drove a truck when I first went in the service. That was back in '42. [They were called truck-and-trailers then.] And now, they'd be tractor-trailers. I used to take them to Atlanta, Georgia, Winston-Salem — all over the place down there.

What would you be taking?

Well, when I went to Atlanta, Georgia, I was taking a load of tents. In fact, we'd be hauling all kinds of products: oil, transmission fluid, you know, all kinds of stuff like that to drop off. I had a gas station on North Capitol Street, and I left there on a Friday, and I got back Tuesday morning. I left Atlanta, Georgia, about 6 o'clock, and 7 o'clock the next morning, I was parked at 205 20th Street. I had a cousin, he told me, "Man! You run the wheels off or something!" I used to roll them things.

What's it like driving?

It's not bad. You just got to pay attention to what you're doing., and you got to know how to drive. You could mess up with one of those things. You've got to be on your p's and q's at all times.

How do you keep from falling asleep?

Oh, I don't know. I never get sleepy. When my daddy died, I used to leave here Friday evening, and I'd go home and see my mother every other week. And it's about 390 miles from here. I'd go down by myself. I'd get back Monday morning, wouldn't have time to go home, I'd just get back in time to go straight to work. Drive all night. My cousin, he used to drive out in Utah — I went out there with him. But he used to have to take some kind of pills to stay awake. I ain't never take nothing to stay awake. Just like from here to my home, now — near Wilmington. It's about 390 miles. I can take that van right there and run it in about five hours. When I take off from here, I get out there and go — I don't stop. And when the speed limit in Virginia is 65, I run about 75. And when it was 70, in North Carolina, I'd run about 80.

They don't stop you — the police?

No, they never stop me — as long as you're driving all right.

When was the last trip you took?

In April. Went to North Carolina when my sister passed. I went down there and came back, and she passed the next day. Then I had to go straight back. I had to go back and take care of the arrangements.

You went by yourself?

No, me and my niece went down. She drove most of the time going down there, but I drove most of the time coming up. She had a 2000 Subaru Chevy Tahoe — one of those trucks. Nice.

And then you've got a whole bunch of kids. I guess you've always had a lot of kids.

Yeah, yeah. My grandkids. [Mr. Cromartie nods at the children playing.] Three of them are gonna be ready to go back to Miami next week. [Mr. Cromartie's daughter Barbara, the mother of the three children, is cleaning and painting the outside of the house.] I told her to stop, but she said she had to finish.

It's beautiful! She does a good job. Is she your oldest daughter?

No, I got three older ones, but by my wife, she's the oldest. I got a set of twins. They're about 54 years old. And I got another — she's about 55. The twins was born in '47, and the other was born in '48. The two twins — they in South Carolina. But my other one, she's on Bladensburg Road. She's got a house.

So you have four daughters?

Six daughters and two boys.

And lots of grandkids.

Yeah, yeah. A lot of grandchildren. [He tells the kids to calm down: "All right!"] That one there, and that little one up there and the baby, they'll be going back to Florida next week. Miami.

After you served in the Army, that's when you became a mechanic.

No, I started when I was 8 years old. I was working with my daddy, doing some mechanic work. And I'd come up as a boy doing mechanic work. Then I went in the service — I was in the motor pool. When I came back, I came to Washington. I came out of the service November the 29th, '45, and I came to Washington January the 5th, '46. Then I went to school at Phelps Vocational — mechanics school. And they told me I was too far advanced to go to the school. And I wasn't actually going to school — I was teaching how to work on cars, motors. But they got me this job at the Chrysler Place, June the 1st, 1946, and I've been doing it ever since. I left the Chrysler people in '61, and went in business for myself. I stayed in business for myself until about two years ago. I still do a little something, but not too much.

Did you enjoy running your own business?

Oh yes. Well, you work hard! Yes, lord, you work hard. And then it's still harder to get help. And see, you'd take in the work, and didn't have the help, then that made you work harder.

Your son George, he also knows about cars.

Oh yeah, he's real good. I had him working on that car — that little blue one — the other day. Yeah, he's real good on that and that motorcycle.

And you've been in this house since `70-something?

'79.

That's 24 years. How have things changed, in those 24 years?

Oh, it's changed a whole lot. It used to be a whole lot of more gangs around here, selling that dope, all down on Emerald Street, and all up on that corner [13th and E]. But they got rid of most of it. Some `em still do it up there[on the 400 block of 13th], you know. It used to be all over the place.

Did it use to be so that you didn't feel comfortable coming out?

Oh no, it never bothered me. Because I worked all the time. I'd be at work at 7 o'clock, and I'd probably get home around about 2. Be back to work at 7 o'clock.

What's it like getting older?

I dunno. [chuckles.] Everything stays the same. Now I do a lot of sitting down, watching the TV.

What do you watch on TV?

Anything! I like to look at movies, too. I look at Judge Judy, Joe Brown and People's Court.

Well, thank you for talking to me.

Mmm hmm. §