Imperial Valley press., 1940-10-17

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been the same. 1t was still Glenn
ents corner, all right, but the
gang" didn't gather there as they
used to. and the reason was that
Bill wasn't there. Bill dt's just
impossible to call him w. j. was
down the street at SCI Main in
temporary quarters. The old corner,
scene of so many pleasant confabs
and heated discussions, was first
Scared with the ashes of fire and
later marred by the processes OF
reconstruction. The gang" was
lost, with Bill gone.
But this week Bill was "home"
and even though the corner is con-
siderably changed, it is still home.
Tip From Uncle
The story behind Clements cor
ner runs back number of decades
to the time when a toW-headed
North Carolina lad Stalked into the
office of the registrar at the state
university at Chapel Hill. Because
his uncle had suggested he be a
druggist, the lad had just walked
13 miles to the university from
Durham. Behind him was life of
tobacco and cotton raising on his
fathers plantation.
Il want to go to school and learn
to be a pharmacist :. :" he an
nounced.
But it seemed there was a little
question of tuition and all the
North Carolina lad had was SIT
and that was supposed to last a
year.
Let me see the guy that's run
ming this place." the lad demand
ed and was shown into the austere
office of the president. There was
fortnight talk with the presi-
dent that ended when that schol-
Iarly gentleman held out a note and
said:
"You can write your name, can't
your"
Bill-for it was Bill Clements
said he could, and did and from
then on he was student. He went
through the course with honors
and that started the career that
wound from Savannah, Ga, (Where
Bill worked for $50 a month and
paid off his debt to the univer-
sity) to Florida and finally in 1908
to the west coast.
Il came out to Los Angeles to an
ElkS convention. 1 didn't mean to
stay" Bill recalled Wednesday. But
he did stay to work in drug stores
in Los Angeles and Bakersfield.
Then came the day when he picked
up a conversation with a man
named John Davis who said he
was from Imperial Valley.
I'll start you att $125 a month
and if you stay six months it will
be $3.50 :" Davis propoSitioned.
NeWly-married Bill decided that
was a good idea and started for Ell
Centro. He hadn't been at the Da-
Wis store at Fifth and Main street.
long before there was a disaster. A
ladder broke and two gallons of
acid splashed over his body. In a
split second the soaring liquid
had eaten most of his clothes and
deep into his flesh.
That was in 1913 and for awhile
Bill had had his fill of the valley.
After brief stay he returned to
Los Angeles and Bakersfield until
his return in 1917 when he bought
partnership with a Mr.. Green
leaf in drug store. The store was
at Sixth and Main on the site that
afterwards Bill was to make ia
nous. A few years later Bill bought
out Greenleaf and from then on it
became Clements corner.
There is new store there now,
as modern and comfortable as any
in metropolitan centers and to Jo-
seph K. Powelson goes much of the
credit for it.
Powelson joined Bills staff sew
eral years ago and without his
counsel and judgment the new
store would not have developed so
well nor SO rapidly.
Asked for Powelson's title, Bill
grinned and said:
"Oh, I don't know we sort
of run the store together"