Phelps County Focus/Rolla, Mo.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
14B
Insider
The last of Salem’s gas pumpers, Larry Dallas By Caleb Brubaker Staff Writer reporter@thesalemnewsonline.com
Photo by Caleb Brubaker Larry Dallas (right) pumping gas for regular customer, Danielle Payne, during his shift at Phil-Mart.
FLIRTING/Other no-no’s were horse racing and lewd dress From Page 1B A fine of $10 to $100 was established for failure to obey the health orders. There was additionally a fine of the same amount for visiting a quarantined person without prior approval of the health board.
Poll tax and city salaries
for each working day actually employed in the service of the city. The Street Commissioner received $2 each working day, while the City Clerk received an annual salary of $120. As for the Night Watchman, that position received $15 per month.
Good morals and decency
Back when Rolla’s streets were first in need of paving, the taxes owed to the city came in the form of poll tax of three days manual labor. Yes, Section 2 of Ordinance 35 sets forth that; “The Board of Alderman shall levy the annual city tax, they shall levy a poll tax not to exceed three days’ labor on the street and alleys of the city or pay in lieu thereof the sum of $2.50 upon all able-bodied male persons.” Today, that amount would be worth around $70. Speaking of money, back in 1908, Ordinance No. 26 gave the mayor an annual salary of $25 per year. Members of the city council were paid $1.50 for each meeting they attended. The City Engineer received $3
Ordinance No. 49 established several regulations “relating to offenses against good morals and decency.” Of Rolla City Cemetery, Section 16 states no person “shall resort to such cemetery graveyard or burial ground belonging to the city, for the purpose of adultery or fornication, or shall commit adultery or fornication therein.” If so, the fine was not less than $5 and no more than $100. Banned in Rolla by Ordinance No. 49 was also: • Horse racing, cock fighting and playing cards or games of any kind on Sundays; • No alcohol sales on Sundays; • No merchandise selling or restaurant dining on
Sundays, except drugs or medicine; • Employers could not make their employees work on a Sunday; • No nudity, lewd dress or wearing clothes not belonging to one’s gender nor indecent or lewd acts or behavior and/or selling books or pictures of lewdness; • No houses of “ill-fame or prostitution” were allowed in the city; • Using any profane or obscene language on any street, lane, alley, or public place in this city. Fine was not less than $3 nor more than $20; • Disturbing the peace of any family or person, or the peace of the neighborhood, within the limits of the City of Rolla, by loud or/unusual noise, loud, offensive or indecent conversation, or by threatening, quarreling or fighting. Fine was not less than $1 and no more than $50; • Exhibiting any stallion or jackass on public streets or hitching any such stallion or jackass on a street, alley or any other public place in the Rolla city limits. Fine was not less than $1 and no more than $10.
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It is a feature peculiar to Salem, that a gas pumper can still be encountered when one goes to Phil-Mart on Main St. Larry Dallas is a familiar face to many people in town as the last gas pumper in Salem, Dent County and probably anywhere close by. Larry can be found at Phil-Mart Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 7:30 – 11 a.m. “Larry is a good guy and people love him,” said Daniel Salyer who manages Phil-Mart—his family purchased PhilMart from the Chilton’s 22 years ago. November marked Dallas’ fifth year on the job at Phil-Mart. Previously, Dallas worked at Gas Plus on Rolla Rd. as a gas pumper, but when it closed down he was left without work. Originally from St. Genevieve, Dallas and his wife Dawn-Starr moved to Salem about nine years ago. Dallas has been a blue-collar worker his whole life. Before moving here, he worked a number of years for Illinois-Missouri Railroad and MFA Oil as a driver. That kind of work eventually came to be too much for Dallas. “I’ve had three heart attacks and nine stents,” he said. “I’m 73 years old. I had my first heart attack at 46 and my second one exactly 10 years later.” “I usually made it down to Montauk to fish two or three times a year, so my wife said we should just move down here,” he said. Soon after arriving in Salem, Dallas got a job as a gas pumper at Gas Plus when it was still open on Rolla Rd., where he worked for almost two years before they closed. That’s where he first worked with Melvin Griffith who pumped gas there and later at Phil-Mart—who started working at Phil-Mart before Dallas. Griffith passed away this summer. “He was a good guy to work with,” said Dallas. “He used to work mornings and I
worked the afternoon,” he said. “After he got sick, I took over the mornings.” “It wasn’t more than a week later after Gas Plus closed I had a job working for Steve Wells (Wells Package & Gun),” he said. “Steve’s a great guy,” said Dallas. “But it wasn’t for me.” Dallas also used to do maintenance work at the Salem Public Library. “They were good to me there, too,” he said. According to Dallas, neither job was really his cup of tea. “I’d much rather be working outside,” he said. “The cold doesn’t really bother me, I can always put more layers on; it’s the heat that does me in.” His regulars know that when he’s not pumping gas for customers, he’s waiting cheerily next to the door to greet anyone who visits Phil-Mart during his shift. “I guess I’ve become a bit of a fixture around here,” he said. But every once in awhile, out-of-towners will visit the gas station and are surprised to find a gas pumper still on staff. “Some of them are shocked—blown away. They look at me like I’m crazy,” he said. “I really appreciate it,” said Bonnie Parks, a local ninety-plus widow who appreciates not having to get out pump her own gas. “Larry always does a good job,” she said. “I love Larry,” said Danielle Payne, who said she tries to fuel up when Dallas is working. “We’re like family,” she said. “Larry is an amazing guy,” praised Michelle Nelson, another one of Dallas’ regulars It seems that everyone is happy to see him—you’ll hear barrage of hellos, howdys, how are you doin’s, and have good days fired back and forth between the friendly Dallas and the customers coming and going to and from Phil-Mart all morning. “I’ve worked with Larry since he started,” said Christi Blackwell, a Phil-Mart employee. “He’s always been great to work with,” she said.
