Southwest Chinese Journal (Houston, Tex.), Vol. [2], No. [10], Ed. 1 Saturday, October 1, 1977 Page: 13 of 16
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Souikwest Ckinese Journal
Bobby Moon's Dismay over Shocking Experience in the Hill Country
Shared by Many Fellow Texans
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The following letter appeared in the "Viewpoints"
column of the Sunday, August 14th edition of the
Houston Chronicle:
My wife and I are both second generation
Americans of Chinese ancestry. We were shocked,
disgusted, and dismayed by several incidents
which happened to us while on a minivacation
trip to the Texas Hill Country recently. On
July 26 we were still savoring the memory of
our late President Lyndon Baines Johnson's
life and accomplishments as a public servant and
a humanitarian in the areas of civil rights,
Medicare, and education.
We then decided to stop off in Fredericks-
burg for lunch. We chose a restaurant on Main.
We found a table for two and waited to be
served by the waitress/manager. The waitress/
manager continued to ignore us even though she
served a table next to our table. After about
15 minutes one of the lady patrons elsewhere
In the restaurant told the Mexican-American
busboy that my wife and I had not been served
water.
As the busboy started to bring us water
the waitress/manager instructed the busboy to
other duties and she then served the water to
another table which had come into the restau-
rant after we had.
Rather than demand service, we quietly
exited and proceeded to Kerrville. At Kerr-
ville we decided to spend the night at a motel.
I entered the motel office and requested a
room for two for the evening. The lady motel
manager hesitatingly replied that she did have
a room. Only after she found out that I was
a U.S. federal government employee did she be-
come more congenial and cordial toward me.
The last incident that happened to us was
in Luling. We stopped at a "mom and pop" gro-
cery store on Highway 80, which sells self-
service gasoline. After waiting about five
minutes for the gasoline pump to be switched
on from inside the store (the customer is
visible to the clerk form the inside of the
store and vice versa), I walked over to the
store to request that the pump be switched on.
The lady behind the counter appeared like she
did not hear me. One of the customers reiter-
ated to the clerk that I wanted to make a
gasoline purchase. The lady behind the count-
er immediately answered in a gruff tone of
voice, "He'll just have to wait!" I again
by Judy Lee
turned quietly and took my business to the Sig-
mor Shamrock station, whose manager thanked me
for my business.
These three incidents have so hardened me
and my wife about the rural areas of Texas
that we are somewhat paranoid about ever visit-
ing other than urbanized areas of our great
state. It's a shame to feel that you're not
welcome in your own home state. I'm a transplant
from Mississippi (born and raised) and I've
never been treated this way because of my race
in such overt manner as in Texas.
Bobby J. Moon
Upon inquiring as to the kind of responses he got
from the reading public, Mr. Moon showed me 11 letters
he received in the mail. Of the eleven only two were
"unsympathetic", and both of these were also unsigned.
The contents of the other nine were indeed heart-
warming. Most of the writers were residents of small
towns outside Houston, or had lived in small rural towns
at some time in their lives. All expressed much more
than just sympathy. Reactions ranged from anger and
disgust to sorrow and shame. All pointed out that such
narrow minded people as Mr. and Mrs. Moon had encountered
are thankfully only a small minority.
The following exerpts represent the vein of thought
running through all the letters:
"These people are not to be excused,
but they surely should be pitied. Think
how circumscribed their lives must be by
limitations they set on their own exper-
iences. No doubt they have passed up the
opportunity of knowing many interesting
people."
A lady from Fredericksburg wrote: "We
know we all travel this road thru 'life
only once and we don't want to do anything
to make anyone's load heavier. Forgive
those foolish people who certainly had no
cause to treat you so shabbily. I'd like
to know the name of the eating place that
practises such policies. They certainly
will never see me or mine in their place
of business."
Reading these responses makes one very happy and
confident that goodness and compassion still live in
the hearts of most Americans.
n
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MANAGEMENT POSITIONS
* ASSISSTANT MANAGERS
* MANAGER TRAINEES
* DEPARTMENT SUPERVISORS
EXPERIENCE HELP BUT NOT NECESSARY
GOOD SALARY AND BENEFITS
COMPLETE TRAINING
UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH
HEAD CASHIERS & CHECKERS ALSO NEEDED
— FULL TIME OR PART TIME—
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Please apply in person
(male or female) at
180 Town & Country
Village
Call HOBERT JOE for appointment--464-0209
F80IS
ARTS
OF
. DANCE
8453 HOWARD DR.— HOUSTON, TX. 77017
* BALLET - JAZZ - TAP - PIANO *
CHINESE & ORIENTAL DANCE
TEL: 641-1708
SHIRLEY GAO LEE, artistic director
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The SOUTHWEST CHINESE JOURNAL
is a great advertising media
being distributed free to the
Chinese Community.
We need your support to enable
us to continue with this ser-
vice and sincerely solicit your
Adverti sements.
H«l
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Southwest Chinese Journal (Houston, Tex.), Vol. [2], No. [10], Ed. 1 Saturday, October 1, 1977, newspaper, October 1, 1977; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth273740/m1/13/?rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.