Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A Day at the Zoo in 1961

Three Generations James Luke Robinson
James Kirk Robinson
Luke Lee Robinson

My daddy, my brother and my grandfather during a visit to the Memphis Zoo in August, 1961. You can just make out the cigar that my grandfather is holding with his left hand, and I bet that the hat that my father is holding actually belonged to my grandfather. A hat and a cigar were Luke's trademarks. My father was an only child, and Kirk his only son. We tried to leave Kirk with the monkeys that day, but it was a no go. Just kidding, Kirk! I was only four years old at the time and unfortunately have no memories of the day. Momma, can you add to the story?

7 comments:

Bob Franks said...

Good photo Mona. I have a photo of me and my brother taken at the exact same spot, I believe, like two months earlier. I think lots of folks from Itawamba County visited the Memphis Zoo at one time or the other. A trip to Memphis always included the Zoo and the Pink Palace Museum.

Anonymous said...

Hey, watch it sister!I wonder how many times, we made a visit to the Memphis Zoo? From our younger days,I can almost smell the cigars.I remember our Grandfather sitting in his brown recliner with the ashtray stand beside it.Thank you for these memories.

Anonymous said...

Kirk had just received his first
haircut a few days earlier on his first b'day

Mona Robinson Mills said...

Bob, I can't believe you were there just two months earlier! Isn't it interesting how a marketing gimmick by the zoo turned into a neat way to date these old pictures?

Kirk, I remember the recliner with the adjacent cigar stand too and need to find a picture of him in that recliner.

Momma, who all went on that trip? Were we living in Greenville at the time, and did we drive up there to meet Grandad and Mama?

Anonymous said...

Mona, we lived in Greenville, but drove to Memphis from Fulton with MaMa and Grandad. You,MaMa and I were riding the kiddie rides. Grandad was the instigator for this picture, you know he had a lot of pictures made in this spot.

rebekah said...

MaJean and Granddad took me and Kaci one year (I had to be no older than 5).

And Kaci got her head stuck between the metal bars that were keeping us separated from the giraffes.

Mona Robinson Mills said...

Rebekah, you always did have fun adventures in Memphis.