Shirley McNiel is pictured with her daughters, Sandy Kerr, left, and Peggy Aldridge, at Mrs. McNiel's retirement party celebrating 34 years of service to the Lampasas Dispatch Record. My remarkable Lampasan for October is Shirley Patterson McNiel, who retired in August after working 34 years at the Lampasas Dispatch Record. Before I heard she was retiring, I had decided she would be the subject of my column.

The Dispatch Record had a reception for her in August, and Lisa Carnley, in her Carnley's Corner, said most of the nice things I had planned to say about Shirley's character and personality.

Shirley has long inspired me with her cheerfulness, sometimes under difficult circumstances. I still wanted to write about her because I had curiosity about her youth, spent growing up in the Bluebonnet Hotel on Live Oak Street, where the First Texas Bank parking lot is located.

As a youth, I would see Shirley and her cousins having fun being involved in downtown activities and events. Shirley agrees that children who didn't grow up in a hotel missed a lot.

I also was curious about what happened in Lampasas in the decade after I left. So here goes -- back to the beginning of Shirley's life.

She was born at Rollins-Brook Hospital a few minutes after midnight on March 1, 1936, just missing her chance to be a leap year baby.

Her parents, John Calvin and Geneva Hetherly Patterson, had awaited her birth for 16 years; she was their only child. Shirley said she felt blessed with the attention she received from her parents and the larger Patterson and Hetherly families.

Some of Shirley's early memories are of coming in from the Patterson ranch, nine miles west of town where she first lived, and visiting the saddle shop of her uncle, Warren Patterson, on the north side of the downtown square. She remembers the miniature steer in the window with a little saddle on its back, and the smell of leather as she mingled among the ranchers in the shop. She knows Warren Patterson saddles are still treasured today.

Another uncle, Dan Patterson, ran the Silver Grill Café next to the saddle shop. He had a reputation for making the best chili in town.

The Hetherly cousins spent a lot of time together. Pictured are, from left, Clyde Gale Hetherly, Judy Hetherly, C.W. Hetherly, Shirley McNiel, Jimmy Hetherly, Nootie Hetherly and Van Hetherly. Shirley's dad said he couldn't make a living ranching, so in 1940 he went to work for Brown and Root Construction Co. and traveled all over the world, coming home as often as he could.

Shirley's mother wanted her daughter to be rooted in one place, so she and 4-year-old Shirley moved to the Bluebonnet Hotel owned by her grandparents, W.S. and Vanja Hetherly.

Not only her grandparents lived in the 30-room hotel, but also her Uncle Walter, his wife Mildred and cousin Van. Also living in the hotel and managing its operations were Uncle Fat (Clarence William), his wife Valla and children C.W., Judy and Clyde Gale Hetherly.

Other Hetherly uncles and their families didn't live in the hotel but often came to visit. Uncle Buck, wife Faye and their children Melvin Earl (Nootie) and Jimmy lived close by and owned the Lampasas Steam Laundry, across the square to the southeast, which furnished the freshly ironed sheets for the hotel.

Shirley McNiel, her grandparents and the families of two uncles lived in the Bluebonnet Hotel in the 1940s. Uncle Clyde managed the men's department at Stokes Brothers Department Store just a block from the hotel on the west side of the square.

During the workday, the Hetherly clan was within two blocks of one another other; at night, not much farther.

Shirley remembers Christmas Eve get-togethers in the lobby of the hotel. The wind-up Victrola played Christmas carols while they opened gifts, then each family would retreat to their apartments in the hotel to await Santa's arrival.

Another fond holiday memory is of Uncle Fat, on the Fourth of July, taking his children and the nieces and nephews to a hill beyond the city limits to set off a case of fireworks that included not only firecrackers, roman candles and rockets but also sparklers for the younger children. Cousin C.W. blew on a firework to see if it was ignited, and it exploded in his face. He felt lucky to have had only his lips turned wrong side out without permanent damage.

Shirley remembers that every morning they woke to the sounds of the shuffling of dominoes coming from the lobby of the hotel where her grandfather had his domino parlor.

During the day, Granddaddy could be heard whistling songs as he went about his chores -- and the chatter from her mother, grandmother and Aunt Valla could be heard coming from their sewing and alterations business in the lobby of the hotel. Shirley thought most ladies in town eventually stopped in to talk about the latest fashions or just to visit.

Across Live Oak Street from the hotel was the bus station, run by Doug and Will Terry's parents.

Shirley said the Hetherly kids often played with Doug and Will behind the bus station. She remembers that frequently an announcement would come from the loud speaker in the bus station: "Shirley, C.W., Judy, Will and Doug, get out of the way so the buses can park."

Their play was influenced by the western and jungle movies they saw at the Leroy and Rio theaters, just a block from their hotel home. They would, on most Saturdays, go from the Leroy when the feature was over and enjoy the movie at the Rio. Admission was only 12 cents.

Shirley also recalls that they played across Second Street at the depot, hiding behind the big bags of feed on the railway platform and shooting at sparrows with their BB guns.

The Hetherly kids would go to sleep at night to the sounds of the buses honking and the juke boxes playing at the bus station, at Uncle Walter's café, and at the café run by Mike and Juanita Medina.

Shirley's mother got her wish for her daughter to have roots in Lampasas. Beginning at Mrs. Bristol's kindergarten on Broad Street, Shirley made lifelong friendships with Jane Bassel, Sue Priest, Esther Wolfe and many others.

Jane Bassel, whose dad along with partner Sam Dickens owned the ice house on Fourth Street, became her best friend. Shirley even went on vacations with the Bassel family. So close were they that years later they were bridesmaids in the other's wedding.

Shirley's parents also saw that she had religious training. The Pattersons were Baptists, and the Hetherlys were Episcopalians, so Shirley went to both churches.

Music played an important part in her life, beginning in fourth grade. She gives much credit to A.B. Ronald, the band director, and his wife Doll, for showing an interest in her. At their first meeting, they looked at her hands and decided because of her short fingers, a clarinet was the right instrument for her.

A swing band, organized by Roy Bean, played for dances and different functions but never for money because that would have prohibited the Badger band from entering district and state competitions -- many of which they won. In time, Shirley also played the tenor saxophone.

Another strong influence in Shirley's life was the Girl Scouts. She remembers that nine girls started in Brownies in first grade and continued with Mrs. Bassel and Mrs. Casbeer as their leaders until they were seniors in high school. Jane and Shirley went to Austin to Scout camp every summer and, upon graduation, were offered jobs as counselors at an out-of-state camp.

A highlight of high school was playing the lead in "I Remember Mama." English teacher Mona James directed the play; Robert Stephens played the male lead, and Paul Lang was the uncle.

Shirley brought me up to date on hotel-living in Lampasas in the '40s and what happened in the decade after I left Lampasas. I imagine memories of other kids of that era are much the same. Strong friendships were built with the involvement of parents and other adults in the community.

I didn't see Shirley again until we retired to Lampasas in 2005. She sat at the front desk at the Dispatch Record, dispensing her good cheer. As Lisa Carnley said in her column, "Shirley and the Dispatch Record have been synonymous for more than three decades, and many of our customers come into the office expressly to see her -- for an eager ear, an open heart and a beaming smile."

Now in her retirement, Shirley will continue with many of her same habits: reading her Bible before most Lampasans have arisen and enjoying coffee with Cousin Susie on the porch just as the sun comes up.

Then all day, visitors will drop by, much as they did at the Dispatch Record to sample her good cheer and willingness to listen.

She'll also be free to spend more time in the Austin area with daughters Sandy Kerr and Peggy Aldridge, grandchildren and a great-grandson.

Shirley has displayed a gusto for life in good times and bad. I wish her many more years of exuberant living and hope I can be around to witness them.

Bobbye Alexander Behlau was born in Lampasas and graduated from LHS in 1946. After living in San Antonio for 50 years where she was a school principal, she and her husband, Joe, have retired in Lampasas. Recently, a new school in Northside ISD in San Antonio was named for her.

She is a descendent of the Alexanders and Davises who settled here in the 1800s. She can be reached at 556-4076 or at beh1323@sbcglobal.net.