Recently, during a phone conversation between Jerry Callaway and A.W. “Peanut” Hammock, the two shared fond memories of their times growing up in Terminal and Midland, Texas, as well as, recalling memories of their high school track days. 

How we got to Midland

A.W. Hammock: 

“My father was a Highway Patrolman in North Texas.  He did really well and he loved being a Highway Patrolman.  He said it was the most exciting thing he ever did in his life.  When we lived in Dalhart, his sister’s husband was working in the oil field business. We went down to visit with them every once in a while, and we went to my uncle’s, Uncle Cord, several times.  He lived outside of Dalhart.  My father found out that working for the Highway Patrol wasn’t making a whole lot of money for the family.  So, he quit and went to work for Mobil Oil. We went first to West Texas and lived there a year or two.  I cannot remember the name of the town.  Then we moved to Kermit for a year until we finally moved to Terminal, Texas. We moved to Terminal because it was much less expensive to live there than to live in Midland. We lived in the old Army barracks for 7-8 years while Dad was working in various places south of Midland. He worked mostly in the oil fields just south of Terminal and that meant he could go to work every day.  He had to go check on oil drilling wells.  I would get to go with him every once in a while.  He couldn’t take us very often.  It was flabbergasting to me because we had no idea what he did but he would check on the levels in the big tanks. Now that doesn’t sound that dangerous, but at the time, they were blowing off excess fuel off the tanks with big torches.  It was really interesting. One day he came up with an easier way to reach the top of those tanks to burn off the excess oil. He shot burning arrows up to the top of the tanks to light the excess fuel needing to be burned off. What he went through to keep it going was dangerous!”