Interview of Jean Harron

Interview Team: Chandler Anderson, Jamie Bankston, and Durell Waldon

Faculty Facilitator: Ms. Sonya Boyd

Date of Interview: March 10, 2006

Jean Harron (Overby) was born on November 19, 1939 in Columbus, Georgia. While she was growing up, she lived in a farmhouse on Weems Road in what is now North Columbus. At that time, this area was “in the country”. In fact, Weems Road was considered very far out in the country, skirting the acreage of the Adams Farm. In those days Weems Road was a dirt road and the driveway to the Overby home was later named Griffin Drive in honor of Jean’s grandfather, Thomas G. Griffin, who had purchased the property. Jean had many happy memories of growing up in the farmhouse down the country road. Jean and the youngest of the Adams children “Buster” were playmates, and she recalls going to the Adams’ house to see Charlotte Adams and the beautiful dress that she would wear as a debutante at the Cotillion.

As a young girl, Jean loved to ride animals, anything with four legs! She and her friends loved to ride horses, and eventually her father purchased a pony for her. She named it Macaroni for the line in the Yankee Doodle Dandy. These were happy days, and she remembers the pleasures of playing with friends and listening to music on the radio. Frank Sinatra was a favorite of her parent’s and Jean enjoyed his music, too. Sometimes her family went to dinner at a café or restaurant. One such local establishment was Shorty McHaffie’s. Besides the wonderful scrambled style hotdogs, McHaffie’s had a jukebox. Jean’s favorite tune from the selection menu was “San Antonio Rose” and she often asked her dad if he would play that song when the family went there. Their favorite time to go to Shorty McHaffie’s was on Saturday evenings. It was a real treat, as families did not eat out as much as they do now, and fast food eateries as we know them did not exist.

While Jean loved horses, her chief means of transportation when she was a child was her bicycle. She delighted in riding it. Her father, being a mechanic, always had a car. This was necessary to travel around Columbus, as there was no public transportation that ran to Weems Road. Having a car also meant being able to go out of town, and there were times when Jean’s family drove to Atlanta. These were special opportunities for shopping at stores like Rich’s. which was located in the general area of where the Georgia Dome is now. Jean’s father was able to build a successful auto parts business and eventually owned the first Jeep Willis dealership in Columbus.

Like many other Columbusites, Jean and her family were aware of Phenix City, then known for its nightlife, gambling, and other activities that many folks avoided. Jean’s mother, the former Kathryn Griffin, was born in the area of Phenix City. Jean’s father enjoyed teasing her about this aspect of her personal history. Of course, Jean was much too young to understand why Phenix City was referred to as “Sin City”. As a young child, she did not venture there. Jean’s life was filled with family, school, and friends. A portion of her elementary years was spent at the Nankipooh School. Later she attended and graduated from Baker High School, which at the time was one of the largest schools in the state.

The war in Europe began just two months before Jean’s birth, and it was a constant fact of her young life. Like many other families in Columbus and throughout the country, Jean’s family supported the efforts to help the Allies win the war. They participated in scrap metal drives and purchased war bonds. For a brief time during the war, Jean’s father worked in the shipyards in Charleston, S.C., and Jean and her mother joined him there. However, they were glad to return to Columbus as soon as the opportunity arose.

While the war must have seemed far away to young Jean, she personally knew soldiers who were fighting abroad. Her Uncle Billy fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and her Uncle Tommy also served in the Army. In fact, Billy felt the effects of the war for years afterward. Of course, there were many soldiers at Fort Benning during World War II and they found their way to Columbus. Some of them lived here, others came into town on leave. Still others brought their wives with them. One of Jean’s favorite stories involved meeting the famous movie star, Jane Russell, who lived in Columbus with her soldier husband. When Jean was only four years old she had a conversation with Miss Russell who was impressed with the bright little girl. Although Jean thought that she was a pretty lady, she was not impressed that she was a glamorous film star from Hollywood. She was more interested in the trapeze artist from the circus who lived in the same neighborhood!

Jean recalls that young women were cautioned not to get too involved with solders, who had a reputation of “kiss ya and leave ya!” There were stories of soldiers getting into trouble and Jean recalls that her father’s garage was located near a bar that was frequented by soldiers. There were times when the soldiers became rowdy and once the crowd spilled out and over into the area of Jean’s father’s business. War, of course, brought death and Jean still remembers that there seemed to be many funerals. Today Jean remembers that many of these men were very young, teenagers or in their early twenties, scarcely more than boys.

On April 12, 1945 Jean and her mother were visiting one of her mom’s friends, a young Navy wife named Martha Halstead. Throughout the war, Jean’s family had supported President Franklin Roosevelt, and like many Americans, they could hardly think of anyone else being President. While the adults visited, Jean played in her mother’s car. She had turned on the radio, and the sounds of the broadcast programs drifted into the yard within earshot of the two women. Suddenly the broadcast was interrupted and the newscaster announced the death of President Roosevelt at the Little White House at nearby Warm Springs, Georgia. At the news, both of the women began to cry. This man, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had been the leader of the United States from the days of the Great Depression until the final months of World War II. His death devastated many Americans.

With the death of President Roosevelt, the Vice President Harry S Truman took the oath of President of the United States. To him would fall the decision to give the order to drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan. This decision was widely accepted as the most expedient way to end the war, but there were many emotions attached to it . Jean’s parents tried to explain the bomb and the dropping of it, but it was too complex a subject for a little girl to understand. Jean did understand when the war ended, however. First the war was over in Europe and then in the Pacific. Americans everywhere celebrated the end of the war. Like other cities across the country, the town by the Chattahoochee River joined in the celebration. Downtown Columbus was like a big party! Soldiers and civilians alike rejoiced that this great conflict had come to an end!

Jean grew up to marry Jack Harron, an Army pilot who flew a large plane, the Caribou.. In October of 1964, Jack Harron left Lawson Air Field at Fort Benning and, with others in his unit flew to New York and then across the Atlantic Ocean. After stops from the Azores to Calcutta, India, the aviators landed their planes in the Republic of South Vietnam. Thankfully, Jean’s husband returned from the Vietnam conflict and he and Jean enjoyed Army life for a number of years. They then settled in Jean’s hometown of Columbus. In addition to a successful marriage, Jean has had an outstanding career in real estate. Her contributions to the Columbus community abound, and she works closely with Fort Benning agencies to assist military families. The precocious little girl who was able to converse with celebrities became a woman who epitomizes the best of Columbus!