News from Dec. 11, 2003 issue



Dime store legacy returns to Marion
Former owner, Cox, is parade grand marshal

Marion's younger generation can't imagine buying much for a dime other than a couple of pieces of bubble gum. Certainly, they wouldn't fathom loading up the entire family's Christmas list for less than a buck.

As hard as it may be for kids today to imagine, that was possible in the 1940s and 1950s at Cox's Five and Dime Store on Main Street in Marion.

Marion resident Ruth Cox and her late husband Bill operated Cox's dime store from 1938-1964. They stood behind the counter while young girls bought their first sets of make-up. They sold candy to school kids and Christmas gifts to moms, dads, daughters and sons.

In light of her history as a Marion businesswoman, Ruth Cox is being honored this year as the grand marshal of the annual Christmas parade.
Sponsored by the Crittenden County Chamber of Commerce, the grand marshal is selected by a Chamber committee which recognizes long-standing civic leaders and businesspeople in the community.

Unfortunately, Cox, who celebrated her 84th birthday Wednesday, broke both elbows in a fall last week and may be unable to participate in the parade. Regardless, parade organizer Terry Ford says it is important that Cox be honored. She will remain the grand marshal in absentia if unable to ride the parade route.

Though it's been 35 years since Cox's Five and Dime Store closed its Main Street doors, most fifty-something folks and older have fond memories of Cox, her husband and their store.

Ruth Cox's son Ed admits he's prejudice when talking about what the store meant to him and his schoolmates.

"It was a hangout, some kids who lived in the county would go there and wait for their parents after school," Ed Cox said. "Kids thought of my parents as friends," they were Bill and Ruth not Mr. and Mrs. like everybody else's parents were."

The store from time to time held model car contests for kids, and it hosted a huge window display built by Potter & Brumfield to promote the high school band's trip to the Orange Bowl in the early 1960s.

"I remember not having much money, but when I would go there I felt like a millionaire," said Lois Hicks. "You could buy a lot for a little."

Hicks remembers a good crowd in the store, located where Roy and Tim's Barber Shop is today.

"I got a lot of Christmas pesents there, and when I was nine or 10 years old I would take a $1 and buy Christmas presents for five siblings, my teacher, my best friend and my mom and dad.

"I always bought daddy an ash tray and I know right where they were, and I'd get Blue Waltz perfume, and handkerchiefs ­ Mama usually got those, and they were neatly folded and pretty and embroidered."

Like Hicks, Linda Schumann recalls fond memories of daily shopping trips to Cox's five and dime.

"When I was in grade school there was no cafeteria at Fohs Hall, so we would go to Marion Cafe and have a hamburger then save a nickel or a dime to get jawbreakers or licorice ­ we would always stop there after lunch and even after school to look at whatever was there," Schumann said.

"My first casting rod came from there, the first make-up I ever had that turned your face orange came from there and I spent every spare penny at the five and dime," she said.

Cox was born in Mulligan, Ky., near Burna in Livingston County. She graduated from Marion High School in 1937 and then attended Kentucky Weslyan College in Winchester.

She has two children ­ Eddie who lives in Clarkston, Mich., and Carolyn Ledford who lives in Greenville, N.C. Cox is a member of Marion Baptist Church.

Police investigating check fraud

Local police say there could be more arrests forme an area counterfeit cash scheme that surfaced a couple of weeks ago, but in the meantime they're working on a new angle ­ counterfeit checks.

Marion Police Lt. Don Perry said there have been an uncommon number of counterfeit payroll checks showing up in Marion and Union County.

The culprits are apparently buying check stock and printing their own fake payroll checks with company names on them like McDonald's and Kenergy.
Police Chief Kenneth Winn said forged and stolen checks have also been a major problem in recent weeks.

"We've had between $6,000 and $8,000 in bad checks lately," Winn said.
Many of the checks are being cashed at local grocery stores such as Conrad's and Food Giant.

Winn said merchants should be aware of the increased occurrence of fake or forged checks and caution their employees to double check identification. Winn said many of the bad check problems could be alleviated if clerks closely scrutinize the check and a photo identification card of the person cashing it.

"Don't cash it if they don't match," Winn said. "We've had some where females have cashed checks written on a man's account."

Winn said merchants should be extremely cautious when accepting checks over the price of purchase.