Osborne and Wright Photographs

by Glenn N. Holliman

More Photos from the Collection of Bob Adema

1950

This is a photo of my Great Aunt Pearl and Great Uncle Dave Wright at their home in Damascus, Virginia. Dave, an electrician and in charge of the local electric service company, died in 1962. Pearl was born in Mast, North Carolina and died in Damascus in 1980 at the age of 90. They had no children themselves but raised Bascomb K., Gladys and Doris Osborne after their mother died in 1922. Can anyone identify the little boy on Dave's right?

Phyllis Akers wrote on September 9, 2010 that the boy is her brother, David Akers and continued: "Notice how Aunt Pearl is dressed up. I remember her always wearing a dress and stockings and heels even when she was carrying a load of sheets upstairs to make a bed. They had a bedroom on the main floor but they had boarders upstairs for many years. She must have washed, ironed and carried sheets up and down stairs way up into her 60's. I remember Mom saying that when she was sick, you could always tell when she was feeling better because she put her earrings on. Uncle Dave died just after I was married. Probably from another stroke. He was the first person I saw putting tons of salt on his food even before he tasted it. I remember Duane and I going to see him in the hospital."

David Akers sent the following on Sept. 9, 2010: Hi Glenn,
Thanks for the update. I have not been there yet but will check it out
after while. I have some old pictures of Uncle Dave at the control center
of the hydro-electric dam in Damascus if you would be interested. He was
the first lamp-lighter in Damascus and then moved into the first operator
position for the dam. He and the dam were later bought out by the
Appalachian Power Co. where I later worked for 30 yrs. and then retired.

Below is Uncle Dave Wright at his kitchen table repairing radios which he did after retirement. This is a professional photograph taken in 1959.


More soon....