I went to Aggieville in 1970 and opened a private club at 1122 Moro St called The Cavalier Club. It had been open as a club called The Bank Club but was well before it’s time and only survived for less than a year. I was out on the road traveling with my guitar when a friend of mine asked me if I would be interested in taking over a business in Aggieville that the owners had defaulted on. I was young and didn’t have a clue on what I was getting into. It was like jumping into a fire and hoping that you didn’t get burned. I knew nothing about the food business or managing 15 employees a night. I was only 22 years old and barely made it through high school. This gentleman was twice my age and a very good businessman. I had played my guitar in Salina 2 years prior to 1970. We became friends and he gave me an opportunity of a life time. Without that chance in life, I would not have lived the life that I have. I have said many times that life is a lot of luck. I was very lucky! Back then all the other taverns were only serving 3.2 beer and had to close at midnight. I had the only club in Aggieville that served liquor and could stay open until 3 am. I had all the business available and a party room that could hold 300 people for sorority and fraternity events. It was the only club in Aggieville and you had to be 21 years of age to get in, 18 years of age for all taverns. As you can see in the picture, Brothers Tavern was right below me and we had a diner next door called Kearby’s Café. We had a Pizza Hut right across the street and a movie theater next to it call The Varsity Theater. The Campus Theater was straight down the block along with the Darkhorse Tavern. Kite’s and Mr. K’s were also in operation. It was a different time in life, no credit cards, no computers and a great time to make money. Gas was 36 cents, beer 75 cents, hamburger 35 cents and coffee a quarter. You could live as a single person, pay rent, food, auto and support yourself if you had a fair job. (not today). It was a very simple life compared to today. From 1970 to 1978 if you worked your butt off you could make some serious money. Both football and basketball were going strong with great teams which also made Aggieville boom on the weekends. It was my life for seven years and gave me a start in business and knowledge to start many other small businesses and buy real-estate through the 1980’s and 1990’s. It was also a lot of fun. I was the same age as my customers and single.

The 1970’s were the Disco years and everyone went dancing every night. That’s how people met each other. No social media and no phone. The music had one hell of a beat and life was absolutely wonderful. A great time in history to be young!