[00:00:06.28] MARILYN SOMERS: This is an oral history interview with Jeanette Longley in Dalton, Georgia. And Jeanette is the oldest grandchild of HL Smith. Henry Lawson Smith, the first man to graduate from Georgia Tech. Jeanette, you're so kind to let us come see you today. And today is February the 17th of the year 2000. And I would like to ask you, please, to just tell us, just briefly, some of your recollections of your grandfather, in no particular order. Do you remember him clearly? 
[00:00:36.96] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Oh, yes. 
[00:00:38.20] MARILYN SOMERS: What's your clearest image of him? 
[00:00:40.24] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, I think my strongest memory is probably of him sitting in his favorite chair in my aunt's home by the window, which he loved, where he could look out and see the mountains and the sunset. And he would write poetry and work crossword puzzles. And when I think of granddaddy, it's one of the favorite memories I have of him. 
[00:01:05.97] And then later, after my grandmother died and he bought a cottage on the beach at New Smyrna, he would spend the winters there with an older couple that would come and stay with him. And then, he would come home for some weeks in the spring. Then, when summer came, he'd returned to his cottage. And various friends and members of the family would take turns spending two weeks with him at the beach. And we would keep house and cook and enjoy his hospitality and look after him and take him places. 
[00:01:42.39] MARILYN SOMERS: So you got a shot at that? 
[00:01:43.73] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Oh, yes. And he'd always take us out for Sunday dinner. That was a big thing. And so, that was great fun. And then, as I was growing up-- 
[00:01:53.77] MARILYN SOMERS: He sounds kind of like an ideal grandpa, then. He was just-- 
[00:01:57.37] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, he was. Of course, he was handicapped, because he had arthritis quite badly and was on crutches, ever since I can remember, really. And so he was not as active as some grandfathers. But he was always a very wise man and gave us all good advice. And that was something I was going to tell you a minute ago and I-- oh, about the Sunday school. He was a superintendent of the Sunday school, and being very, very active in the church. But I remember as a child that he was the superintendent there, and that the church was a very important part of his life. 
[00:02:39.59] MARILYN SOMERS: Do you remember his connection with Georgia Tech as something that you were aware of as you were growing up? Did you realize his significance? 
[00:02:46.67] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, yes. I did know he was the first graduate. And he always had his four tickets to the football games every year, right on the 50-yard line. And he had a special parking place that was close. Because of his disability, they made it as easy as possible for him. And he would always take someone with him to the games. And so, I got to go take my turn. My husband and I would drive him down to the game. And that was another fun thing. So, we all were great Tech fans. 
[00:03:22.88] MARILYN SOMERS: So, from the very beginning, you knew you were a Ramblin' Wreck then? 
[00:03:26.24] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. 
[00:03:29.64] MARILYN SOMERS: You were in a unique position as Henry aged and got older in life. His business, which was the MD and HL Smith manufacturing company. Is that correct? 
[00:03:40.12] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Yes, that's right. 
[00:03:41.12] MARILYN SOMERS: Eventually came into your custody, so to speak. Talk to me about-- 
[00:03:44.48] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, yes it did. Well, after my grandfather passed-- well, he retired. And when he did, after my grandmother died around 1950, '51, my father ran the business then. He had been working with him ever since World War II in the final-- how shall I put it? With the business, there were originally four plants. And two of them had been divided between my grandfather and his brother, MD. And then, at that time, my father had run the Chattanooga plant, and my grandfather the Dalton plant. And his brother had taken the Atlanta and the Birmingham plants. 
[00:04:28.66] So then, when World War I came, my father went in the service. And when he came back, he went into the tent business as head of the Chattanooga plant. So later, that was sold to Tennessee Tent and Awning. And my father went into the automobile business as the Dodge Plymouth dealer in Dalton. Then, when World War II came along, my dad sold his business and went back into the tent business to help my grandfather. Because the plant ran 24 hours a day, making squad tents and hospital tents for the army. 
[00:05:09.83] And then, he just stayed with it until, when granddaddy died, he took over the complete management of the plant. And then, about five years later-- my father only lived about five years longer than his father. Then the plant came down to me, and I ran it until I moved to Atlanta in 1970. 
[00:05:32.47] MARILYN SOMERS: So you became the family tent-maker? 
[00:05:34.53] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: So I'm the last of the tent-makers. 
[00:05:36.85] MARILYN SOMERS: Last of the tent-makers. 
[00:05:37.63] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: But it was a very interesting business. You met a lot of interesting people. And we made a lot of really big tents and unique tents. 
[00:05:47.03] MARILYN SOMERS: That are still in existence? 
[00:05:48.87] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Yes, they are still in existence. In fact, as I showed you some pictures earlier, there was one that was erected here at the fairgrounds in Dalton last summer. And my former foreman, Carl Marcus, and I went out to see the tent and take some pictures and get our picture made inside the tent. And it was great to see one up. We always saw it in bits and pieces, so it was a treat for us to see it put up. 
[00:06:19.56] MARILYN SOMERS: A wonderful legacy. 
[00:06:20.90] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Yes. That was great fun. And I think you're doing a super job on your research on granddaddy and his life. 
[00:06:27.96] MARILYN SOMERS: I'm finding that Henry was quite an interesting man. 
[00:06:30.38] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, he really was. 
[00:06:31.68] MARILYN SOMERS: He was quite a sports figure. Even though he was handicapped in later years, in his early days, he was quite a golfer, wasn't he, now? 
[00:06:37.64] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, he actually played golf on crutches. 
[00:06:41.96] MARILYN SOMERS: He did? 
[00:06:42.46] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: He was such a devoted golfer. And he was one of the charter members of the local Dalton Golf and Country Club, and served as its first president. 
[00:06:53.72] MARILYN SOMERS: Another one of the things that he took a great deal of pride in. I refer to him as Henry, but that's not the way he was known in Dalton. 
[00:07:01.02] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: No. Everybody that I know always referred to him as Mr. HL. 
[00:07:06.18] MARILYN SOMERS: Mr. HL? 
[00:07:07.60] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Uh-huh. And that's the way he preferred to be known, I believe. But certainly, that's-- 
[00:07:13.58] MARILYN SOMERS: He was certainly very well known here. 
[00:07:15.70] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Oh, yes. Very well known and very highly respected. And was an active in civic groups. Civitan and other local organizations. 
[00:07:29.78] MARILYN SOMERS: Well, Georgia Tech considers itself quite fortunate that it had such a wonderful first graduate. And I think probably all of Dalton feels quite the same way. 
[00:07:38.66] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, he was quite fond of his memories of Tech. Tech certainly ranked very high in his opinion, and he was a very loyal supporter always. 
[00:07:50.10] MARILYN SOMERS: Thank you so much for letting us come talk to you about him today, and for sharing all the wonderful memorabilia. 
[00:07:55.54] JEANNETTE LONGLEY: Well, thank you so much, Marilyn. It's been a real pleasure. I've enjoyed having you and getting to know you and Teresa. And thanks a lot.