Interviews with Local Residents

April 7, 2009

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Calvin Morey grew up next door to a boat builder in Tuckerton. He worked at the Dynasty Diner with his father, the cook, during the summer. He washed dishes. “I hand washed them dish by dish.”
During a flood, Calvin Morey’s dad was trapped in the gristmill.
Now a day, Calvin is installing electronics on boats, and even teaches the people how to use them. He is a volunteer firefighter. He is also on the dive team. His favorite music group is the Beatles. With his wife Sharon, Calvin has two children, one boy and one girl. He is a hunter and a fisherman.
Calvin Morey has seen Tuckerton change. “When I was little, I used to be able to walk down Main Street with a hunting rifle and no one would think twice.” Calvin never saw the Jersey Devil, but his father-in-law swears he did on Stage Road. [Vicky N, Marianna N]
Jim Bower made a good impression. He knew a lot about the past history of Tuckerton and was talkative, which was good. Jim knew a lot about how people used to barter instead of using money. He told us about several buildings that are not here nowadays.
Jim and his friends always hung out near the lake during the summer. He said that every boy during that era had a fishing pole. They enjoyed fishing during the summer. His father ran a drug store that Jim worked at part time. They served soda and ice cream. Through that drug store, Jim learned new things about people and friends in the town when they stopped in [the drug store]. It was another popular hangout for kids back in the day.
One main thing that made Tuckerton popular was it was the center of hustle and bustle. You could find just about anything in the Tuckerton markets. You could even find foods that were uncommon back then, such as French fries, which Jim preferred over his mother’s cooking. Every day Jim had to be at home promptly at 6:00 pm for dinner, cooked by his mother. He would eat anything she put on his plate. [Brittany L, Alfredo R]

Mr. Earl Sutton and Mrs. Elizabeth Sutton have lived in Tuckerton with their families for years. In the late 1900s they arrived here in Tuckerton, becoming true loves, later getting married. Earl Sutton was a farmer, then became a banker for the rest of his career. Liz Sutton was a telephone operator for a long time. They both enjoyed listening and dancing to the music of their time, such as waltzing, the jitterbug, and line dancing.
Back then there was no Wawa; instead a three story building. There was no Ocean East Buffet across from Wawa; instead there was a huge two story building containing shops such as Ford.
Still to this day Liz and Earl Sutton love history and they have offered to share their stories of Tuckerton from back in the day. [Daryen W, Matthew M]

Sammy Leifred Jr. was very polite and funny. It was interesting to learn about Mr. Leifried’s life. He remembered a lot and he also had postcards from early years of Tuckerton. Sammy had numerous things to say about Tuckerton and he was also very comedic and patient when we were trying to get our microphone to work. Overall, Sammy was a fascinating guest.
Sammy told us that he used to work as a fisherman using different methods to catch clam and fish. He used treading, long-raking and other techniques. He lived with his grandmother, and she would trade canned goods for other necessities during the Great Depression.
Sammy told us about how it was much easier for farmers to live during the Great Depression than city people, because they lived off the land and were able to get vegetables and other supplies needed to survive. He also mentioned the different ways his family prepared spaghetti. It was often made with fish, clams, oysters, and other kinds of ingredients that they could add. He also explained how his friends would always come over his house if they were ever in the mood for pasta.
He also told us about events that happened in the past and buildings that are not here anymore, burnt down in the large Tuckerton fire many years ago. was He compared Tuckerton by size and population, to what it is now. He also spent many years working for the U.S. Military in the marine part, a.k.a, the Navy, as well as being part of the Air Force for a few years.
Sammy Leifried had a great past to tell us and he was nothing short of interesting.

Barbara Bolton

Jane Moeller and Joe Marshall