Back when Marge Stevenson, 98, and her friend, Amelia Ely, first moved to Lubbock, the city did not even go beyond 34th street, Hemphill-Wells department store was the place to hang out, and children were always looking for an excuse to be outside. 

Stevenson was 19-years-old when she moved to Lubbock, where soon after she was married to her husband, Hancel. The two had two children, a boy and a girl.

She attended beauty school, and quickly found her passion. Under the guidance and teaching of her boss, Jessie, she became a well-known name in Lubbock for her work.

“Jessie always taught us that clothes took care of your body, hair took care of your face, make it look as beautiful as you can, and as beautiful as you want,” said Stevenson. “I was a hairdresser, and I really put a lot of time into it.” 

As a young working girl, Stevenson shared that it was still important for her and her girlfriends to make life fun and always have something to look forward to. A sentiment that even at 98, she still aims for: she is currently a resident at Legacy at South Plains, and has developed a reputation for being the “funny girl” and a social butterfly. 

“We’d go to lunch at Hemphills and that was the elite place to have for working girls. We knew all the clerks. That was a fun thing for me.”

Stevenson shared that her first home was just off of 34th street, and that she would enjoy visiting all the shops in downtown then, but as for now, “they won’t ever get it [downtown] back to how it used to be.” 

Stevenson advises the younger generations of today to look up from their cell phones from time to time and enjoy life; she is a reminder that you’re truly as young as you feel.

“People will say, ‘I can’t believe you’re 98,’ and I’ll tell them so many times I don’t believe it either. And I’ve had a full life!” 

Just down the stairs from Stevenson, is Amelia Ely. In her room, you can’t turn your head without spotting a picture or momentos from family, friends and simpler times. Even the quilt on her bed has memories and the names of family members’ stitched onto the patchwork. She says she misses her husband, “Bud,” dearly, but still keeps him close by through pictures of his time as a pilot.

“That’s my Bud, ain’t he quite-a-looking-something? And he was a good pilot too,” said Ely, who shared that the two just loved to have fun together, whether that was fishing, going out to eat or square dancing.

The young couple moved to the Hub City in 1945. Ely shared it didn’t take too long for her to realize they made the right decision in their move.

“We fell in love with Lubbock, it was way out west,” said Ely. “It was cotton fields that you looked at, and oh, it seemed like you could see the blue sky! But then every now and then, you were brought back to earth and oh, the dust storms!” 

Ely modeled for a local department store, and became the proud mother to four children: three girls and one son. As someone who had always made family her utmost priority, she said there a few things about today that seem to be painfully different and noticeable.

“Everything we did was with the family, that was the most important thing in our lives. Learning, praying,” said Ely. “I would give anything, if we could teach children from the beginning of their lives to have manners, and to respect.” 

Like Stevenson, she also wishes more children would get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Ely was a gifted and well-respected golfer, known for being able to swing left and right. Being outside was not only an escape for her, but also just part of her life, and hopes more young children can be exposed to that.

“You were always outside, anything to be outside!” 

Despite the years that may go by, the buildings that may continue to pop up, or the streets that will continue to be added, at its core, both Ely and Stevenson shared that they are still adore the city they fell in love with so long ago, and are happy to have not only lived here, but to have shared that experience with their families. 

“I will always think that Lubbock is a fine city,” said Ely.