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Matriarch's Love Lives On As Ybor Family's Legacy

Family photo

Rosadel Butts and her brother, Bruce, are seen in this undated photo.

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By ROSADEL BUTTS

Special to the Tribune

Published: March 15, 2009

YBOR CITY - With three generations of my family in Ybor City, my childhood memories are the catalyst for the ideal of a kinder, gentler society.

I remember an integrated neighborhood in segregated times, speaking to people as we walked to and fro. I remember devil crabs made from chunks of fresh crabmeat and the best Cuban sandwiches from the Silver Ring Cafe.

I remember the community being a support. There was a sense of belonging to the world, a sense of security. We grew up with the admonition of those who had our best interests at heart. I remember the rituals of honoring elders and I remember Great-Grandmama.

Susan "Susie" McCloud was a stout woman with uncontrollable body tremors caused by Parkinson's disease. She moved slow, walked with a cane and rarely left her house. When she'd hug my brother and me, her skin felt like layers of marshmallows.

Her hair was pure white, the texture of cotton candy. Her angelic afro halo framed her aged face and her designer scent was the sweet spice of chewing tobacco, which permeated her whole being.

Great-Grandmama would bite off a small piece of the formable wad, methodically chew it till the solid was liquid in her mouth, then spit a dark brown crud into an old, beat-up coffee can.

She still had an icebox in the late 1950s, the forerunner of an electric refrigerator that kept food cold by means of large blocks of ice. When the family visited, we'd empty the melted water from the ice tray and restock the icebox and cupboards.

I remember when Great-Grandmama was about 87 and living independently in a small housing development. A fence and parking lot separated the development from a mini-supermarket some 50 feet away. She'd sit on the front porch rocking in her chair, watching people go by from sun up to sun down.

Walking home from school, my brother and I could either take the street in front or behind Great-Grandmama's house. If we'd choose the front, most likely we'd find her there on the porch.

We'd try to sneak past her watchful gaze, but she'd yell out to us and we knew we were trapped. Great-Grandmama always welcomed us with a sweet smile and a tight hug.

After a short visit, she'd pat the front patch pockets of her loose-fitting housedress, unlatch a safety pin and pull out a handkerchief twisted into a knot that she'd untie. Inside would be a 50-cent piece or silver dollar.

Our eyes lit up, our faces were aglow. We smiled uncontrollably thanking her over and over again as we sped off to our favorite corner store, a small Spanish bodega, to buy sweet treats. In those days, a penny bought two or three treats. A nickel or dime empowered a child. Receiving a 50-cent piece or dollar coin was a show of great favor.

Those coins are rare and highly valued in today's market. Great-Grandmama showed us that we were her priceless treasures in which she could freely invest and gain future interest and returns.

Everything about Great-Grandmama was sugar and spice and everything nice. From the texture of her skin and hair to her spicy pungent body scent to her monetary show of affection to the sweet treats we'd purchase, she made history relevant by just living to be old.

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I Remember It Well is a feature of the Prime Time page. E-mail submissions along with photographs to baylife@tampatrib.com or send typewritten stories by mail to I Remember It Well, c/o Sherri Ackerman, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606. Submissions cannot be returned. Please be sure to include a telephone number so that we can reach you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosadel Butts is among three generations of family who resided at 2211 11th Ave. in Ybor City. The 55-year-old administrative assistant moved away when she was about 10 to New Jersey, where she became an adult and worked as a bridal gown designer. She returned to Tampa a decade ago. Great-Grandmama died in 1964.

Tribune researchers Melanie Coon and Stephanie Pincus contributed to this report.

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TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE

body tremors • sun up to sun down • walking home from school • cuban sandwiches • electric refrigerator • designer scent • sweet spice • chewing tobacco • front porch • childhood memories • three generations • cotton candy • crabmeat • silver ring • mccloud • marshmallows • housing development • sense of security • forerunner • admonition

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