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PITTSBURG —
There’s a picture of a handsome young bellhop in a lobby display case at the historic Hotel Stilwell.
“That was back in 1954,” said Dale Gadberry, now a resident of the Knights of Columbus Towers. “I was 22 years old.”
He said he worked about six years at the Stilwell.
“I helped people with their luggage, ran the elevator up and down, took ice to the residents when they were having parties,” Gadberry said. “I made pretty good tips. I worked 12-hour shifts. One night I went to work at 7 p.m. and was there until 7 a.m. By the time I left I had more than $100 in tips in my pocket.”
At that time the Pittsburg native was still living with his parents.
“I gave it all to Mom and said, ‘Go to the store and buy groceries’,” Gadberry said.
His father worked for the Kansas City Southern Railroad.
“He had to go to Kansas City to get Engine 1023, the one that was at Schlanger Park,” Gadberry said. “They were going to bring it back to fix it and I went with Dad. A steam pipe broke on the way back.”
It’s just a short trip from the Knights of Columbus back door, across the alley to the Stilwell.
“Every time I come back it brings back memories,” Gadberry said. “The lobby was all open then. In Christmas it was all decorated and very pretty.”
He can point out some of the changes, especially where the front reception desk was.
“That was where Mrs. Dean stood, at the front,” Gadberry said. “She was a good boss.”
Hester Dean owned the hotel until her death in 1975.
After he left the Stilwell he worked as a bellhop at the Besse Hotel for about eight years. Gadberry enjoyed that, too.
“I liked being around people,” Gadberry said. “They’d talk to you and give you kind words.
Gadberry’s family left Pittsburg for Oklahoma, and then moved on to Florida, where he worked as a bagger at Publix Supermarket.
“There aren’t any of them around here, they’re mostly in places like Florida and North Carolina,” Gadberry said. “If they did come here, I’d work for them in a heartbeat.”
But the Stilwell holds a special place in his heart.
“That was history at the Stilwell,” Gadberry said.
There’s a picture of a handsome young bellhop in a lobby display case at the historic Hotel Stilwell.
“That was back in 1954,” said Dale Gadberry, now a resident of the Knights of Columbus Towers. “I was 22 years old.”
He said he worked about six years at the Stilwell.
“I helped people with their luggage, ran the elevator up and down, took ice to the residents when they were having parties,” Gadberry said. “I made pretty good tips. I worked 12-hour shifts. One night I went to work at 7 p.m. and was there until 7 a.m. By the time I left I had more than $100 in tips in my pocket.”
At that time the Pittsburg native was still living with his parents.
“I gave it all to Mom and said, ‘Go to the store and buy groceries’,” Gadberry said.
His father worked for the Kansas City Southern Railroad.
“He had to go to Kansas City to get Engine 1023, the one that was at Schlanger Park,” Gadberry said. “They were going to bring it back to fix it and I went with Dad. A steam pipe broke on the way back.”
It’s just a short trip from the Knights of Columbus back door, across the alley to the Stilwell.
“Every time I come back it brings back memories,” Gadberry said. “The lobby was all open then. In Christmas it was all decorated and very pretty.”
He can point out some of the changes, especially where the front reception desk was.
“That was where Mrs. Dean stood, at the front,” Gadberry said. “She was a good boss.”
Hester Dean owned the hotel until her death in 1975.
After he left the Stilwell he worked as a bellhop at the Besse Hotel for about eight years. Gadberry enjoyed that, too.
“I liked being around people,” Gadberry said. “They’d talk to you and give you kind words.
Gadberry’s family left Pittsburg for Oklahoma, and then moved on to Florida, where he worked as a bagger at Publix Supermarket.
“There aren’t any of them around here, they’re mostly in places like Florida and North Carolina,” Gadberry said. “If they did come here, I’d work for them in a heartbeat.”
But the Stilwell holds a special place in his heart.
“That was history at the Stilwell,” Gadberry said.
