So when you write down the memories of the single most important person in your life, where do you start? At the beginning of course! I had two good friends that I had previously worked with at Noble Park Dairy Queen in Paducah, Kentucky, it was a drive-in and the local hangout in town for several generations. Their name’s were Jeff Meyers & Tammy Carter. Tammy Carter had a friend whom she went to school with and wanted me to meet her, she thought we would be a good match, she was right.
Her friend worked at the Sonic Drive-in on the other side of town on Bridge Street. She set up an afternoon for me and her to meet on Monday 21 April 1980 a day forever imbedded in my mind. I pulled up to the speaker and ordered a vanilla milkshake, after she made it she also brought it out to my car, a 1972 Chevelle SS. When I looked into her eyes, she was hypnotizing and shy, as she looked away. She was wearing a nice tight pair of black slacks and a white tee shirt that had “Sonic Drive-In” printed on it. She was beautiful, for me it was love at first site. I had dated a few girls before but when I looked into her eyes she had me at hi, I’m Toni. Toni Kay Baker, the most beautiful person I had ever met, she was beautiful all the way to her soul. We talked for a couple of minutes, but she would not let me distract her from her work, she has always been like that. We sat up a date for the following Saturday 26 April 1980.
I went to pick her up at her mother’s house at about 7:00 P.M.. I opened the car door and helped her in and we were on our way. We went to eat at Bonanza Steakhouse on Joe Clifton Drive. I let her order first of course and she ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, but I gently talked her into ordering something else. We both had chopped steak dinners with baked potato’s and Texas style toast. We had a great time at Bonanza and followed that up with a night at the Arcade movie theater on Broadway. The Arcade Theater was built in 1911 and was the first theater in Paducah. She decided on the movie “Little Darlings” starring Kristy McNichols.
After the movie it was almost time for her to be home so we headed back to her house. I walked her to the door and told her what a wonderful time I had, she said she did too! I asked her if she would like to go out again, she said sure! Before I left, I asked her if I could kiss her goodnight, she said yes! When we kissed, it was like magic, and it still feels that way when we kiss after all these years. I was so excited I went home but couldn’t sleep, I laid in bed listening to my favorite radio station 96.9 (a rock station in Paducah) until I fell asleep.
I thought about Toni all week. I wanted to buy her a gift so I sent her a dozen red roses. She had her mother take her picture holding them and sent it to me in a card. But that wasn’t enough, I went to Manas Jewelers between 2nd and 3rd streets on Broadway and bought her a popular necklace at that time, an add-a-bead necklace made of 10kt gold.
On Saturday I went to pick her up about a half hour early to meet her family, we decided to eat at Captain D’s Seafood and go to the movies. As we were pulling away from her house she slid over next to me and gently placed her hand on my thigh, it gave me goose bumps. It was the first time outside my family I felt so much love for someone. Before it was time for the show to start, we parked behind J.C.Penny’s in their parking lot and waited. I decided to give her the necklace, so I handed her the gift-wrapped box. She said what is this for with tears in her eyes, I said it’s for you, open it. She said it was so beautiful and I helped her put in on. Then I asked her if she would like to go steady, she said yes and kissed me, I was on cloud nine! The song playing on the radio was “All out of Love” by “Air Supply,” that became our song! Till this day I cannot tell you what the movie was that night, I was so mesmerized by Toni saying yes, she was all I could think about. I don’t even remember the ride home, but our kiss good night was something I will never forget.
We continued to date just about every weekend unless she had to work, it was some of the most wonderful memories of my life. That summer we went to the McCracken County Fair and had our picture made in a heart shaped pattern, which we still have. Toni was getting ready to graduate from Paducah Tilghman High School and she invited me to go. After Toni graduated, we continued to date, and she also introduced me to her best friends, Shirley and Ricky Mitchell.
I decided after only two months of dating that Toni was my one and only soul-mate. My mind was made up. I was going to propose. I went to Rogers Jeweler’s at 3rd & Broadway and bought her a nice solitaire diamond ring. I also bought a lifelike stuffed dog and hid the ring in the dog’s mouth. I gave it to her on 06 June 1980. At first she didn’t see the ring but she knew something was amiss with me bringing her a gift like that on a Thursday. She found the ring, and to my amazement said yes!
Well everything was going along just great until 04 July 1980. You see her best friends Shirley & Ricky invited me to go watch the fireworks with them at Bob Noble Park. Unknowing to me Shirley’s sister Cricket was with them going also. I did not think anything about it. Toni was the only one for me. But now Toni did not like it at all! It was on a Friday night and she had to work. So we decided to drive by Sonic to eat and see Toni. When she came to the car and seen me sitting in the only seat available, next to Cricket, I could tell in an instant that I had made a mistake. She broke up with me that night. I was devastated! I was so very sad, and I couldn’t believe it had happened! I took our license plate with our names on it off my Chevelle and tried to move on.
After a couple of weeks my best friend Robin Steele had set up a date with a cousin of his wife and I was looking forward to going out. We went to the movies and since it was only one block from Shirley and Ricky’s apartment I decided to introduce them to her knowing that she would probably call Toni before we left the parking lot. Well the next day Toni drove by where I was working but didn’t stop. I thought well it must really be over. I decided to go out again with the same girl. On the day of our date I hurried home from work knowing I barely had enough time to get ready and pick her up. As I was preparing to leave mama said did you see your mail, I said no I’ll look at it when I get back home. Mama said wait you better look at this one. She handed it to me and I recognized the handwriting instantly! It was a card and a letter from Toni!
She said she had made a mistake, she knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, and that she knew I had not intentionally meant to hurt her or embarrass her. She also had invited me to come to a Dallas Holm concert at Southland Baptist Temple on Yarbro Lane. She had reserved me a seat. It was already past time for me to have met her there. Without thinking I jumped in my car and set a new land speed record between my house about (twelve miles away) and the church.
I went in walking up and down the isles looking for her I was just about to give up when I heard the most beautiful voice in the world holler “Jimmy!” I turned around and saw Toni and Joni(her twin)waving me over. I had to scoot past several people to get to her and I could tell she had been crying, she thought I not only wasn’t coming but didn’t even call and tell her so! She did not know that I had only received her letter about twenty minutes earlier. Before I reached her, she reached out for my hand and squeezed so hard it almost hurt, she didn’t let it go the entire evening. I explained I had only just received her letter a few minutes earlier and that nothing could have kept me from coming to her. We were re-engaged that evening.
Only after I arrived home did I realize what I had done, forgotten about my date. I hadn’t even called the poor girl, just left her hanging, I still regret to this day not calling her to cancel our date. Which was totally out of character for me, that was the only time I had ever done that. But being back with Toni was all I could think about. We decided to set our wedding date for 03 Oct 1980 at Southland Baptist Temple, her niece’s birthday!
Toni was having some problems at home and decided to move in with her dad until we were married. The problem was he lived in Pelham, Alabama. I didn’t like it at all, but it was her decision to make not mine. We wrote to each other and talked on the phone almost every day, honestly I think the time away from each other brought us even closer together. She only stayed there about a month or so before she decided to come home. Ricky, Shirley and I went to get her.
I met her dad and her other family and we visited awhile. The next day Toni wanted to show us around Birmingham(which is just outside of Pelham) and we went to the mall, it was huge. I had never been to a mall before, it was amazing. We stopped at a gourmet ice cream shop in the mall and we split a huge banana split, a meal in itself! We stayed another night and we drove Toni’s car back to Paducah the next day! It was so great being together again!
Meanwhile I had decided to accept Shirley and Ricky’s offer to move in with them until Toni and I were married. Toni and I spent the next month finding a place to live after we were married and getting everything ready. We went to Kentucky Lake one day to swim and relax on the beach! Another day we just hung around town, parked at the river front and just enjoyed a nice sunny afternoon. Our favorite places to eat at that time were Mr.Gatti’s Pizza and Wendy’s. Our life together was great!
When our wedding day finally came, it went very smoothly and was over before we knew it. We didn’t spend a dime on our wedding but it was just as nice as anyone could hope for. Toni used her twin sister Joni’s wedding dress, and I wore the suit I had bought as a senior in high school! My Mama and Aunt Joann made the cake and handled the reception and it was just a beautiful evening!
We decided to drive to Nashville, Tennessee for our “Honeymoon,” we stayed at the Holiday Inn. It was a huge motel, twelve floors. On the drive down we were looking for a restaurant to eat at, but they were all so busy we decided to stop a McDonald’s to save time. We had quarter pounders with cheese, fries, and a shake.
We got up the next morning and ate breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. We left there on our way to Opryland Park, only after we arrived I had lost my wallet. I went back to the Dunkin Donut store and luckily an honest person found it and turned it in, what a relief. At Opryland we rode several rides, had a wooden sign made with our names engraved on it, and also ran into some friends from high school!
After we spent the day at Opryland we went to visit Toni’s other sister Paula, and stayed the night there. Money was tight so we did as we have our entire life, the best we could! We enjoyed our time there and headed back to Paducah the next day. Married on Friday back to work on Monday, not much time I know, but we worked for a living!
Our next big adventure was when we were offered a management opportunity with Sonic Drive-In Inc. We had to temporarily move to Oklahoma City for our training. We left in November for Oklahoma. We arrived the next day in Midwest City, Oklahoma, where we were lodged in a local motel for the duration of our training.
to the grocery after work to pick up a snack. Our training store was just across the highway from Tinker Air Force Base.
We spent our first Christmas in that motel, we bought a small tree and made the best of it. We were very happy and content being alone that Christmas, although we deeply missed being without our families! I bought Toni a new outfit that she looked beautiful in. It was a cream-colored sweater over a hot pink shirt and slacks to match. She bought me a nice pair of boots I had been wanting from Kinney Shoe Co.
We decided in that motel late one night that we wanted to have a big family after watching the movie “Yours, Mine, & Ours!” We also adopted our first pet there a homeless little “woolie booger” we named Coco. After a trip to the vet he turned out to be a pure bred poodle, so we took him to the groomers and lo and behold he looked like one too! He had been treated very badly prior to us finding him, but he lived a long and happy life with us for the next twelve years.
After Christmas we were sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma to help take over a new store. Our motel there reminded me of the Bates Motel from the movie Psycho, and the people in Tulsa were not very receptive to us, and we showered at least once a week whether we needed one or not, just kidding! When we got our transfer to finally go home to take over that store, we were relieved, Tulsa was just an unfriendly place.
We stayed with Sonic until the recession got the best of them, they closed our store down and wanted us to move to Atlanta, Georgia. We decided against that move due to the serial killer there that had not been caught yet. Anyway Toni was pregnant and we wanted to stay close to family. Finding work became very tough during the recession in Paducah. We struggled for a long time, nothing new.
Toni gave birth to Heather on 18 Dec 1981 after spending more than 15 hours in labor, and they performed a cesarian section. Heather was perfectly healthy being three weeks late, and she weighed in at 9lbs. 10oz. Toni however had lost a lot of blood and her blood pressure was dangerously low, the doctor said he wasn’t sure if she was going to make it. After a very long night for me Toni recovered just fine. But I have never forgot how close we came to losing her.
We worked hard for the next few years and decided to another child, James was born 13 Mar 1986, his birth went without incident. A little more than two years later we had Matthew he was born two months premature on 05 Aug 1988. We decided that we would not have anymore children due to the strain on Toni’s health.
Over the years we’ve had our ups and downs, disagreements and triumphs, but it has been a great ride! If I could go back to the beginning, I would marry her all over again! Today all of our children are grown and we have two wonderful grandchildren Aaron and Hannah.
Toni is the one person who makes my life complete. We have hardly ever been apart, and we even worked together for more than sixteen years. If she’s not with me, I feel like there is something missing. We have always done everything together! Toni is my life long companion, my best friend, my lover, the mother of my children, and my lovely wife, whom I will love “Always & Forever!”
