When you’ve lived in town as long as Jim Townsend, you notice a
few changes
– more people, more cars, fewer cattle. And while Townsend may
be as prone to nostalgia as the next guy, he isn’t bitter about the
changes, preferring to take it in stride as he has with most things
in life.
Hollister – When you’ve lived in town as long as Jim Townsend, you notice a few changes – more people, more cars, fewer cattle. And while Townsend may be as prone to nostalgia as the next guy, he isn’t bitter about the changes, preferring to take it in stride as he has with most things in life.
Townsend, 69, grew up in Salinas, which was then a small agricultural community not much different from Hollister.
“In a way, I’ve been able to see two communities grow up,” he said.
Townsend met his future wife, Margaret, in 1952 through mutual friends, when the two were still in their teens. The couple were wed in 1954 – Townsend was 18 and his fiance was only 16. They are celebrating their 52nd year of married life, and say that they are happy as they ever have been. When asked what the secret to such a strong marriage was, Townsend shrugged.
“That’s an easy question,” he said. “Love, of course. Love is the most important thing of all. We were close when we were kids and we’ve stayed close ever since.”
Townsend worked several jobs during his first few years of marriage to make ends meet, primarily in sales. He worked for both JC Penny’s and Safeway before moving to a local branch of the Coca-Cola Company. He thrived there and, when the opportunity came for a distributor’s position in the then tiny town of Hollister, he took it.
“I was the young hot salesman in those days,” he said. “I knew how important service was – why I’d answer calls at one o’clock in the morning.”
Townsend moved to Hollister with his wife and children in 1965, where he quickly became well-known in the community as the “Coke Man.”
“It was a completely different town back in those days,” he said. “Everything was closed by five o’clock, except the China Buffet, which isn’t there anymore…. Every time someone new moved to town I was excited, because it was a change and an opportunity for more business.”
The Coke Man’s family grew with the town. Townsend and Margaret have four children, who work in fields ranging from the clergy to education. He retired in 1982 after decades of working for Coca-Cola, but is grateful that his hard work has afforded him a happy retirement.
“Even after I retired, people would still stop me around town and say ‘Do I know you from somewhere?'” he said. “I’d ask them if they ever worked around a Coke machine, and then they remember.”
The Townsends boast a whopping 20 grandchildren ages 1 to 28 and one great-grandchild, all of whom they adore. Townsend spends as much time with his family as he can and firmly believes that retirement does not necessarily equate to slowing down.
Townsend owns a boat and a motorcycle, two relatively new hobbies that he is understandably proud of. Though he’s fond of his motorcycle, he’s hardly a biker.
“I never ride it, which is silly,” he said. “I went down main street on the Fourth of July just once, and that was enough for me. It was too loud and it took me a half hour to get back to my house.”
Townsend’s plans for the future are modest. He would like to travel a little more with his wife than he’s been able to in the past, but mostly wants to spend time with his family.
“I have enough family to keep me busy for awhile, especially when it comes to Christmas shopping,” he said. “But you know what? It’s the greatest.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
