The Ft. Mitchell Baptist Church was the setting of my talk on Thursday, May 10th. The Seniors invited me to share my stories and photos.
There were some previous acquaintances in the audience:
Nellie Goodridge, a former manager in Pogue’s Camargo Room, was very helpful when I was in my research phase for the book. She kindly shared not only stories of her experiences, but also provided an old menu and a photo of the lovely painting of Lady Camargo that hung in the store’s dining room.
She posed a question for all of us that made our heads shake in disbelief: Were we aware that it was 30 years ago in April when Pogue’s closed their doors?
Janet Harding (Nellie’s sister) was there as well and had also shared stories and information during my gathering stage.
As I was leaving the room where I spoke and heading towards the luncheon area – I was invited to join them for a delicious assortment of salads, sandwiches, and desserts – a woman came up to speak to me. She explained that she was going to buy a copy of the book to give as a gift to someone who had worked in the fashion department at McAlpin’s. She then added that this person had studied at the Design, Architecture & Art College at the University of Cincinnati. “Really, what year did she graduate?” When she said 1971, I excitedly asked her name. It turns out that the woman was talking about someone named Sam (Samantha) who was in my class! And then, as we continued our conversation, we discovered that she also knew two other people from my class, Carol and Wendy. It’s a small world.
The image on the screen is showing the interior of the Shillito building’s rotunda with colors from the 19th century.
This painting of Lady Camargo hung in the Pogue’s tea room.