Since we began our “People of Dalton” series, we have begged Curtis Rivers to let us tell his story. Each time we’d ask, he’d politely decline and refer us to someone he believed deserved to tell their story more. At The Emery Center, Curtis helps tell stories for a living which makes it a special honor to help him tell his own. What a gift he is to our community.
“I’ve been around Dalton my whole life. I grew up just outside of town, right down the street from my childhood sweetheart, Pat. We grew up together as best friends, swapping comic books. I was drafted into the military right after college. I told Pat it wouldn’t be fair for me to marry her while serving in the military. She didn’t take no for an answer. While I was serving in the army in Santo Domingo, Pat wrote a letter to President Johnson asking that I be sent home to marry her. He must have thought she was as convincing as I did, because a little while later, I was sent home for 12 days to marry my bride. It was a sweet time, but it didn’t last long. When I had to go back to service, I was sent to Vietnam. I was fortunate to come back home to Pat alive.
While I was serving, I couldn’t help to think about that last barbeque sandwich I ate in Dalton at the old Ecell’s restaurant (where The Sweet Spot is now). I remember wanting one last good meal before being sent off, but in order to eat, I had to go to the back of the building and order through a cubby. Black people couldn’t use the front door. I remember thinking how I was serving a country that wouldn’t even let me get a barbeque sandwich easily. I was fighting for a country that wouldn’t fight for me.
After returning from Vietnam in 1966, I wanted to move to Florida. I enjoyed the warm weather and the outdoors. Pat, however, said no. We were staying in Dalton, she told me. And so, we did. Since I would be staying in Dalton, I needed a job where I didn’t have to commute too far. I hoped to be a teacher, but didn’t want to teach at the old Emery School, since it was about to dissolve. Around that same time, the Postmaster in Dalton was being pushed to integrate the post office. He called me up and offered me a job carrying mail. Now, I didn’t go to school to carry mail, but when I saw what the benefits were compared to a teaching job, I knew I had to take that job. He told me I could try it for a year and quit to go teach if I wanted.
I carried mail on Thornton Avenue, being shown off as a black mail carrier in town. After five years, they offered me a clerk position, but I decided to keep walking. I carried mail, was promoted to Eastside station manager, and held that position until I retired. Around that time, in December 1997, I heard by word of mouth that the old Emery School building was going to be torn down. A concerned citizen group asked for my help to turn it into a museum that preserved black history. We met with the school board, city council, and everybody in between to try and get the building. It was a long process because of all the outside interest in the building, but, in 2003, someone from City Hall finally said to give us that darn key!
Since then, I have worked at the Emery Center as an unpaid volunteer. My wife, Pat, was what you could call the architect of the building. She worked on the floorplan and the layout, doing all the behind-the-scenes work. We have received donation after donation from people who want to help preserve the cultural history. People will come here on tours, then return with stuff from their own houses, wanting it preserved as well.
We’ve had our ups and downs – including a pipe burst in 2014 that almost devastated us permanently, and our air conditioning systems needing repair. Everyone thought these struggles would be the end of the Emery Center, but I told everyone we were going to pray, then we were going to try. Some people donated, some people worked for free to repair what needed repair, and in the end, we wound up having the money we needed to get everything fixed and back up to code by 2015. We, like everyone, were also affected by the pandemic, but we were able to pull through that as well.
This past year, my wife passed away after 57 years. I’m still grieving, but I try to come in and do my best every day. I’m getting close to the age of retiring. I’ve done so much in my life outside of the Emery Center and the Post Office. I was the first black man in the Dalton Rotary Club. I was the first black Parks & Recreation Commissioner, the first to run for Dalton Public School board in 1970, and the first black trustee for Dalton Junior College. I served on various boards and committees, the Chamber board included, and the first black to participate in Leadership Dalton-Whitfield in 1987. Because we stayed here in Dalton like Pat insisted, we were able to accomplish so much and grow some deep roots.
It is important that I mention I believe every month is Black History Month. I think every culture is important. We are all are woven together like vines – if you try to pull them apart, they just tangle further. That is why it is necessary to have a place like the Emery Center unifying so many cultures. If you unify people, how could you pull them apart? Learning is the first step to becoming unified. Dalton is getting better at showing that unification every day. That’s what makes it such a great place to live and raise your family. That’s what makes it an honor to still be here, serving our community every day. Dalton is very giving and there are so many to thank, many who are no longer with us, but they contributed to the existence of the Emery Center.”