At 102 years old, Evelyn Plowman’s memory isn’t what it used to be. Still, five minutes after meeting her, it’s evident one of Austin’s oldest residents lived to see Austin change dramatically. Her secret to outlasting it all? She’s not getting worked up about anything.
Evelyn never learned to drive, preferring to ride her horse, Queenie, around town. In fourth grade, Evelyn rode Queenie to school with her younger sister, Hazel. During the day, Queenie stayed in the school stables. “I rode her everywhere, really,” she said.
Her most vivid memories are of La Conga, a dinner club she frequented with her brother, Henry, and sister Hazel. She recalls dancing the waltz with a variety of suitors as bands performed. One night at La Conga, she met her husband-to-be, Rodger, though she admits he wasn’t a very good dancer. Rodger served in World War II, following the action and typing reports. Evelyn said she wrote to him some but continued to play the field. “I kept my eye on him,” she said.
During the war, she worked at Camp Swift, a military training camp near Bastrop. Though she was part of the war effort, she doesn’t think it changed Austin all that much. “You just kinda get up and go,” she said.
When the war ended, she and Rodger married and opened a franchise of Red and White grocery stores in 1946. Austin was still segregated, but Evelyn and Rodger sourced much of their produce from Black-owned farms in South Austin. “We were all together,” Evelyn said. “That didn’t bother us.”
Evelyn still lives in the home she bought with Rodger more than 60 years ago. Located near the intersection of South Lamar and Barton Springs Road, the house is easy to spot. It’s one of few that remain unchanged among new builds and modern, multimillion-dollar homes. She remembers the days when the Hells Angels lived in the house across the street in the Sixties and when another neighboring house was busted for growing marijuana in the attic in the Eighties. The one-story home is a living time capsule: The carpet, wallpaper, and curtains are identical to photographs of her home taken in the Seventies and Eighties.
“Am I happy? Certainly I am.” – Evelyn Plowman
Every two weeks, Evelyn visits her beauty operator Trini at Clip’n Curl, an appointment she’s held for the last two decades. Trini keeps Evelyn’s hair in a pristine halo and has seen it go from dark brown to stark white over the years.
You won’t get a controversial word from Evelyn. She remembers reading the Austin American-Statesman daily, but says she didn’t pay attention to news or politics. “I voted once or twice,” she said. “I don’t remember who for. I wasn’t very interested in voting.”
Of all the politicians she remembers, she liked President John F. Kennedy the best. “I liked Kennedy. He had a lot of fun,” she said. When asked about Lyndon B. Johnson, she shrugged. “He’s all right,” she said, disinterested.
Her advice to younger Austinites: Love people. At the end of the interview, Evelyn told each person in the room that she loved them. “Am I happy? Certainly I am.”
This article appears in May 31 • 2024.