Meet Lewis Culbertson. He knows a lot about family. He has seventy-five grandchildren. I featured Lewis on my blog last summer. He holds the status of rock-star around Glenwood Evans and Son, having worked for the family since he was ten-years-old. Culbertson will be eighty-five in June, 2010.
Charles Bradshaw, who works at Glenwood Evans, says of Culbertson, "When he is gone there will be a void around this place. All the waterman know him; they wave when they pass by and they expect to see him when they drop off their crabs and oysters or pick up their bait."
Culbertson is known for sitting on the dock in an easy chair when he is not working. When one chair wears out, another ones arrives. Local recreational boaters also know Culbertson. In the summer months when we take our boat out, we always look for the chair to see if Culbertson is there so we can wave. If we don't see him in his chair, we know he is busy working the forklift, putting gas in boats, or doing a million other things around the dock that keeps it running smoothly.
I plan on writing a "real" story on this fascinating man and the family who has kept him in their employment for nearly seventy-five years, when I get a little time to actually sit and write.
Culbertson is a walking history book and he has so much to say. For now, enjoy this little photo essay. I was at Glenwood Evans today and had a chance to chat with Culbertson before the oyster boats arrived with their bounty.
