Amarillo's Blast From the Past Made Me Miss Hastings and Bobby

I am in the Facebook group Amarillo History and Memories, and a recent post really brought back a flood of them. The person making the post was asking about a manager at Hastings here in Amarillo. Just the name Hastings brings back a lot of fond memories, this name did it too:

Anybody remember the manager of Hastings Record Shop in Western Plaza next door to the Cinema in the early-mid 70's? His name was Bobby(don't know his last name.) Is he still around, or alive?

Right then and there, it brought me back to my days of working at Hastings. The man, Bobby Harper, what a treasure. He was the epitome of Hastings here in Amarillo. The sad news is that he passed away back in 2013. I remember seeing this obituary.

Bobby had been a fixture of Hastings for thirty years. Even if you didn't know his name I bet you ran into him at Hastings. I worked with him at the Hastings on Georgia from 1998 until the year 2000. Not that one that has since been turned into the Crunch Fitness. I mean the one that ended up being torn down to make the Ruby Tequila's on Georgia and is now The Taphouse. Remember that one? It was two floors of Hastings wonderfulness. I worked there for a few years as a Guest Service Manager.

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I remember Bobby every morning coming to the customer service desk and us just having a chat about everything going on in Amarillo. He knew I was in radio so we both had a lot of musical knowledge. That man was Hastings like this post said:

I didn’t know Bobby had passed on. He WAS Hastings!!! Loved loved loved him. Anyone who ever stepped foot in Hastings in Amarillo knew Bobby. Literally you say “Bobby from Hastings” and everyone knows who you’re talking about.

Bobby even to this day brings back a lot of great memories for a lot of us here in Amarillo.

Bobby Harper was a great guy, who really knew his books and got to know the customers. He would even call me when a new book would come in because he knew my favorite authors.

He knew books. He knew music. Really Bobby knew Hastings and knew his customers. I just hope when I pass that people almost ten years later remember me as fondly. Cheers to Bobby Harper and all the great memories he left us with.

Say You're From Amarillo Without Saying You're From Amarillo

Amarillo is a pretty quirky place. We've got the Big Texan, the weird signs, and (obviously) the famed Cadillac Ranch. But more than that, there's a distinct culture of close-knit community, eccentrics, a thriving arts scene, and much more.

The point is, living in Amarillo is a unique experience. Because of that, it's really pretty easy to tell who's a native or a long-time resident. And I can prove it.

Here's a couple of ways you can say you're from Amarillo.....without saying you're from Amarillo.