A Texarkana tradition: Guy's Orange celebrates 60 years Guy Glover has 60 years of memories pasted into scrapbooks. The scrapbooks tell the history of the business, but also the history of the city, where having a Guy's Orange has been a tradition. Staff photo by ROBB PITTARD. By SUNNI THIBODEAU/Gazette Staff Nash, Texas, is the one place on earth thirsty people can find a little taste of heaven. Guy's Orange has been a fixture in the Texarkana area for six decades, ever since the 22-year-old Guy Glover roamed into the city in search of a business location. The Lockesburg native had spent post-high school graduation years in Tulsa, Okla., picking up the lessons he would use to create a Texarkana tradition. "It was the only job I could find," he says of the Tulsa work experience, a job flipping burgers. But what a job. It was there that Glover first tasted the orange drink he would later make his own secret specialty. "The man I worked for made it, but he never did tell me what was in it," Glover said. "So, I made my own recipe." The recipe is a secret. Besides Glover, only his wife, Mabel, and his daughter know the ingredients. Mabel Glover passed away 19 months ago, leaving only Glover and daughter Sally McInvale to carry on the tradition. "We still grind the oranges fresh," Glover said. "I used to buy them off the trucks going up north." The tradition has been a long time in the making and Glover has always been innovative in his marketing strategies. When he opened the Seventh Street stand, he was one of the first fast food places in the city. The young entrepreneur needed a $125 loan to make change. He tried to get a Morgan Plan Loan in downtown Texarkana, but was told his business was "too risky." Down, but not out, Glover drove to Lockesburg and spoke to bankers there. "They loaned it to me and asked when I could pay it back," he said. "I told them 30 days. They said to make it longer and gave me 90 days." Glover returned to the bank in 30 days, bringing the money to pay the debt and interest. "I told them to keep that 2 percent interest," he said. "They deserved it." He never borrowed anything more. Prices were low back then. For one thin dime, patrons could dine on a hot-dog, a Guy's Orange and salted peanuts. He was the first to introduce chili dogs, an addition he tried in Tulsa and liked. In the 1950s he introduced his original "Guy's Texas Burger," a full quarter-pound of meat sitting on a six-inch bun. Before television made inroads into the nation's viewing habits, Glover set up a portable stand in Spring Lake Park and placed a screen on top to allow diners to view movies as they enjoyed a Guy's Orange. "The movies were free, and people would park around the stand to watch them," he said. Other locations followed the original, including one that succumbed to a spectacular fire at the West Seventh Street location. Glover keeps a scrapbook Mabel compiled with all of his old advertisements and articles written about the increasingly famous business. The Dallas Morning News did a story about the stand as did the now-defunct "Texarkana Today." Old photos of the early business picture a handsome young man and a petite, lovely young woman posed in front of the first stand. Another photo shows a perky, circa-1950s carhop carrying a tray of huge milk shakes to a car. Glover has had his share of celebrities visit the business, but his wall is decorated with a collage of past employees and photos of friends. He sold the business in 1979, but couldn't stay away. Pining for the hurried pace of fast food, he scouted locations, much as he had done nearly four decades before. He settled on the intersection of Kings Highway and U.S. Highway 82. "It had good traffic," he said. That was to have been a "transition into retirement." It was 20 years ago and Glover is still going strong, showing up for work at the stand every day to cater to a host of satisfied diners. Guy's Orange Stand of Nash celebrates its 60th anniversary today. Glover will take the day off, but hopes to see his regular customers when they come by for lunch Monday. He said he wouldn't change a thing about his life. "I guess I'd do it over again," he said. "I've made a good living." www.texarkanagazette.com © VHR