Interview by Gainesville High School senior and Abernathy Cochran intern Donangelo Marshall

Meet Ray M. Majors! Ray is a Texas native but moved to Hall County in 1964 at the age of 30. He is a lifelong Publix customer and got a job at the Thompson Bridge Gainesville location five years ago to stay healthy. He has two children, a son who is a doctor in Columbus, GA., and a daughter, who is a nurse in Dahlonega. He has many grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he [Ray] is very proud of.
We want to thank Ray for spending time with us recently and telling us about his life and love of Hall County. 

Question: What inspired you to led you to your current career?
Answer: “I was needing something to do, I needed to stay active, and I have been a customer of Publix for years and years; I applied for a job, and they hired me almost five years ago. And because of COVID now, I disinfect the baskets on the outside, and I do that rain or shine.” 

Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County? And what do you love there?
A: “I’ve known Tim Bunch for years, and all of his children, so I guess you could say that Longstreet Cafe is my favorite restaurant. I have some others, The Collegiate Grill, the workers there are dear friends of mine and Luna’s. I’ve been here a long time so there’s a lot of good restaurants and it’s hard to pick your favorite, they all have their specials. I am from Texas, so my favorite meal is any kind of BBQ or Tex-Mex.” 

Q: How long have you lived or worked in Hall County?
A: “I moved here in 1964; I was an independent contractor for a nearby military academy for almost 23 years.” 

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in Hall County?
A: “Jeff Worley, owner of The Collegiate Grill. He’s a unique man, he has a very strong faith, and that’s the reason that place has persevered. And also his wife Donna, she works there, and you think she’s somebody to wipe the floor, but she’s the owner.” 

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?
A: “I’d like to go back to Africa, one of the greatest trips I’ve ever made with my son and some of my family – to Tanzania and Kenya. I am still in contact with some of my guides there. We took pictures in the safari, and I’ve seen all the famous elephants in the world and the one that you can see on National Geographic.” 

Q: What is your favorite movie? What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?
A: “Being from Texas, my favorite movie is ‘The Alamo’ because I actually had family that were members of Texas Rangers. And of course, John Wayne is my favorite movie actor.” 

Q: What advice would you give to people?
A: “You never know when you look at somebody what kind of day they’re having. I have lost 10 or 15 close friends in the last two to three weeks with COVID, so when they come to the store, you don’t know what kind of burdens they’re carrying–so smile, because that smile might be the only thing that they got today.”

Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “I love the mountains, but since I was raised right near the coast, I want to get my feet in the sand and get back to the beach. I want to go to Perdido Key, which is a little area, and the water is as blue as the Caribbean.” 

Q: What is your favorite music or three bands that you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A: “I’m an unusual guy, I love church chimes of all kinds, and that’s one thing I’ve found in Africa; they still sing the same music we do. I like Opera, Hillbilly–I like it all. I pick around on a piano and play music and sit around the bonfire while playing the cello. I like Willie Nelson, I grew up when he was there, and he’s one of my peers.” 

Q: What current/former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County?
A: “I’d say Longstreet Cafe because you could sit there and see everybody. They [people] all eat there, from the guy that doesn’t have money to pay for his meal to the millionaire.” 

Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about Hall County?
A: “The restaurants, the people, and the churches.” 

Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: “Most people don’t know about my Texas background.” 

Q: Do you do anything that you think has helped you to stay healthy?
A: “I eat right; I weighed 282 pounds for years, and I knew it wouldn’t be good for my back, knee, heart, and everything else, and I started eating right here in Publix, the right kind of food and in years time I lost down to 174, and I’ve kept it off, I put on maybe 5 or 6 pounds. Also, I’ve spent years in the military camp, so it really helped my back and knees because if you get to my age, arthritis hits you. I started every meal with Red Ruby grapefruit slices, and that sets your metabolism in overdrive. I also eat a lot of avocado, natural foods, and I try to stay away from engineered foods.” 

Q: What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
A: “Never give up, Never quit and Never forget your roots.” 

Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?
A: “Robert Duvall, I want to make a western movie because that’s my roots.”