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Texaco tales Under the hood or at the bar, this is where Maricopans got their fix
This recollection was written by the late Harry C. Brock, husband of the late Patricia Brock, beloved Maricopa historian and author of Reflections of a Desert Town.
— along with Jim’s jeep and two other cars. Louise’s nephew, Dick Stensrud, who was working the cash register at the time, suffered a broken leg. Jim and Louise were living in the back of the station when it happened. This was their second devastating fire, following the earlier destruction of the Dallas Smith house. After the fire, the Slacks built two Jim Walter prefab homes on McDavid Road, west of Maricopa High School, where they lived for several more years. Though they never got rich in Maricopa, Jim and Louise Slack were rich in friendship and good times. They later moved to Grants, N.M., and eventually returned to Casa Grande. There, each of them fought courageous battles against cancer before passing away.
Both Jim and Louise were known for their warmth and generosity. When Jim didn’t charge for repairs, he’d say something to the effect of, “Just write it up as a hammer job.” Andy Cole, a man who briefly worked at the station, recalled Jim’s signature move at cocktail time: stirring his drink with his thumb. Finding substitute mail carriers was always a challenge in Maricopa, and I was fortunate to have Jim as mine on Route 1 for five years. He was always dependable and never said no. Once, Pat and I were returning late from a trip to Mexico with another couple in a Volkswagen Beetle. From a service station in Magdalena, Sonora, I called the Slacks’ number to say I couldn’t make it back in time for work. Louise answered, and I told her, “I’m stuck here in Sonora.” I then overheard her yell to Jim, “Brock is in jail in old Mexico!” before the phone cut out. Still, Jim stepped in and delivered the mail the next morning. The Slacks faced tough times during their years in Maricopa. In 1959, their eldest daughter, Mickey, died in a car accident. Not long after, a woman from Casa Grande drove a 1959 Oldsmobile into their Texaco station, causing a fire that burned it to the ground
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IM AND LOUISE SLACK MOVED to Maricopa in 1956 from Casa Grande with their three children. They leased the Texaco station
from businessman Harry Little, which included an auto repair bay and lube service. Jim had previously worked as service manager for Blinky Wilson Lincoln Mercury in Casa Grande and also at Walton Pontiac. The Slack family lived in the old Dallas Smith “big house,” located just south of what is now the Business Barn. The house, originally built by Perry Williams in 1884, was later destroyed by fire. At the station, Jim handled car repairs while Louise pumped gas — at least until 5 p.m., when the cocktail hour began. Jim’s drink of choice was Calvert whiskey and Coke. The Calvert label featured a cavalier in a large hat, prompting Jim’s daily announcement: “It’s time to kiss the man with the hat.” The back room often turned into a lively gathering place, and many joined in.
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InMaricopa.com | August 2025
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August 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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