Shelby County Today

Pictured are (from left): Ralph Roberts (holding Pockets II), Carolyn Roberts and Barbara Smith.

October 26, 2025 - Ralph and Carolyn Roberts live in the Timpson area and are celebrating their 70th year together on October 26, 2025. 

“We ran off and got married and wound up in Memphis, Tennessee and Memphis is in Shelby County,” said Mrs. Roberts.

Before Mr. and Mrs. Roberts were married, they met on the school bus in the Houston area. When asked how they decided to get married, Mr. Roberts commented it was something he had never done before.

“I just knew what I wanted when I seen it and I wasn’t going to take no chances on anybody else getting her, and I haven’t regretted it. We’ve been happy and crazy all our lives,” said Mr. Roberts.

They have two daughters, Barbara Smith and Carol Lynn Wilburn who sadly passed in August 2022. Carol Lynn was more commonly known as Lynn.
The Roberts have five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren

Mrs. Roberts shared that she’s 86 and Mr. Roberts is 87. Their daughter Barbara comments that her parents still hold hands. Their home sits in a quiet location where they have a beautiful view of all types of wildlife, especially that which would make any birdwatcher envious.

“They feed the crows, cardinals and the Blue Jays and the doves,” said Smith. “If they’re gone, I get told to make sure I put their food out."

The couple, and their family, have had businesses in the Timpson area including a drive-in diner and a tractor repair shop. A former landmark that a lot of people in the community might be familiar with was a red tractor that was parked along State Highway 87 south of Timpson, and that was an advertisement for RC Machine and Tractor.

The Roberts had built part of the shop for RC Machine and Tractor, which stands for Ralph and Carolyn, and kept adding on to the original site. Mrs. Roberts commented, “this was all supposed to be temporary.”

“He would work at night, maybe until 3-in-the-morning on the lathe and he would walk through a door and come in,” said Mrs. Roberts. Mr. Roberts continued, “get something to eat, go back out, go to work on trailers and 18-wheelers.”

Roberts was a machinist and before the family moved to Shelby County, he was working for a crop dusting company doing precision work. He used to do work for all kinds of people around the area, working on drive lines and all kind of mechanical needs for them for their vehicles and tractors.

“They used to be real busy, when mama’s mother was sick she was in the hospital, they had me come out here to answer the phone, I was also seven months pregnant,” said Smith. 

When someone would call, Mr. Roberts would try and help them find their part, or figure out what part they needed. If it wasn't at the shop, they could reach out to a “locator system” to find what was needed somewhere else in the country.

“After we moved over here we started the tractors in ’81 and we bought the drive-in in ’81,” said Mrs. Roberts.

Mrs. Roberts had a 150 Cessna airplane when they moved up to Shelby County in the late 70s and they flew out of Center Municipal Airport.

“We flew around the country a little bit,” said Mr. Roberts.

Mrs. Roberts shared that their daughter Barbara worked at Timpson Drive-In, in Timpson, and they decided to purchase it from Randy and Drewan Ballard after their daughter “talked” them into making the purchase. The Roberts shared that the building was originally built by Forest Broadway for Tracy’s Malt Shop before Ballards had it, and it’s now the location of Rancho Grande in Timpson.

“I remember me ‘talking them into it,’ but I get told all the time,” said Smith.

“You suggested it, but your daddy said, ‘that’s a good idea,’ said Mrs. Roberts.

“Yeah, I think that’s more how it went, I suggested it and daddy ran with it,” said Smith.

Mr. Roberts recalled washing dishes at the drive-in, which at times could run as long as three hours.

“I was working here one day, and me and James Box decided to go get some lunch, so we headed up there [to the drive-in] and he had to wait on me for three hours, I washed dishes for three hours up there,” said Mr. Roberts.

Barbara explained there weren’t a lot of places available to eat at that time. She elaborated that some other options included offerings by Randy Graves at one location and Geneva Hutto at another.

“We worked two shifts, more or less, opened at 5:30 in the morning,” said Mrs. Roberts.

Mrs. Roberts recollects they had the drive-in from 1981 to 1995 and Barbara remarked they had the best malts around. The only two days they would be closed were Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they would have their family holiday meal at the drive-in and if a truck driver stopped, they would welcome them to their table.

Mr. Roberts continues to do some personal projects in his shop, but no longer as a business, and the couple continues to have an active social life going out to eat with a group weekly and holding hands along the way.

From left: George Avery and Roger Doyle

October 24, 2025 - On October 23, 2025, Immediate Past District Governor Roger Doyle, of the Center Noon Lions Club, was presented The Ed Flood Award by District Governor George Avery at the club's weekly meeting.

The Ed Flood Award is presented to a District Governor in whose District an accumulative amount of money is raised which equals $2 per member in the District. All monies raised from these awards go to support the Texas Lions Foundation, which provides grants for humanitarian services and disaster relief in the state of Texas.

October 20, 2025 - Community Beautification is one of Center Garden Club's annual projects. Each month from September through May, club members will present local institutions, businesses, and other entities with a complimentary floral design or plant. Pictured is member Janette Wittmann who in September presented her floral design to the First Baptist Church office. Center Garden Club looks forward to sharing Nature's beauty throughout our community during the 2025-26 year.

October 17, 2025 - VFW Post 8904 and Auxiliary honored women serving in the military during a program held Friday, October 17, 2025, on the Center square and before the Shelby County Veterans Memorial.

Mary Roberts, Post Quartermaster, led the program and Larry Hume, Past-Post Commander, offered an opening prayer.

"The history of women in the armed forces began more than 228 years ago, with women who served during the American Revolution and continues through the present day. The women we honor today are a remarkable bunch, in the Revolutionary and Civil War they wanted to serve so badly that they disguised themselves as men," said Roberts. 

In 1917, during a time when women had not been granted the right to vote, nurses who were women answered the call to duty during World War I and served everywhere including near the front lines in France.

"Not only were their hours long and tedious, caring for the wounded and maimed, but they also had to deal with the 1918 flu pandemic that killed millions worldwide and many of the nurses themselves," said Roberts. 

Roberts highlighted the continuing perseverance of women willing to serve their country as once again they answered the call to duty during World War II, when the armed services opened up the ranks to women, which freed more men up for battle. 77 nurses in the Pacific were taken prisoners of war.

"At Anzio, Italy, six army nurses died from German bombardments. In the mud of Korea, 70% of the army nurses served in a mobile Army surgical hospital battery known as a MASH unit (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital)," said Roberts. "7,500 Army military women served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Army Nurse, Lieutenant Sharon Lane, age 25, was killed during a rocket attack in Chulai, Vietnam. Seven others died in accidents and illness." 

Roberts stated that in 1990, 40,000 American women deployed to operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. 

"According to the U.S.O., more than 300,000 women have served during the post-9-11 war, including Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. More than 9,000 have earned their combat action badge. 16% of our nations armed forces are made up of women, 152 have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Roberts. "Today, women command Navy vessels and combat units. They wear general and admiral stars, they fly, fighters, bombers, you name it. We thank them all today."

Zachary McCormick, Post member, placed a memorial wreath in honor of women that served in the military. 

Taps was then played as presented by Derrick Roberts, Post Commander, for those women veterans who have died in the service of our country and those who have served and have since passed.