By John Cofield

In the early 1960’s, the international pilgrimage to Oxford and Rowan Oak began. And with a progressive plan to give Oxford’s guests a quality stay, the Hassell Smith family built the Downtowner Inn (later the Holiday Inn), and opened for business a little over 60 years ago, on April 26, 1964.

We were baby-boomer kids back then and we sure thought we were uptown now with our very own hotel that looked like the ones we stayed in on coast vacations.

Through the years the changes and employees there left lifelong fond memories. Swimming the pool, hot fudge pie in the restaurant, and Clyde Goolsby, behind the bar on the lounge. But after a while, Father Time took it away, gone but not forgotten.

The Graduate Oxford hotel stands there today but the old corner of North Lamar and Jefferson is ours to cherish, and until the last of us are gone, we will.