Memphis was such a beautiful city in the 80s.
I remember ice skating at the Mall of Memphis.
By the late 90s it was descending into a hellhole.
I was a an engineering student at CBU in those days ('76-'81) .. and really loved my time in Memphis in those days (many were the Friday nights spent at Garabaldi's pizza and Overton Square).
But, even in those days, one could see the ugliness starting to emerge. I believe it was the summer of '78 that the governor had to call out the National Guard to patrol the streets of Memphis. The Firefighters union was out on strike and, coincidentally, fires starting springing up all over the city. There were even people taking pot shots at the "scabs" they brought in to fight the fires - many of whom were high school kids.