[AnAmericanMother]

Didn't he used to chase blacks out of his chicken resturant with an axe-handle? Great guy.

Not true. The way Maddox told it, a couple of local political activists had been egging people on to come to his restaurant and start trouble (including, BTW, Billy McKinney, parent of Cynthia) and a carload of folks showed up more than once looking for Maddox. He said they threatened him and then tried to force their way inside the restaurant, and that some of his customers took axe handles from next to the fireplace and confronted them. Maddox himself had a pistol. He was charged with assault, IIRC, but was acquitted or the charges were dismissed, can't remember which. He said he thought they were coming in to wreck the place.

If you want to read about it from a well-known article in one of our local free magazines, here 'tis. Be sure to check out Maddox's spirited retort to the article, in which he challenges a number of facts. (He always took umbrage with news and magazine articles - I don't think he was ever satisfied with anybody who ever wrote about him.)

[joey'smom]

Hey, thank you! Great article (and response)!

[Riverman94610]

The bottom line was that Lester wanted to keep his Pickrick restaurant white as the driven snow.The ax handle incident happened the weekend of the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and attracted national notoriety.
Maddox contended that it wasn't about racism but about the Feds forcing a private business owner to knuckle under to their illegal mandates.
I contend that it was STILL about racism.
But maybe I am just a cynical kind of guy!

[rustbucket]

Thanks for the article. I ate in the old Pickrick a couple of times. Maddox would come around talking to all the diners the way a good restauranteur should. The food was good as I remember.