02/24/2024
Today in Local Black History, I have the pleasure to tell you about one of my great heroes and role models, Mr. Nathaniel Culpepper Sr. Most of the Local Heroes and Sheroes I’ve profiled this month I’ve known them personally or have had some dealings with them or someone in their immediate family. Mr. Nathaniel Culpepper Sr. was born on December 21, 1917, to the late Mr. Emanuel L. Culpepper and to the late Ms. Minnie Williams. Mr. Culpepper, a native of Warren County, was a 1935 graduate of Warrenton Colored Schools and attended Haines Institute in Augusta. He was honored as the Georgia Small Businessman of the Year in 1976. He was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, where he was a faithful deacon. Here are a few facts about him only the old school Thomsonians know about Mr. Culpepper. He drove a McDuffie County School Bus (Bus number #25) His route ran through old Stage Coach Road, then up Washington Road then to Pine Street Elementary School and R. L. Norris High School. Mr. E. K. Culpepper started Culpepper a little convenience store in Warrenton Ga. They served the community well and with much growth, the store was so successful in the Warrenton community that it was moved to Thomson Georgia on Pine Street. Pine Street was the first location in Thomson. The Store was doing so well that Mr. Nathaniel Sr. joined Mr. E. K in the day-to-day operation of the store. Would you believe Mr. Nathaniel Sr. was a farmer in Warren County with his father before joining his brother Mr. E. K in Thomson at the store on Pine Street. Imagine going into Walmart and buying a cart full of groceries and when the cashier finishes ringing up your groceries “you tell them” Put it on my account and roll it out to your car to pay for it at a later date. Back in the day, that was normal. The Culpepper family served the black community very well, the black community supported the Culpepper grocery store. They soon grew out of that location and moved to a 12,000-square-foot building on Washington Highway the main street in Thomson, with a gas station out front and three cash registers across the front of the store. When that line would be out of the door “that sound that old sweda cash register made” man you didn’t need no music. Standing in line you hear and catch up on all the latest news that wasn’t in the paper or on the radio. It was something to see, we were very proud of the Culpeppers. He had the support of the Black community as well as all of Thomson. In 1976 the state of Georgia honored him with an award of Small Business of the year, In that year his business did over one million dollars. We all were so very proud of him. He had the best employees (Who Remembers Mr. E. K. Culpepper, Mrs. Nancy Culpepper, Mrs. Rosenia Culpepper, Mr. Tommie Butler, Mr. Bob Dunaway, Mr. Robert Wilson, Mr. Charlie Jeffery, Drucilla Hart Story, Mrs. Robbie Wiley and many more.) Culpepper’s Supermarket was so successful that in 1976 he opened a second store Culpepper’s Supermarket number #2 on Warrenton Highway. Nathaniel Jr. and I have been friends since we were 5 years old, (we are still friends going on 60 years now.) He grew up in the store. I would go up to see him and talk to him at times. Mr. Culpepper would always say “When are you coming to work for me”? I was working at McDonald’s at the time. When Nathaniel Jr. went off to College the University of Georgia in Athens Georgia, I left McDonald’s and came to work for him. I was learning a lot at McDonald’s, but every day Mr. Culpepper was giving me a “MASTER CLASS ON BUSINESS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE” WOW! What an experience to work with him every day. I worked for Mr. Culpepper for about six months, during that time I would always stop into McDonald’s. One day the manager offered me a manager's job that was “unheard of” for a young black man of my age. I spoke to Mr. Culpepper about the opportunity they had offered me, he gave me his blessing to leave. I cannot tell you how much I learned from this great business titan. What generosity he and his family had. Since writing the first honorary piece on Mr. Culpepper I lost all of the original articles about all the things he did in the community believe it’s a lot. Although he is no longer with us, I am very proud to have known him and his beautiful family Not to mention the 1000’s of people he helped and touched over the years known and unknown he will forever be a Local Black Hero no matter the month or year we are very proud to call Mr. Nathaniel Culpepper Sr. a Thomsonian.
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