The Other Side of Gaston

Everyone has powerful memories of the places in which they grew up and the people with whom they made their memories in those places. Since the rebirth of downtown Savannah, Gaston Street has been a dividing line between Savannah's most exclusive historic homes and the rest of the city. The Other Side of Gaston is the story of one family's struggles and successes in and near Georgia's "First City" over a period of more than half a century.

With the birth of Savannah's preservation movement in the mid-1950s, Gaston Street became the dividing line between the prestigious National Landmark Historic District and the rest of the city. To reside north of Gaston Street is to live in the most desirable section of the city. The book begins with a confrontation between a school administrator and an unruly student, the one's family from north side of Gaston, the other's from the south side of the historic street. While their life stories are vastly different, they coincide in many places and events in and around Savannah. Ultimately, it is the story of a mother's love and determination which saved her family from the pitfalls and perils of living "on the other side of Gaston."

Larry Smith is a native Savannahian and retired educator. After high school, he worked in local industry for twenty years before returning to school to earn teaching credentials. After retiring from local schools, including several years as Savannah-Chatham Schools Heritage Education Teacher, he worked as an instructor and group leader for Road Scholar programs in the Savannah area. He and his wife, Lisa Beth, have two sons and three grandchildren.