If you have traveled the trek up around Battleground Avenue, or if you work or drive downtown, and if you ever lived in the Pleasant Garden area, this man probably worked on you car, one time or another….He was there, working on cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles for over 40 years…He put the time in…Sometimes from sunup to sundown, he would be turning those wrenches, and most days it was not uncommon for him to go ahead to put in 10-12 hours fixing/working on cars, and then go home and mow grass for another 4 hours…It was all work, and not many games for this hard-working soul….He loved to put in his work and his days on a tractor, doing the mowing around the homestead, that was his pleasure/pastime……
There comes a time when all of that work catches up with you and it is time to rest….Rest in Peace, and that is what happened to Roger Gladson on Thursday of last week…
Roger put in all of those years working at the Battleground Automotive…He was there with his brothers, Steve and Kerry, and Roger was there when the automotive repair business was located down in Pleasant Garden, N.C. proper, and it was the Pleasant Garden Exxon…Then they moved out on to Battleground Avenue, to the spot where Alexander Motors(Volkswagen) used to be….I think it was 2512 Battleground Avenue, and their old phone number was always, 336-545-1999….
I used to work with those guys, Steve, Roger, and Kerry, back when they were the Battleground Amoco and Battleground Automotive, and then later on they switched to BP gas, and the Battleground Automotive thrived and rolled on, and then about five years ago, it moved into downtown Greensboro, right across from where the News and Record offices and printing facility used to be….
(I spent a lot of Saturdays at the old Battleground Amoco/Battleground BP/Battleground Automotive, there on Battleground Avenue.)
Roger Gladson was one of the best mechanics ever…He did his work slow and methodical, but it was always correct, and the work would last, it seemed like forever….He would get the job done, but if he felt like he could not help you, or if he felt like he could not fix you car, or not do the job, he would tell you up front, that he did not want to mess with that job…
He and his brother Kerry would talk about sports all day long, if they had the chance, but usually that type of conversation would be reserved to a few minutes a day, because they would be so busy working on cars….And, if you were the first one to get the sports section of the daily newspaper over at the Battleground Automotive, you were the lucky one on that given day…Kerry would usually grab it first, and would start rattling off all of the details, and then Roger would question him about a certain team, or player that did something the night before….Roger and Kerry both loved talking about the local high school sports, and I think football might have been their favorite, and I know for a fact that Southeast Guilford was their favorite local high school football team…Steve, Roger and Kerry all attended Southeast Guilford High School, and Kerry was an All-Conference linebacker for the SEG Falcons…
The Gladson Brothers loved talking about their favorite sports and Steve was the king of the NASCAR conversation, and he liked following and keeping up with the professional wrestling too…Those Gladson Brothers could be talking about sports and fixing cars one minute, and it might be a flat-out argument, the next minute…It never really came to fist-a-cuffs, but I heard there might have been a few wrestling matches among the Gladson Brothers over the years…..Another thing sports-wise, was that Steve was really big-time into playing and following golf, but Roger and Kerry never really took much of a liking to the links…
Those Gladson Brothers fixed many a car, truck, van, or SUV over the years, and when it came to putting in the hours, they never let much idle time get by them…It was all work, and not much play when it came to these boys….Steve told me on Monday, that he could not remember the last time, that Roger even took a vacation…A vacation to Roger Gladson was being out in a field, on a tractor, and mowing that grass…
The man, Roger Gladson, always had a smile on his face, or seemed like he did, and he had that certain gleam in his eyes….He looked forward to attacking each and every new day….
But, last Thursday, June 17, he didn’t feel like coming into work, and he stayed home that day….His brother Steve told me on Monday, the last time he heard from Roger Gladson was at around 10:17am….As the day went on, and nobody heard from Roger, they did not like what was going on…Several family members would call Roger’s home by phone, but no response….In late afternoon of that Thursday, they found Roger inside his house, but it was too late….Roger Gladson was gone…The man who was a brother, father and son, had gone home for good…He was resting after all of his years of hard work, and he was Resting in Peace…
This auto mechanic and grass-mowing legend will be missed by his brothers and his mom(Margaret Gladson), and by his sons James and Joey, and his grandchildren(including “Little Luke”), and by his ex-wife Martha…
He was a real good, and all we can say today to, and for Roger Gladson, is continue to Rest in Peace…He was a good friend and if he could help you out with your car, he would help you any way he could, and I really enjoyed our Saturday afternoon lunches together, when Roger would get that Cookout Burger, with mustard and pickles only…..Thanks for the memories….
RIP:Roger Gladson…Gone way too soon, at age 62…..
from the News and Record online, at www.greensboro.com
Gladson, Roger Craig
March 4, 1959 – June 17, 2021
CLICK HERE for the photo….
Roger Craig Gladson 62, passed away on Thursday, June 17, 2021. He was preceded in death by his father, James “Jimmy” Gladson. He is survived by his mother Margaret Still Gladson; two sons, James (Megan) and Joseph (Lindsay); and two brothers Steve, and Kerry (Jamie). Roger had four granddaughters, Aelan, Hollis, Harpyr, and Kylee and one grandson Lucas. He also had two nephews and three nieces. Roger was a master mechanic for over 40 years where he spent most of his career working every day at Battleground Automotive with his two brothers. Folks would come from miles around to watch the comedy routine of the brothers working together. He enjoyed mowing more than anything. Roger would often be spotted well after dark by passersby still mowing into the dark without lights. A funeral service will be held Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. at Pleasant Garden Baptist Church, family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sharpe Road Baptist Church Youth Group. Forbis and Dick Pleasant Garden Chapel is serving the Gladson family. Online condolences may be offered at www.forbisanddick.com.
Pleasant Garden Chapel