In a recent blog post, Chevron pointed out the important role service stations can play in a community.
The post references the dedicated and ambitious man known as “Chilly,” formally known as Nathaniel Frederick Jones. He was one of the inaugural African Americans to own their own petrol station in North Carolina.
Chilly bought the station in the year that saw the passing of the Civil Rights Act. Jones was already running a station, but felt a need to really own his business by purchasing the land beneath it, as opposed to simply renting it.
Chilly’s grandson Chris started working at the Chevron station at age six in the 1990s. He said that back then, it was a friendly place for people to gather, as well as being a classroom and an institution of business, thanks to “Papa Chilly”.
Chris said he picked up a profound sense of community working at the station at a young age, adding:
“I know how important it is to be comfortable and relaxed, and to be able to be vulnerable and talk and laugh. And that’s what happened at the service station. It was a group of guys. But you knew that the service station was their safe haven.”
Chevron, which also makes the Texaco lubricant and grease range, shined a spotlight on this story to show the power of community. Not just a business, but also a social centre, Nathaniel Frederick Jones’ service station remained a fixture in Winston-Salem for almost four decades.
