Anyone who lives in Clarke County who has gone to Sunflower, now Southern Market, will recognize the smiling face of Louis Garvin Dickenson, Jr., better known as Rusty.
Rusty has been a staple at Southern Market for 46 years.
“I’ve worked here pretty much all my life,” said Rusty. “Once I got out of school, I started here.”
Naturally, he stays busy while at work. In fact, he does everything that he can except for running the cash registers.
“I stock the shelves, bag groceries, unload the trucks, clean, and anything else they need me to do,” explained Rusty. “I do a lot of cleaning. I even clean the parking lot, mainly on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
Although Rusty stays busy at work, he is always more than willing to help anyone who comes in, no matter what the problem is.
“I try to be good to everyone and help the people when they need it,” stated Rusty.
While he does value hard work and enjoys being able to help others, Rusty does have things he enjoys doing at home. In fact, he likes to work in his garden and grows a variety of vegetables.
“We have squash, tomatoes, corn, peas, and green beans. It’s a good sized garden. My brother lives with me and helps me with it,” explained Rusty. “I have trouble raising stuff, though, because the deer eat most of it. We’re putting a fence around some of it now. Hopefully, we can get some vegetables from it this time.”
Other than working in his garden, Rusty loves hunting. In fact, some of his best memories involve hunting deer.
“My favorite memories are when I go and shoot, and even miss sometimes, deer in the woods,” stated Rusty. “I love hunting.”
Deer aren’t the only animal that Rusty hunts. He also enjoys hunting rabbits, and occasionally will go out and coon hunt as well. In fact, he loves to use his dogs when hunting rabbits.
“I have a bunch of beagles,” said Rusty. “I like to take them out, turn them loose, and listen to them run. I use them to run rabbits. Sometimes they try to run deer, and I end up having to get rid of them and start over.”
Rusty is also a volunteer fireman with the fire department in Rose Hill. He joined the department years ago with a group of friends, and he makes sure to help the department as much as he can.
“I usually help out with the cookouts and other things to help raise money for the fire department,” stated Rusty.
Although he can be considered a hero for both his work at the grocery store during a pandemic and his work with the fire department, Rusty is very humble about what he does. He just enjoys being able to help others and spread joy when interacting with customers. With his hard work ethic and love and concern for his community, it comes as no surprise that Rusty would have the following advice for everyone in Clarke County:
“Try to stay well and work hard.”
