Sanitary Restaurant 31st Street and Washington Avenue

Thanks so much to Fred Fields ('45 - of CA) for his absolutely “swell” (hee, hee) reminisces as he leafed
through the 1945 Anchor. He mentioned the ad from the Sanitary Lunch restaurant, which was
of particular interest to me. That was my father’s restaurant. I always thought it was a funny name, too.
As a young teenager, I associated the word sanitary, not with a restaurant, but with a personal product
bought in drug stores, such as Gorsuch’s or Standard Drug, which at the time was near the corner
of 32nd and Washington and the item came wrapped in plain brown paper with string tied around it.
Not that you could fool anybody walking down the street with it. The shape of the package gave
it away. I always imagined that every guy on the street knew what I was carrying and in those
days it was the custom to be embarrassed about such things. So whenever I heard the word Sanitary,
my mind did not put Lunch or Restaurant with it, but the other word. But anyway, my father told me
that he got the name Sanitary Lunch from a restaurant he worked in Winston-Salem and I have
since seen the name on a couple of restaurants elsewhere, but can’t remember where.
One I think was in Morehead City in NC some years ago. At home we used to refer to the restaurant
often times as “The Sanitary” as in “Your father is at the Sanitary.” (Which sounded like he could
be at the sanitarium!) Oh well.

- Aretie Gallins Patterson ('59) of Northern VA - 10/21/05
WOW! Thanks, Aretie!

The buildings between 49th and 50th Streets on Washington Avenue that Wayne Stokes ('65 - of VA)
asked about were the Colonial Hotel on the 50th Street end and the restaurant on the 49th Street end
was the Colony Restaurant. He's right that the Colonial was not a 5 star by any stretch of the imagination,
at least not in the late 50's. I have the impression that many of the people who stayed there were
single men, some of whom were down and out on their luck, but I don't know if that was an accurate impression.

..... I am also sending a picture of my father’s first restaurant, the Sanitary Lunch. The picture dates back
to the early forties before he expanded into the shoe repair shop next door. My father bought the space
and doubled the size of the restaurant. When I was growing up a Mr. Carter and his wife ran another
shoe repair shop next door to the restaurant where the Chicago Meat Market had been. (At least I think
I remember his name was Mr. Carter.) If you look closely, you can see the trolley tracks on Washington
Avenue. I remember riding the trolley down 28th Street when I was very young, probably a preschooler......

NEWPORT NEWS - James John Gallins, 92, of Newport News, Va. died at home on April 8, 2007. He was born Dec. 12, 1914, in Kalesmeno-Monastiraki, Greece to the late John D. and Areti Katsouda Gallins. Known to many as 'Captain' Jimmy by the yachtsman's cap he always wore when he went out, Mr. Gallins came to the United States in 1928 and was a member of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, the church's Golden Hearts Senior Club and a lifetime member of the Evrytanian Association. He was active in the church community in a variety of positions. He was among the founders and donors of the church at its original location on 25th Street and served on the Parish Council. He worked with the Greek War Relief and served as an officer in the American Hellenic Progressive Association (AHEPA). He also served the church as a chanter of the liturgy for many years. In addition, he was a member of local benevolent associations and of the local Ground Observer Corps. He was a frequent writer of letters to the editor of the local newspaper on a variety of topics including his favorite, healthy lifestyles, and various political issues. He also enjoyed amateur photography and his various cameras often accompanied him. A retired restauranteur, he worked as a waiter in North Carolina before he came to Newport News where he operated a hot dog stand. He purchased the Corner Quick Lunch in the old Lexington Hotel at Washington Avenue and 31st Street in 1943 and operated the restaurant as the Sanitary Lunch until he sold the business in 1954. He then operated the Colony Restaurant at 49th and Washington Avenue until he retired from the business in 1969. He was preceded in death by his wife, Maria (Mary) Tsitsera Gallins; his brother, Paul John Gallins of Winston-Salem and cousin Gus Gallins. He is survived by a sister, Alice Gallins Piedad and a sister-in-law, Mary P. Gallins both of Winston-Salem; by four daughters, Aretie Gallins Patterson and husband, John of Manassas, Va., Elizabeth Rose Gallins Fleming and husband, Leroy, Joanne Gallins and Penny Gallins-Viehweg and husband, Marty Viehweg, all of Newport News; four grandsons, Michael Fleming, Scott Fleming, Chris Fleming of Newport News and Mark Danley of Memphis, Tenn.; two granddaughters, Lynnette Fleming of Newport News and Lora Elizabeth Danley of New York City; by several cousins in Greece and the United States, including Evanthia Katsouda Asprogiannis of Iron Station, N.C. Xenophon A. Gallins, and John G. Gallins of Winston-Salem; and several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and great grand-children. Jimmy never owned a car and appreciated when friends and neighbors offered him rides. Once a familiar site walking the streets of his neighborhood and along Warwick Boulevard, Jimmy had a ready smile for everyone and loved being with people and family. Even in his final years, when his health was failing, he enjoyed sitting for long periods of time watching people. A special thanks to his caregivers at Personal Touch Home Health Care and Hospice and especially his nurses, Joanne Zukerman, Hospice nurses Terri Johnson, Helen Burke, Linda Marroletti and Lisa Tate, and his aide, Gwen Savage. Special thanks also to all the people that gave Jimmy rides to church and to other outings. His family is blessed to have had him with us for so many years and will miss him. A Trisagion prayer service will be held 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11 at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 60 Traverse Road, Newport News. The family will receive friends until 8 p.m. at the church. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, April 12 also at the church and will be officiated by Father George Chioros and father Peter Makris. Burial will follow in Peninsula Memorial Park. Memorials may be offered to Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. Arrangements are under the care of Riverside-Altmeyer Funeral Home, 7415 River Road, Newport News, VA 23607.

Published in the Daily Press on 4/10/2007.
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Sanitary Restaurant 3026 Washington Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607 http://www.nnhs65.com/04-10-07-NNHS-Jimmy-Gallins.html http://www.nnhs65.com/02-14-19-NNHS-Olympia-Tsitsera-Plethos.html
THEN:			NOW:

Courtesy of Bill Sasser (HHS-'61) of VA - 08/21/17 Thanks, Bill!	Courtesy of Aretie Gallins Patterson ('59) of Northern VA - 11/25/05 Thanks, Aretie!	*1956 Anchor, p.190*
08/24/17	11/25/05	11/21/05