Port Orchard’s only movie theater for many years was named D & R by Don and Ron Thompson’s father, Rex, a local businessman in the 1950s and 1960s. The Thompson twins both grew up to be attorneys. This has always been a courthouse town, the county seat, if you will, where our lawyers were at least held in some degree of respect if not honored.

The D & R was the one place we knew our children would be safe for a couple of hours while most of us came in from Olalla, Harper, Manchester and other South Kitsap neighborhoods to shop at Winebrenner’s and TB&M grocery stores.

After the parking lot was built along the shoreline  the wharf rats had to go someplace. They not only inhabited the theater — they were in back of the Port Orchard Independent offices a couple of doors west when this newspaper was truly a Port Orchard institution.

Most of the other store buildings along Bay Street were dirty and ratty and the  owners had to deal with it. Maybe D & R had more than their share of critters because the popcorn was so good.

A little respect, please, for our town’s earlier inhabitants.

Rosie Atkinson | Port Orchard