Even though a phone book was available, sometimes being connected to the right person took a personable and knowledgeable operator. It was not uncommon in the days of the old phone system, the telephone operator not only knew all the customers on the line and their phone numbers, she also recognized their voices. Pat Clanton of Covington recalls that "children would pick up the phone and say, 'I want to talk to my meme,' and the operator would know who it was and who they wanted to be connected to."
