When Naomi Jackson and Dorothy Sanders were children, they had a long walk under watchful eyes from Thompson School to their homes.

&uot;When you walked home, you knew you’d better walk straight, or your mama already knew it when you got home,&uot; Sanders said, laughing with her lifelong friend at Jackson’s home on West Stiers Lane.

Neighborhood residents watched out for all of the children on their way home from school, Jackson and Sanders said.

Now, many of those children have grown up and still call the West Stiers Lane area home. And they are taking care of the same residents who watched over them for so many years.

Last month, the residents threw a party for the longtime members of the neighborhood – and celebrated the 94th birthday of Jesteen &uot;Aunt Teen&uot; McIntyre, a mainstay of West Stiers Lane for many years.

Other neighbors honored included:

Teresa Ligon, 90, who often watched children from her porch or from her yard. She has lived on West Stiers Lane since 1939 and is a member of Bright Star Baptist Church.

Harry Fleming, 98, the oldest West Stiers Lane resident. He has lived there since 1940.

Eliza Moore, 96, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1955.

Beatrice O’Banion, 82, the former owner of the O’Banion Shoe Repair shop on Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

Annie McCullum, 80, who still helps the needy. She has lived on Grinnell Lane since 1948.

Ethel Porter, 79, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1951. She is a member of Union Baptist Church.

Charles Lucas, a retired milkman. He has lived on West Stiers Lane since 1951.

Alice Higdon, 78, who has lived on Wiggins Lane since 1952. She is a member of Greater New Zion Baptist Church.

Ellen Hayes, 68, who has lived in the area since 1952. She is a member of Jerusalem Baptist Church II in Kingston.

Clara Martin, who has lived on Old Wilson Lane since 1958. She is a member of Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Kingston.

Mr. and Mrs. Claude Henderson, who have lived on Merrio Street since 1955.

&uot;Aunt Teen&uot; ran the Rainbow drive-in, where Jackson and Sanders remember eating hamburgers and drinking milkshakes when they grew up.

&uot;The youngsters still go up and talk to her,&uot; Jackson said.

And McIntyre often asks favors of the &uot;youngsters&uot; she used to serve at the drive-in.

&uot;She’ll call and say, ‘I need to go to the doctor on Monday,’ and ask if I can take here,&uot; Jackson said.

In the West Stiers Lane area, that kind of favor is common, even expected among the neighbors.

&uot;I love it, we’re all just like family,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;We don’t have any problems in this area.&uot;

That’s likely because neighbors are so quick to help each other out and to watch their neighbors houses.

&uot;You don’t really have to be out of town,&uot; Sanders said, laughing. &uot;You just have to be out of the house.&uot;

Residents often watch from their porches or yards, or they simply &uot;patrol&uot; the neighborhood as they take evening walks.

One resident once watched so closely he knew exactly who had been by each house.

&uot;He knew what color the car was, what make, what the license plate was, how long they’d been there …&uot; Jackson said, laughing.

When Jackson’s house caught fire, setting off the alarm, just about every West Stiers neighbor paged Jackson and her husband at the hospital where they worked.

And when they came home to find the smoke damage, their neighbors helped them pick up the pieces.

That kind of friendly atmosphere brought Sanders back to her hometown in 1991.

Although Sanders has called West Stiers Lane home for most of her life, she hasn’t always lived there. She moved to Jonesville, La., and then to New Orleans, but came home often to visit friends and family.

&uot;She moved away, but every couple of weeks or so you’d hear something rolling down the street – that was Dorothy,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;There weren’t too many cars back then.&uot;

And Sanders said she was always lucky to find neighborhoods that took care of her as well as the residents on West Stiers Lane.

&uot;I was blessed to get into a neighborhood that was like home to me,&uot; she said.