Memories of the Howard Johnson‘s restaurant on Lincoln Way East have regularly appeared in this column. Numerous readers have commented on the popular fried clam dinners that were served there every week. Others have stated their first real job was at the restaurant. Yet others have shared their fond memories of the owners. Nine years ago I received a letter from Stephanie (Plank) Levengood, daughter of Martha and Dave Plank who ran the eatery. The Smithville resident wanted to share some of her own recollections of her parents’ restaurant. "In the early 1950s," she explained, "my parents...