Forum Topic
Hammond Indiana
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OLPH SCHOOL
Date: 07-28-2011
By: HassoBenSoba
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Since so many of us seem to have a past association with Hessville's Old Lady's Pool Hall (OLPH), I dug through my old photos so we could chronicle the joint. There's lots of info about the place contained in a couple of other thread/topics, but I'd though I'd start a new one specifically for these pics. Shortly after our brother Mike's funeral in January, 2010, my sister Nancy and I were able to wander the halls of OL, and shoot photos; amazing how little the place has changed in 50+ years.
Here's a group photo of my 1st Communion class, taken on the morning of Monday, May 4, 1959 in the OLPH Assembly Hall, against the west wall (Monsignor Reinig down in front; I'm in top row, 5th from the left).
And here's the exact same view, from Jan. 2010. The big window curtains are gone, the bingo display board on the right is covering some of the wall speakers, etc...BUT the beams, the pipes, the floor tile, ceramic bricks, ceiling, fixtures, etc are identical; you can even see the same cracks in the insulation of the overhead horizontal pipe.
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07-28-2011
( Reply#: 6747 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
For those who remember it...here's the Assembly Hall trophy case, which we all passed when coming in from recess. All the wood, etc is original; check out the old PA speaker up on the wall.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0145.jpg[/IMG] |
07-28-2011
( Reply#: 6748 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Outside of the OLPH church at dawn on Sunday, May 3, 1959. Looking east onto Arizona Ave. Monsignor Reining arrives at the end of the procession of kids for their First Communion Mass.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/OLPHMay3rd590001.jpg[/IMG]
Here's the same location and view, January 13, 2010.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0149.jpg[/IMG] |
07-29-2011
( Reply#: 6751 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Since so many of us seem to have a past association with Hessville's Old Lady's Pool Hall (OLPH),
And here's the exact same view, from Jan. 2010. The big window curtains are gone, the bingo display board on the right is covering some of the wall speakers, etc...BUT the beams, the pipes, the floor tile, ceramic bricks, ceiling, fixtures, etc are identical; you can even see the same cracks in the insulation of the overhead vertical pipe.
Dude, way to go; if you can't say "Old Lady's Pool Hall" you're not for real. How I remember - yes! I wish I could come up with my class photo but I believe I tossed them already.
On those steam pipe insulated coverings; they are corrugated cardboard reinforced with asbestos and cloth tape. I remember knocking the stuff down in the boys washroom once or twice.
Um ... perhaps you were there?
Tommy |
07-30-2011
( Reply#: 6756 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Tommy--
No, not me---Heaven forbid I'd be involved in any mischief/vandalism at good old OL.
I suspected those pipe coverings in the Assembly Hall included asbestos---the insulation of choice for us atomic-age kids. That means it's still there today, making life more exciting for the local bingo-players who use the hall.
I'll post more pics soon.
LR |
07-30-2011
( Reply#: 6757 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Tommy--
No, not me---Heaven forbid I'd be involved in any mischief/vandalism at good old OL.
Tell that to Sister Godzilla. She's in the Oval Office right now, slapping her palm with a wooden ruler.
Aha - guilty conscience! I never implied you did anything so vile, just wondered if you viewed the evidence. Now we know; your denial has betrayed you.
FLASHBACK: I seem to remember another mischievous acronym code for OLPH; Our Lady of Perpetual Hell.
; }
BTW, are you any relation to Hassen Ben Home - the wandering Jew?
Tommy
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08-08-2011
( Reply#: 6777 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
No...more like "Hasn't Been Sober", the perennial drunk.
Actually, it's the name of a mid-eastern character that actor Vernon Dent plays in the Stooges' "Malice in the Palace."
LR |
08-11-2011
( Reply#: 6789 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's a few more OLPH pics, taken in January, 2010.
What old Pool Hall inmate wouldn't recognize the front stairwell radiator, wall tiles and fire alarm?
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0136.jpg[/IMG]
Here's the south stairwell leading from the 2nd floor down to the 1st floor office (door on the left); the girl's "john" door (open) is visible across the hallway. The original tile surface of the stairs is still more-or-less intact. But check out all of the wear-and-tear from years of kids scuffing up the floor tile on their way to Mass.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0142.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
08-11-2011
( Reply#: 6798 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Here's a few more OLPH pics, taken in January, 2010.
What old Pool Hall inmate wouldn't recognize the front stairwell radiator, wall tiles and fire alarm?
Here's the south stairwell leading from the 2nd floor down to the 1st floor office (door on the left); the girl's "john" door (open) is visible across the hallway. The original tile surface of the stairs is still more-or-less intact.
Oh yeah, how many times were you tempted to smack the glass with that little hammer? Fess up!
You know why the glazed tile was used, don't you? It was easier to clean up the blood after Sister Godzilla had her way with you.
Tommy
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08-13-2011
( Reply#: 6807 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Yeah, she was brutal; a real demento.
But speaking of child abuse, here's a few more pics to bring the memories flooding back for those of us who survived the joint. This is classroom 103, where we filmed the Mel Blanc Christmas video---the view is from the teacher's desk toward the side blackboard; all fixtures, woodwork, tile, etc are original (as is the teacher's desk).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0151.jpg[/IMG]
And here's the girls' 1st floor "facility" (if the guys' is called a "john", then what's.......?). The only time I was ever in this room was Sunday morning, January 11, 1959. I was at mass with my dad, when I had the sudden urge to...shall we say...divest myself of my breakfast. So my dad ran me up the stairs from the church and into the empty girl's facility. I remember the date, since it was that night that my dad took Mike and I to see "The War of the Worlds" at the Paramount (see "Movie Theaters of 'da Region" thread); I was bummed because it looked like my illness was going to prevent me from seeing the movie that night. But we went anyway, and everything stayed down.
Anyway, the Bruiser/Godzilla/Sister Angelona's office is directly on the left, but out of view here. Still gives me the willies.
LR
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0138.jpg[/IMG] |
08-23-2011
( Reply#: 6881 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's the joint itself, photographed by my brother Mike in 2004, seen from the playground in back.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMG_1429.jpg[/IMG]
Windows, doors, and dumpster are new, the basketball hoops and big slides were taken down years ago...but otherwise, it looks pretty much the same as in the old days. The square extension of the building in the middle is the boiler room; missing is the school's incinerator, which used to be located in the corner just to the right of the thin yellow railing. Every day, OLPH's legendary janitor Bill Grauvogl could be seen merrily dumpin' and shovelin' away during lunch hour. As we got older and more rowdy, we'd pelt him with snowballs and run like hell; extra points if you could get a snowball past Bill and INTO the incinerator door itself.
On the extreme right of the pic is the former OLPH Convent (see the "OLPH 8th-Graders" thread for some misadventures involving open convent windows, sleeping nuns, and snowballs). The building now serves as the parish office.
LR |
02-02-2012
( Reply#: 8000 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
On another thread, MARK (Test Pattern) mentioned that the two younger priests at OLPH
in the late 50's would sometimes join the kids in a game of basketball on the playground during recess.
Here they are, in a mini-gallery of the Holy Trinity of Priests from those days:
MONSIGNOR REINIG - a very stern, authoritarian man; I flet like I should bow down to him
whenever he walked by (photo from May 4, 1959).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/OLPH1stCommunion20001-1.jpg[/IMG]
I remember a sunny fall afternoon (probably '58), when the entire student body of OLPH was herded out onto
the playground; we all stood there and cheered wildly for about 10 minutes. That's all I remember,
along with the fact that I had no idea what we were doing. Later I found out that Father Reinig
had just been elevated by the Diocese to the rank of Monsignor.
FATHER LAWRENCE HEEG - a heck of a nice guy, and a friend of my father's (my dad was always giving
him jazz and big-band records). I think he had a false (glass) eye (photo from May 3, 1959).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/FatherHeeg0001-1.jpg[/IMG]
Here's a more recent photo; I believe he still serves in Chesterton, IN and as of two years ago
was playing golf with the current pastor at OLPH.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/FrHeeg2-2-1.jpg[/IMG]
FATHER DENNIS BLANEY- another super-nice man, and my favorite of our priests. Here he is offering his
first mass after having been ordained (this pic was PRE-OLPH; I think he joined us a few months later, in the fall of '58).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/FrBlaney10001.jpg[/IMG]
And here's the old boy himself in 2010; he now runs the SHARE Foundation in Rolling Prarie, Indiana.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/FrBlaney20001.jpg[/IMG]
Good men, all.
LR |
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