08-14-2011
( Reply#: 6819 ) |
Tom J |
I'm going to be following this thread very closely. I love it already!
No, I didn't live in that neighborhood, but I know I am going to be able to relate to this stuff. Life was pretty much the same in the various neighborhoods of Hammond in those days, and life was GOOD.
Tom |
08-14-2011
( Reply#: 6821 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Larry! Just signed on this morning!This is more of a test to see if I'm a doin' it right. Love the pictures! Ahhh. . . I was such a cute kid back then . . .wonder what went wrong? |
08-14-2011
( Reply#: 6822 ) |
Little Stevie |
Ahhh . . . Life on the 6900 block of Magoun Ave. I spent the first 25 years of my life there. Watched good friends move away, only to be replaced by sometimes not so good fiends. A small correction here Larry, "Carolyn" not "Caroline". Anyway, once I figger out how to rescue all of my data from my old computer's hard drive (it has a physical problem, sounded like it broke a fan belt or something) I'll be able to download pictures from those good old days! |
08-14-2011
( Reply#: 6823 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE---
You're here! That's great.
To my fellow Sheptalk-ers, I think Steve will be a great asset to the blog; in addition to being an authentic boomer from the good old days, he and his sisters (sorry, Carolyn) have LOTS of cool photos from the era, which I'm sure they will share.
RE: the barber shop pic above---it's amazing to actually see that chair and the shelf after 50 years, since I spent a lot of time there myself. That's Floyd Darnell's assistant in the photo (don't remember his name), who was a very quiet guy. For anyone who might remember, there was (and still is) a small building on the northwest corner of Magoun and 169th (the facade of Carson's in Woodmar Mall is still visible to the north). I think the building has just endured its umpteenth reincarnation as a Mexican grocery or something. Back in the 50's the majority of the building was a laundromat/cleaners, and Darnell's Barber Shop occupied the tiny, narrow space on the west end, which had it's own entrance. That door is now painted a light grey color.
Speaking of cute kids, here's a pic of me from 1955. Man, I've sure gone downhill since, but that's life. Despite lots of scary stuff back then, I was a pretty happy kid.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Portrait.jpg[/IMG]
Larry |
08-14-2011
( Reply#: 6824 ) |
Tom J |
Welcome, Steve! I can't wait to see your pics and read your stories!
Tom |
08-15-2011
( Reply#: 6837 ) |
Little Stevie |
Thanx Tom! It's good to be here! I think Larry and my sisters can recall more of those "good old days" when the Rapchaks still lived on Magoun. It's gonna be awhile before I can post any pics. You see, last Monday, my Sony Viao computer crashed. I heard the infamous "Sound of Death", that clicking noise I hope none of you ever have to experience. Recovering any of the files seems unlikely. Yep, all of my pics were on it. However, I'm sure I'll be able to get them from both sisters. We've exchanged most of our photos over the past year or two. "The Red Kush Family Album" that has most of the pics Larry mentions, luckily, I gave a copy of it to Carolyn so it'll be easy to get them back. The picture I use of myself is a slide from 1959. It's around here somewhere or hey Larry, can you copy it off one of my e-mails to you and send it back to me? That would be great!
I was hoping we'd remember that barber's name by now. I remember Floyd being tall with dark hair. Of course, at 4 years old, everybody seemed "tall".
Larry, I think you otta post the 2 stories of how the Rapchak family children "abused" Little Stevie. You know, The "Christmas Tree" in the yard and Nancy & her shovel. Neither of which do I remember.
No respect at all! No wonder I grew up idolizing Rodney Dangerfield!
Next up . . . how I recently became known as "Little Stevie". And no . . . it's NOT what you're thinking
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
08-17-2011
( Reply#: 6847 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
The "abuse" stories---oh, my...I'm embarrassed to think about them.
One late summer evening--it was 1959---we were all playing together out front. For some reason, between watching the "Go-Go White Sox" win the AL pennant that year, Mike and I suddenly became obsessed with Christmas(!). So as soon as school started, we started with the "Oh, man, I can't WAIT 'til fall, Halloween and Christmas get here!" So Mike takes the garden hose (with the pressure nozzle) and hangs it in the evergreen tree in our front yard. Then he approaches our pal "Little Stevie" (I think you were 4 at the time) and says "Let's pretend we're decorating the Christmas tree!" I remember you standing there, cheerfully pantomiming hanging ornaments on the evergreen, totally unaware of the hose about a foot in front of your face. Did I stop Mike? Nope.
The rest of us kids knew what was coming, so we stood to the side of the tree; only gullible Little You-Know-Who was left standing in the middle. So Mike slips away to the side of the house, slams on the faucet, and you get blasted with water. I'm sure you went home crying, while Mike and I, like the two jerks that we were, howled with laughter[}:)] However, I'm sure we were made to answer to our parents for our hooliganism.
RE: The other story (Nancy and the shovel)--I've unearthed some photographic evidence of this one, which I'll post soon.
RE: Floyd Darnell, the barber--- after he left the Woodmar site, he opened up shop (c. 1963) in Hessville at Parrish Ave and 173rd St. with partner Doug Paris; today Paris' Barber Shop STILL occupies the site. Floyd left sometime in the late 60's and opened up his own shop in the old ALEX SITNICK GROCERY STORE!, across from OLPH School on Arizona Ave (see the "OLPH 8th-Graders" thread here on Sheptalk for some surreal memories of that place). I was a customer of Floyd's in that location until the first time I came home from college in the fall of '69 with fairly long hair. I asked for just a trim, but Floyd said "Naw, you want a regular cut", to which I repeated "No, just a trim." So what do you think my old pal Floyd did??? Practically a buzz-cut. Cultural divide, I guess. Becuase of that, I boycotted barbers and didn't get another "real" haircut for another 14 years (when I did that silly Detective video in 1983 seen on "Video Violence in the Region" on Sheptalk).
STEVE--OH NO! I think I got my facts wrong! In the first post here, I said that we moved into our Magoun house 2 weeks after your family did, in Sept. of 1954. It must have only been ONE week later; here's a pic of brother Mike on his first day of school (at Porter in Woodmar, with me looking through the screen door). Our mother's inscription on the back of the pic says: 9/13/54. So we must have moved in the second weekend of September, and Mike had to immediately go off for his first-ever day in school.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/54MikeSchool0001.jpg[/IMG]
Poor kid; my mom still recalls how he hated the experience.
Larry |
08-17-2011
( Reply#: 6853 ) |
S C Jones |
Larry,
That building on 173rd and Parrish was the one Joan Poole and I stopped in one
verrrry cold day that she and I were the only one's from Maryland Ave. in our Grand Park neighborhood to hoof it to school. We were frozen by the time we got to that building, so stopped in to warm up--and continued on to school--wonder why we didn't turn around and go back home? |
08-17-2011
( Reply#: 6855 ) |
Little Stevie |
Abused . . .ABUSED! ! ! Larry, I wonder if my two olders sisters were there to "protect" me. Nah . . .knowing them, they're the ones who probably gave Mike the idea orginally. Ya know, I never did learn how to swim. Bet it was because of that face full of water at an early impressionable age. Done in by two of my older pals whom I idolized. Never helped decorate a Christmas tree all these years either. Now I know why.
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
08-26-2011
( Reply#: 6884 ) |
Little Stevie |
Even though I grew up on Magoun, once I was able to drive, I found a great place to buy a beef sandwich. The Sub Shop on Kennedy in Hessville. My dear departed neighbor, Cy Beda & I would go there after getting out of school at Gavit for our lunch. The owner's name was Randy Balas, I believe. There was an tiny, older woman that worked there who would just crack Cy up with her demeanor. She wore her hair in a beehive just like Marge Simpson. Always had on bright red lipstick that looked like she put on in one swipe. Then, in her gravelly voice she'd ask "May I help you?". Why, I don't know but this would make Beda crack up instantly. He wouldn't even be able to tell her what he wanted. She'd ask "What's with him?" which would cause him to drop on the floor in full blown laughter. I tell her "He's just glad we're out of school for the day" then order both of our meals. A great place. Had a sandwich from there today.
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
08-27-2011
( Reply#: 6885 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
I think I've only had ONE single sandwich from that place; can't remember how I liked it. I'll take your word for it...also because I've heard lots of other positive comments about the food. Are the sandwiches still the same quality today as you remember from years ago? I wonder if it's still run by the same family (for another story about preserving the quality of Hessville's best fast food, check the thread "Those Fabulous Hot Dog Tacos" here on Sheptalk).
Give me your recommendation for their best sub, and I'll try it out soon.
RE: The old store-front buildings on the 7000 block of Kennedy:
If anyone checks out the Toy Store video I have on You-Tube, I deal with the old "HESSVILLE HOBBIES" store that I mistakenly thought was in that very same store-front where the sub shop is today. WRONG!
I've checked some old business listings, and HESSVILLE HOBBIES was a few doors south of the present-day sub shop---at 7020 Kennedy, which is now an empty lot (the old Scotsman who ran the place during 1960-61 was named James O'Watt). One more door to the south (a 2-story place that I think is now a bar) was the location of the legendary GRANDMA'S DELICATESSAN, at 7018 Kennedy. MY brother Mike discussed it elsewhere on Sheptalk.
GRANDMA'S Deli was run by your typical old-world woman, a real grumpy old gal named Mary Zaleski. She lived in the back of the place, and would come waddling down a small staircase when you entered. I remember a beautiful spring evening in May of 1965, shortly before I graduated from OLPH. I stopped by Granny's with 3 friends - Jim Dieotte, Fred Dempsey and Bob Chamberlain--the latter two who are no longer with us (all of these guys are pictured in my 8th-grade class photo, posted on page 1 of Sheptalk's "OLPH 8th-GRADERS" thread).
So Granny clomps down those stairs in silence, scowling at us--she KNEW that we were only there to give her grief. We drifted around between the shelves, talking and cutting-up very quietly, while the old lady followed us Commandant-style, her steely eyes fixed on the 4 jerks who obviously didn't intend to buy anything. Rather impulsively, Jim D. picked up a small jar of Gerber's baby food and said to Dempsey "Hey, this is what you need" whereupon Granny---without warning--grabs a big old, thick YARD-STICK from alongside the counter, rushes over to us and begins to ATTACK Jim by jabbing him repeatedly in the ribs! He was shocked into dropping the jar back onto the shelf, and the four of us, stunned but still shrieking with laughter, crashed into each other and out the screen door, down the front steps and onto our bikes.
I know you guys don't need to be told this---but life just isn't the same anymore as it was in those days; you couldn't make this stuff up.
LR |
08-27-2011
( Reply#: 6886 ) |
seejay2 |
Here is a pic I cobbled together some time ago for one of those "Granny's" discussions.
[IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/Granny2-1.jpg[/IMG]
For those who think 'flash mobs' are something new, think again. During lunch hour, students would pile into that place. Well, she could hardly keep an eye on one student nevermind 20 million of them. They would ripoff food items and leave.
No wonder the old girl had a "Kill Bill" attitude...Cj |
08-27-2011
( Reply#: 6887 ) |
S C Jones |
CJ,
Is the beige, aluminum-covered jutting out piece in the middle of the building
an addition? It looks like a ticket booth, or a takeout window.
I don't know the building at all, just curious about that odd feature.
|
08-27-2011
( Reply#: 6888 ) |
seejay2 |
I think you entered it from the left, then made another left to enter the building proper, like some kind of foyer (I'm not even sure if that's the right word for it). I was only in the place once many, many moons ago and I vaguely remember even that.
If you look at it on today's Google Satellite, at eye level, the front has changed again. Gone is the "ticket booth" and the door to the right...Cj |
08-28-2011
( Reply#: 6889 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
CJ--
THAT'S TERRIFIC! I remember your brilliant collage from the other thread, and am glad you added it here. That pretty much sums it up!
It's hard to remember the actual configuration of the building as it looked back then. The present day facade looks TOO WIDE--as if the whole storefront was expanded somehow. The "ticket booth" structure was definitely NOT there in the old days; I think the blue door in the picture was the original door--but I seem to remember that it was in the exact MIDDLE of the building. Oh, well..we'll probably never know.
I DO remember that the door had an old metal plate-style advertising poster bolted to it that showed a loaf of Wonder Bread and said: "Helps Build Strong Bodies 8 Ways!", which was way out-of-date even in the mid '60s, since everybody knew that Wonder Bread built strong bodies "12 WAYS".
YES, the place is different today than it is in the color pic; I was just standing in front of it a week ago Friday. Incidentally, the building barely visible on the left was an insurance company in the '60s....and might even still be one today.
Larry R |
08-28-2011
( Reply#: 6891 ) |
seejay2 |
Larry, what you have described is how I remember the place, although I don't remember the Wonder Bread thing.
Behind the insurance (State Farm or Allstate) bldg is where we spent our lunch hour smoking cigarettes. I do remember the guys who complained about going hungry on Wednesdays because Granny's was closed and there was nobody else close enough to rip off a pop and bag of chips...Cj |
08-28-2011
( Reply#: 6894 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
CJ--
I remember going in to Granny's during the winter months, late in the afternoon, with my friend Charlie Harvey; we loved giving the old lady a hard time. The place was dark and depressing...maybe one flourescent light on above the counter, which ran lengthwise along the north (right-side) wall as you came in. Coolers were in the back over on the left. Shelves were arranged perpendicular to the front of the store. Old wooden floors, etc. Absolute, tomb-like silence. Pretty creepy, especially after we found out about the yardstick.
ALSO -- I'm looking at your picture, and I'm POSITIVE that the building as it exists today is much WIDER that it was originally; I'd say the entire left THIRD of the building was added-on more recently-- or maybe it was a separate building that is now joined to Granny's by means of a new facade. That means that the blue door on the left was originally in the exact CENTER of Granny's joint, which is as I remember it. The building was covered in that old tan tar-paper type stuff that looked like bricks---the same surface that so many of the old buildings in Whiting, etc were built with.
Would like to see an old pic of Kennedy Avenue to check on this.
LR |
08-28-2011
( Reply#: 6896 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
RE: Floyd Darnell, the barber--- after he left the Woodmar site, he opened up shop (c. 1963) in Hessville at Parrish Ave and 173rd St. with partner Doug Paris; today Paris' Barber Shop STILL occupies the site.
Larry
Yes, I remember Doug, but forgot his first name until now. I knew his brother Terry a bit; a consummate bachelor as I recall. I remember another barber with him but not by name. I used to go to a barber shop near the old Morton because an old guy (last name Mann?) knew how to give a great razor-cut. Remember those? He retired, and duh, since Paris' was a short walk away from my home, I started going to him.
Mann had showed me how to have my hair long, and yet slicked backed for school-time (I used Butch-wax). He hated Mr. Ruff and Mr. Kurteff, and so he delighted in me keeping my hair as long as possible. Once Kurteff called Mann and told him my hair was not short enough. Mann told me he raised hell with Kurteff and told him to get a barber's license if it didn't suit him! My main Mann (pun intended).
Next to Wayne Williamson, I had the longest hair at Morton, but nobody but Mann and Paris could keep it that way.
BTW, before it was Paris Barber Shop, it was a corner store run by an old gal who had the highest prices in town. My dad used to send me there to buy his favorite cigarettes - Herbert Tarryton!
Tommy |
08-28-2011
( Reply#: 6897 ) |
seejay2 |
I remember Charlie.
I went into a joint in New Orleans that sold chicken feet, herbs, spells and crap like that. It was a real close description of Granny's that you just gave, right down to the old lady herself that was about ten years younger than God. The place had an undescribable stink as well. Too much to to be letting the imagination take over.
You are right about the building. The door was in the center. I really don't remember too much else about the place except the ambiance did not fit my requirements at the time, but I'm not a prude!
I wonder if someone on Facebook might have an old photo like that squirreled away somewhere? Hmmmm...Cj |
08-28-2011
( Reply#: 6898 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, I have never ordered anything but the hot beef sandwich. W/o pickles, just peppers. That's another thing Beda would crack up about. I'd tell the old lady "No pickles, just peppers". Then Beda would say "She's gonna ask you what you want on it" Sure enough, She'd come from the back where they made 'em and ask "Do you want peppers & pickles?" in that gravely voice of hers. "No, just peppers" I'd turn and sure enough, Beda was on the floor doin' all he could to keep from peein' in his pants.
I don't know if it's still in the family but they are good. Don't look that big until you start to eat it. Quite filling. Maybe others on here will be able to let us know if Randy's family still own it. Or who was the lady I'm thinking of. Also, looking at the 1st picture you posted here of you & Mike I'm wondering, what are you guys holding? Trophies? For being the "Magoun Ave. Pranksters"?
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
08-29-2011
( Reply#: 6899 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
A few thoughts:
Steve-- the 1955 picture of Mike and me was also posted here on Sheptalk under the "KELLY'S DRIVE-IN" thread, and the same question came up; MIke himself replied that he thought we were holding some kind of candy dispensers.
CJ -- There's a number of Charlie Harvey stories filed away here; I just updated one of the them on the "OLPH 8th Graders" thread.
Tommy51-- My late brother Mike was good friends with Terry Paris; I have their old grade school pics from OLPH somewhere.
ALSO-- I knew Wayne Williamson quite well at Morton in '67-68; he was a year older than me, and we did a lot of stage/musical stuff together. Went into the military when he graduated, I recall.
Yeah, Kurteff was pretty infamous. The one time I was marched into him for a hair-related offense was at the new Morton in 1967; he was very low-key and not at all threatening--MAYBE because he remembered me and my family from......MAGOUN AVENUE in Woodmar, where me and "Little Stevie" grew up! George Kurteff lived at home with his old man in the '50s, a mere 6 houses south of Steve's place. I remember Georgie owned some type of snazzy sports car, which he would keep parked in their driveway. In the meantime, his old man was continually watering his grass in the summer---one of those prize-winning lawn types, you know---and would blast out of his house and ream our butts if we dared to ride our bikes over his precious garden hose, which was always lying across the (public) sidewalk. I remembered my dad referred to Kurteff, Sr. as "that old goat".
WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO MAGOUN AVENUE, and another great old pic that I've recently unearthed. Talk about ABUSE!--poor "Little Stevie" just couldn't catch a breaks from us Rapchaks!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/KushShovelDirt0001.jpg[/IMG]
From Spring of 1959, my sister Nancy and Little what's-his-name doing some prospecting in our backyard on a lovely sunny day. Only problem is that, a split-second after this pic was taken, I'm SURE that the Steve-ster was chowin' down on a shovel full of dirt. Really sad.[}:)]
LR |
08-30-2011
( Reply#: 6901 ) |
Little Stevie |
You Rapchaks were just CRUEL!!![:(] Water in my face![:0] A shovel full of dirt![B)] How did I survive? Maybe that's why you moved . . . Mike & May couldn't stand to see Little Stevie continuously abused by their children! And to think I laid my first lip lock on Nancy (should go on the other thread "My first kiss") at the age of 4 or 5. Now my life's journey is becoming clear. No wonder! I got lost at the Woodmar Shopping Center at age five. I asked a policeman if he thought we could find my parents and he replied "I dunno kid . . . there's soo many places they could hide!"
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6902 ) |
S C Jones |
This question is irrelevant to the cuteness of the pic of Nancy and Stevie, but I am lost in the details of the pic.
What is the thing to Nancy's right, that looks almost like it may be covering the house next door? |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6903 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
SC--
It's a bed-sheet or something similar, swaying on the clothesline.
That's the bottom of our garage visible under it, and our neighbor Pete Feeney's garage in the next yard. Not sure why my mother let the two young'ns throw dirt around so close to the drying laundry.
The corner of the house directly behind the kids was a new bedroom/kitchen addition that was built the previous summer ('58), and the garage was added that Fall, right around Halloween time. I remember my dad and his brother-in-law working out there on cold nights with the incandescent work-lights hanging on the beams, while my brother Mike and I were out front creating our usual havoc for the neighbors.
Hmmm...Steve---seems like there might be another story here somewhere; something about a pumpkin; help me out.
Larry |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6904 ) |
S C Jones |
Mama didn't know, I bet. That may be the clothesline pole on the ground
beside Nancy. Maybe they were digging to China--a thing we all seem to
have tried, if half-heartedly, once in our childhood... |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6905 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
Mama didn't know, I bet. That may be the clothesline pole on the ground
beside Nancy. Maybe they were digging to China--a thing we all seem to
have tried, if half-heartedly, once in our childhood...
SC, I asked Larry the same thing when I first saw it.
Larry, who took the picture? Mike? Your Mom? Probably Mike. Probably told Nancy to "pitch the dirt in Little Stevie's face". Well, wearin' a hat like that I guess I deserved some criticism but a face full of dirt?[:(]
RE: Pumpkin Story: Yeah, go ahead Larry . . . tell 'em the pumpkin story. Don't forget how hard my Dad worked on it or why my mother
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Mom.jpg[/IMG][img][IMG]
couldn't get the candle to stay lit.[:0] JEEEZZZ!!! You guyz were downright mean!
LS
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/IMG] |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6906 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
A few thoughts:
MAYBE because he remembered me and my family from......MAGOUN AVENUE in Woodmar, where me and "Little Stevie" grew up! George Kurteff lived at home with his old man in the '50s, a mere 6 houses south of Steve's place. In the meantime, his old man was continually watering his grass in the summer---one of those prize-winning lawn types, you know---and would blast out of his house and ream our butts if we dared to ride our bikes over his precious garden hose, which was always lying across the (public) sidewalk. I remembered my dad referred to Kurteff, Sr. as "that old goat".
LR
Old man Kurteff, what a pain he was. After the fabled "Rapchak Hooligans" left the 'hood, his self-esteem became stronger. He was always waterin' that damn lawn! He'd come out yellin' about riding over his sacred hose. Made us younger kids ride down the driveway to his north, into the street, then back up the driveway south of him. I'm pretty sure my Dad and maybe Pete Beda had a talk with him. Didn't want the young-ins riding in the street. He also edged his lawn so that there was a gap between the grass and sidewalk just wide enough for our bicycle tires to get caught in. He was hoping that we'd fall and skin our knees & elbows on the sidewalk. Generally, we would fall on his beloved grass then he'd come out yelling we should be more careful. Looking back, it's a shame I was brought up to be respectful of elders. I might have told that S.O. B. to shove that hose where the sun don't shine! I guess he didn't like kids. What a shame his parents didn't feel the same way.
LS
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/IMG] |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6907 ) |
Little Stevie |
This might be a little off topic but it will relate to youse guyz who are a little older than me. Check out this press release. 44 years later. . .
http://www.brianwilson.com/news/press_08-30-11.html
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6908 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
A few thoughts:
Tommy51-- My late brother Mike was good friends with Terry Paris; I have their old grade school pics from OLPH somewhere.
ALSO-- I knew Wayne Williamson quite well at Morton in '67-68; he was a year older than me, and we did a lot of stage/musical stuff together. Went into the military when he graduated, I recall.
Yeah, Kurteff was pretty infamous. The one time I was marched into him for a hair-related offense was at the new Morton in 1967; he was very low-key and not at all threatening--
LR
Well, I lasted about two minutes my first day in '65. He referred me to the office for the inevitable "hair-related offense" and he zoned in on me all that year. I never shared my offenses with my father if I could help it, but when I mentioned the name Kurteff, he took notice and called him an appropriate name, I thought. That was the only time my father ever told me to disobey an order, and to tell him if Kurteff ever gave me any more crap.
Well he did, and I did. After a brief phone call Ol' George left me alone, no matter how long my hair got. I loved it.
Tommy
|
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6909 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
This might be a little off topic but it will relate to youse guyz who are a little older than me. Check out this press release. 44 years later. . .
http://www.brianwilson.com/news/press_08-30-11.html
LS
Wow - thanks! This is great stuff; never heard of all this before. I'll be purchasing something from all this.
Tommy |
08-31-2011
( Reply#: 6910 ) |
Little Stevie |
You're Welcome![:)] You're Welcome![:D] You're Welcome![8D] Tommy! This tidbit was just released a day or two ago.Glad to see this great piece of music see the light of day.
Brian Wilson . . . Met him in St. Louis in 04. Went to see him preform "SMiLE" that he "Resurrected" with his backup band, The Wondermints. I'm sure you all know the story behind "SMiLE" Had a great time!
LS
[img][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/IMG][/img] |
09-01-2011
( Reply#: 6911 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Hey, guys--
RE: the dirt shoveling' picture-- it was definitely taken by one of my parents, probably my dad.
ANYWAY---1958 Halloween was approaching - incredibly cool time in my life! One cloudy weekday afternoon, my brother Mike and I were invited into "Little Stevie's" house by one of his sisters, where we pounded away on an old player piano they had in their basement. We then plugged in this tin electric stove-oven toy that the girls had down there; it was one of those KENNER-like toys, and the top surface REALLY heated up! You could burn the crap out of yourself on those things! So as it heated up, Mike took a little wax pumpkin candle that we found down there, and set it on top of the stove. We enjoyed watching the orange wax streaming down the side of the thing (can't imagine why the girls left us down there unattended!)
Here's an E-Bay pic that Mike sent me a few years ago; this may, in fact, be exactly the same type of pumpkin candle that we destroyed that day.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/PumpkinCandle.jpg[/IMG]
Then we went upstairs, and I looked out the Kush's front window and saw Little Stevie (3 yrs old) and his dad (Andy) walking hand-in-hand back from the Jewel Food store on Indy and 169th; Dad was pulling one of those metal shopping baskets-on-wheels. They came in the back door into the kitchen, and Steve's dad took a little (real) pumpkin out of one of the brown bags, set it on the snack bar/counter, took a small paring knife, and proceeded to carve a Jack-O-Lantern. I was standing in back of them, and Steve just stood there wonderstruck as he watched his dad meticulously carve two triangle eyes, a triangle nose, and mouth (I remember that he carved the face before doing any cleaning out of the pumpkin, which I had never seen done).
A few nights later, Little Steve's Little Pumpkin plus a bigger one were lighted up on their porch, and Mike and I were prowling around the neighborhood looking for trouble. While my dad and his brother-in-law were in back working inside our new garage, Mike and I would grab big handfuls of dry, brown leaves and stuff them into the big pumpkin on our own porch. The leaves would catch fire and we'd run out to the sidewalk and watch the thing flare up in the dark; we called it the "Hot House Pumpkin."
Apparently bored with almost burning down our house, Mike and I walked down to Steve's house. "Hey, there's the little pumpkin I watched Steve's dad carve....", but Mike cut me off: "So what?" Then we took the lids off of Steve's pumpkins and spit on the candles, which put them out. Nice guys. Then we rang the doorbell, and Steve's mom came to the door. "Mrs. Kush, your pumpkins went out" said the morons from two doors down. Mrs. Kush (who was one of the nicest, most even-tempered people I've even known), took a wax drinking straw, lit it, and used it like a taper to re-light the pumpkins. But the candles only sputtered, since they had been doused in spit. She tried several times without success, and Mike and I slunk away into the night, giggling like the two weasels that we were.
We must have been possessed or something.
Here's a photo from that same Halloween; Mike as the skeleton, Nancy, and me as the cat.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58Halloween20001.jpg[/IMG]
Mike and I were on our third year in these costumes, and we were due for a change. His costume originally came with a goofy-looking muslin mask; I can still remember the way it smelled. But it was replaced for Halloween '58 with this more detailed plastic one. The design of the costume itself was a bummer, since the skeleton arms were printed on the torso, instead of on the actual arms of the suit, like other versions we had seen.
Such was life. LR |
09-01-2011
( Reply#: 6912 ) |
Little Stevie |
Question is Larry, whose sidewalk are you on when this picture was taken? Yours? Ours? Taylor's?
Looking back, I should have been doing back flips or cartwheels when the Rapchak's moved from Magoun Ave. NO MORE ABUSE ! ! ! However, I was too young to remember most of these stories from the late fifties. And I gotta admit . . . Even at that young age, I was sad to see them go. Even though I was the victim of their many pranks, I remember thinking they (Mike & Larry) were probably the closest thing I'd have as older brothers. Thing is, after they moved, I don't think we ever saw any of them again until Larry's parents attended my father's wake in May of 1968. I can't remember if they or any of the kids were there. Not a good time in my life.
LS
[IMG][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/IMG][/IMG] |
09-01-2011
( Reply#: 6913 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
This one will take you back to the good times.
In honor of our current Sept. 1st intensely summer-y 96 Degrees (with high humidity!), here's an old family classic to help cool us off.
Not sure if it's from summer of '59 or '60---but its' your backyard pool and you, our "in-between" neighbor Sarah Reeves (that is, she lived in the house between yours and mine...and what a cutie), and my sister Nancy (well...OK, I guess she's cute, too).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/KushPOOL0001.jpg[/IMG]
Simple pleasures, right? I guess that the old green metal kiddie car on the left was on its way out; you can also see the lawn/wheel barrow-type thing next to it.
Comparing you and Nancy to the 1959 "dirt-in-the-face" photo posted above, it's hard to tell if this one is from the same year; you look a little older in this one, but Nancy's hair looks exactly the same...so who knows?
Whatever year, it was an fabulous time....endless summer without a care in the world.
Larry
|
09-01-2011
( Reply#: 6914 ) |
Tom J |
Just wanted you guys to know that I am TOTALLY enjoying this thread!
Tom |
09-01-2011
( Reply#: 6915 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
Just wanted you guys to know that I am TOTALLY enjoying this thread!
Tom
Well Tom, I'm glad to hear the trials and tribulations of my early youth are bringing you a warm fuzzy feeling! Thinking back, I believe I remember telling myself "In 50 years or so, this abuse I'm going through, thanx to my "friends & neighbors. . .the Rapchak Clan" will bring joy & laughter to many who hear about it via an electronic type of communication service not yet invented!"
Larry, I think the pictures are quite close in time. You realize of course, I've always looked younger in a hat!
To paraphrase and steal another line from my idol: When I wore that hat in the neighborhood, I'd get a free bowl of soup from folks who felt sorry for me.
The green pedal car. I have very slight memories of it. Yea, I think it was on it's way out of my life by then. Had my mind on the women in the hood! Once you moved, Beda made sure he and Sara were an item. His parents bought him a 10 foot round pool that was maybe 2 feet deep. only Sara could go in it for the first week or so.
That picture sums up my life back then . . cars, women and the beach . . . well . . . a small pool at least. No wonder I grew up enjoying the Beach Boys.
Larry, I saw your Mother today, she says you talk to me more than you do her. SHAME! Call your Mother . . . before 9:30 PM!
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img]
|
09-01-2011
( Reply#: 6916 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
Just wanted you guys to know that I am TOTALLY enjoying this thread!
Tom
TOM-- GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU. Hope you and Georgeann are doing well.
There's more good stuff to come-- especially if we can get Steve's sisters to fork over their 1957 Wisconsin Dells Dinosaur snapshots.
Larry |
09-01-2011
( Reply#: 6917 ) |
Little Stevie |
There's more good stuff to come-- especially if we can get Steve's sisters to fork over their 1957 Wisconsin Dells Dinosaur snapshots.
Larry
I'll work on that Larry. Meeting them this Saturday to celebrate Carol's BD which is today! I'm hoping I'll get my pics from them on a thumbdrive. CALL YOUR MOTHER!
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
09-02-2011
( Reply#: 6918 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Jeez, Steve----
I'll call her when I'm ready.
(Moe) Are ya' ready?
(Larry) Yeah, I'm ready.
NEXT TOPIC.... |
09-02-2011
( Reply#: 6919 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE-
HERE WE ARE in your backyard on Magoun, probably in 1958, when a lot of your family's summer pics were taken. Our houses were all only a few years old then, the perfect picture of a new, post-war suburban paradise.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/KushBackYard.jpg[/IMG]
The house on the left behind you (on Baring Ave) was owned by the Kessey family, right? Craig, who was one of the very few guys I hung around with in those days, now runs a construction/roofing place in Woodmar on 169th; at least he did a few years ago. Haven't seen him in over 50 years.
Back about 1956, on a hot, cloudy Saturday afternoon, Mike, Craig, and I were in Kessey's back yard playing with a big old rubber TIRE; one of us would scrunch up inside the rim and the other one would roll the tire and see how long it would stay up. I remember there was very little grass and a lot of dirt in the yard, and things were getting out of hand.
So Mrs. Kessey, who I remember as an imposing, no-nonsense type, came out and said to Mike "Alright, let me have that tire", to which Mike replied "OK, Sister!", and rolls the tire over to her. I mean---where did he get THAT?!? A 7-year old boy calls this grown woman "sister", like he's talking to some "broad" in a gangster film!
Mike was one of a kind.
Larry
PS - The '58 Halloween pic above with us in costumes was taken on our front porch. |
09-03-2011
( Reply#: 6920 ) |
Little Stevie |
What?? No Mike standing just off camera, waiting to hit me with a mud pie or something? I can't believe it! My parents must have snuck me out there on a sunny day to get such an adorable picture of me! I can just surmise what my mother said to my dad,
"Quick Andy, get him back in the house before those two hooligans (your words Larry, not mine!) show up to abuse Little Stevie! Yesterday, when I looked out the back door, Mike and Larry had carried Little Stevie up the ladder of the slide (pictured on the right)and tried to convince him it's OK to go down backwards. Thank god I stopped that nonsense!"
I wonder how long I sat there until someone taught me how to swing?
Man, looking at that picture, brings back memories of all the fun we kids had in that yard. It was a baseball field, football field, field hockey field, what would today be called a motocross track for bicycles, a battlefield for war-games and actual fights between the Hlad boys, Randy & Rod, and a place to blow up model cars & planes with the seldom gotten firecrackers.
Where do I start about the fun in that backyard on Magoun Ave.?
The swing set pictured was pretty well destroyed by the time I was really able to have some fun on it. The swinging ladder to the right, ended up being a trellis for a rosebush my mother was growing in the yard.
Many a wiffle ball game was played in there too. The Kessey's, who did live directly behind us, put up a 6 foot high wooden fence across the back of their yard. Where the bushes are in the picture. Man! If you could hit a wiffle ball over that fence from where we had set up home plate (about six feet from the back of our house) You had gotten all of that pitch!
Many a times Rod & Randy would come over and we'd play. Usually Rod & I versus Randy, who is a couple of years older than Rod. I think we had markers set up for singles, doubles and triples & of course the fence for HR's. Whenever Rod & I would be winning and Randy was in his last at-bat, he'd claim to "Tip" every pitch that he missed that would have ended the game.
Rod would yell "You missed it!" "I TIPPED IT!!" "You missed it!"
Next thing I knew, the two of them were rolling around in the dirt, fists flailing away, Rod usually getting the worst of it.
I'd stand there thinking "Maybe it's better to have older sisters than a brother or two who would pound you into dogfood every once in a while."
Rod usually ended up running home crying, my mother would come out to see what was going on, but by this time, Randy would be heading home, already gathering his thoughts for his defense.
Once, when another friend from down the street, Jeff Dembowski, was playing, the same incident was occurring. I think Jeff and Randy were teammates and Jeff admitted that, yea, Randy, you missed the ball for strike three. That's when Randy smacked Jeff on the arm with the wiffle bat. Being there wasn't any weight to those bats, the injury was more of a welt or mark you'd get from a snapping towel.
Anyway, Jeff runs home crying promising to bring his big brother, Connie, down to teach Randy a thing or two! And ya know . . . I can't remember if anything ever came out of it. I don't think there was ever a clash of the brother titans. At least, not over that incident.
I'll try to come up with more memories. They're all in this noggin somewheres. Hopefully, I won't embellish them too much.
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
09-03-2011
( Reply#: 6921 ) |
Little Stevie |
Steve-- the 1955 picture of Mike and me was also posted here on Sheptalk under the "KELLY'S DRIVE-IN" thread, and the same question came up; MIke himself replied that he thought we were holding some kind of candy dispensers.
Candy Dispensers??? I don't think so Larry!
Knowin' Mike, I'll bet they were some kind of home-made, battery-operated Tazer he had put together. Just couldn't wait to give them a test "run" on me!
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img] |
09-03-2011
( Reply#: 6922 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's the two pictures that I had originally posted on the Jefferson School thread here on Sheptalk; I'm transferring them here, where they really belong. I remember Mike using his little grey plastic camera to take this pic looking south from our front sidewalk, in late summer of 1957. The Kush house is the first one visible on the right, with the white front door. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY--I believe you can see one of the Kurteffs in the distance, doing what they did best---fanatically tending to their front lawn!!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MagounAve0001.jpg[/IMG]
I remember when we got this roll of film developed--what good is a picture of the sidewalk and yards? Why waste the film? Well, 54 years later, it's the only document of its kind that I know of.
Here's the same view, taken in September, 2005.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/09-19-04_1523.jpg[/IMG]
We'll have a lot more of these "then & now" pics to post in the near future.
LR |
09-03-2011
( Reply#: 6923 ) |
LegulusQ |
Great thread! Can already see what a great addition Little Stevie is to the forum, and Larry always brings his "A" game!
For a little context, Randy (or, ahem, Randall) Hlad can be seen in my OLPH Class of 1966 photo on the 'OLPH 8th graders' thread. He is just above Father Sipos. I went to school with Randy all through our OLPH and Morton days. I also recall his tussles with Rod, but hey, who hasn't had an occasional 'misunderstanding' with their bro(s)? At Morton, we actually had two Randys with the same phonetic last name, so they became 'H' Hlad and 'L' Ladd in any spoken reference.
Stevie (btw, were you also a star on 'The Sopranos'?), I'm also happy to see the official release of the legendary 'lost' SMiLE album. I found a vinyl copy of the SMiLE redux album Brian released with his current band (the same one you saw in St. Louis, I'm sure), and that just whets the appetite for the original, or at least as close to the original as they can piece together. I read an interview with Van Dyke Parks recently in which he mentioned that a few of the original tapes were lost. But it should still be fun. Another aside: have you ever heard the version of 'Don't Worry Baby' that the Boys (including Brian) did with Lorrie Morgan on the country tribute album "Stars & Stripes" that was released sometime in the 1990's? It is outstanding, one of the very few cases where a cover version (if you can call it that seeing as how the Beach Boys themselves are on it) betters the original!
I heard it was inspired by Magoun Avenue! See, this all ties in nicely with the thread after all!
Craig L |
09-03-2011
( Reply#: 6926 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY--I believe you can see one of the Kurteffs in the distance, doing what they did best---fanatically tending to their front lawn!!"
Actually Larry, I think that's Joe Klish watering his yard. It doesn't look far enough down the block for it to be Kurteff. You remember Joe & his wife, Jo, right? Brings to mind another picture you have for posting here . . .you know . . . after the "Pumpkin Incident"?
Graig, The Beach Boys. First time I saw 'em live was the Summer of '75. With Chicago @ the old Chicago Stadium. 5 nights, then the last night, Saturday, I had front row seats! Row A seats 5 - 8. Unbelievable time! I have the vinyl "SMiLE '04" you have. I started "lurking" @ "brianwilson.com" right after I received the "GV" box set for my birthday in '04. Three weeks before Brian premiered "SMiLE' in London. I couldn't believe the music I was hearing on disc two? The cuts of original "SMiLE" recordings. Have followed Brian ever since. It's good to see him come to grips with his past and be able to enjoy this endeavor and cast aside the demons that plagued him from the past.
Lorrie Morgan Cover:
I've watched Lorrie Morgan, and not really paid attention to the music!
I do believe I've listened to that cover. Speaking of covers, have you seen the DVD of the Brian Wilson Tribute from '01? Another country star, Vince Gill, does an absolutely fantasic cover of "Warmth of The Sun". Well worth renting.
Rod & Randy
When my sons were in Cub Scouts, Randy's son was also a member of Pack 550 in St. John. We talked about many of the old times on Magoun until. . . yeah . . . until they moved. Man, that was tough to take. Rod and I did everything together. We played little league at Optimist together. Joe, their dad, was coach/mgr? of the Cisco Kids. I was on the Cubs. Played for a guy Y'all might know. . . Jim Landfeld? His son Jim Jr. was on the team. They lived across the street from PUCC, which at the time, was just one building. I saw Rod one time since then, at a bar one night , probably 15 -20 years ago. I have no idea how they're all doing. I did run into Sharon, the oldest, a few years back but can't remember where.
LS
[img]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/th_LittleStevie.jpg[/img]
|
09-03-2011
( Reply#: 6927 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's something else from the MAGOUN/Rapchak archives: It's 50 years ago---the summer of 1961, the last really great childhood summer and the last one at 6912 Magoun.
HERE'S THE LINK to a 4-minute HOME-MOVIE MONTAGE from that fabulous time.
http://youtu.be/ANb6dkOMcMI
You'll see -
Fun in the yard with Nancy, my younger brother Phillip, and our fabulous wire-haired terrier "Bubbles."
0:46 - A sunny (and not-too hot) Saturday afternoon outing at Woodmar Park, which is now entirely over-run with Purdue Cal. In '61, Purdue was just one or two buildings on 169th, which are visible in a few shots. Mike and I and our dad are seen hitting fly balls...
1:16 - Check that major league swing of mine on the third attempt (missed the first two); Mike didn't have a chance of catching it.
You'll see my dad's new pride and joy--- his '55 Chevy in the classic "salmon and charcoal" (NOT orange and grey) color scheme.
3:35 - Our cousin Rick Harper (his dad, our uncle George, "Americanized" his last name when he moved to California to start a furniture business) paid us a weekend visit in August. He's the guy in the white t-shirt. Here's the three goofball/dorks with their Three Stooges puppets in our backyard by the pool (I guess that blue-and-white striped T-shirt was the only one I wore that year).
I believe the date was Friday, August 18, '61. That same afternoon, Mike, Rick, Philip and I set up our dinosaurs on the downstairs table; here's a snapshot of us--- just a few hours before the video in the backyard was taken.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/61August0001.jpg[/IMG]
(L to R) Mike, Philip, me, Rick Harper, and the Renwal "Visible Man" model in the background. Our basement was like our own little world, a real refuge.
Very cool to see the events of this single day preserved in different formats. In fact--that night, my dad used his big old tape-recorder to secretly tape our conversation in our kitchen, when us kids and our parents were just relaxing and shootin' the breeze; before long, we discovered the hidden microphone, and things took a turn for the worse. I still have portions of that recording.
Incidentally-- the background music on the video was from the record that Mike and I listened to EVERY DAY in '61 summer. The LP was on the popular Capitol label and was called "Jet-Flight", a musical travelogue thing that was popular in the post-war 50's when Americans were starting to vacation in Europe. Each of the tracks is written in the style of a foreign country; it's all bright and upbeat, and really captured the mood of that time in our lives.
LR |
09-04-2011
( Reply#: 6928 ) |
LegulusQ |
Stevie, I have the BW tribute DVD with Vince Gill's version of "Warmth Of The Sun", and you're right, it is a great performance. I am a huge Vince Gill fan. In fact, I have tickets to see him in Redding in October. I've seen him once previously on June 30, 2001, at a venue called Konocti Harbor on the shores of Clear Lake in Norcal. I remember the date because it was the day that the great Chet Atkins died, and Vince had been good friends with Chet ever since Vince's Christmas special in 1993, in which Chet, Michael McDonald, and Amy Grant appeared with Vince (I have that video on VHS and LD, but unfortunately it has never been released on DVD, which is a shame because it is my family's all-time favorite Christmas special. If you haven't seen it, it is well worth trying to find a used copy). Anyway, Vince dedicated the show to Chet in a very emotional eulogy in his memory, and then put on one of the greatest performances I have ever had the pleasure to witness. Perfect vocal pitch in that sweet tenor, and an incredible guitarist to boot!
There is also a video on the making of 'Stars & Stripes', during which you can see Brian grinning from ear-to-ear during Lorrie's vocal on "Don't Worry Baby". You can tell that that was the highlight of the album for Brian. There is one other outstanding track on 'Stars & Stripes': Timothy B. Schmidt of the Eagles doing "Caroline No", and two other good ones: Junior Brown doing "409", and Willie Nelson also doing "Warmth Of The Sun", although in my book not as well as Vince on the BW tribute.
Uncle Lar, I apologize for going off topic again.
Signed, Little Snot-nosed Tommy
Craig |
09-04-2011
( Reply#: 6929 ) |
LegulusQ |
Larry, I really enjoyed your video. I played Pony League baseball in the Woodmar League during the mid to late '60s in almost the exact spot where you, Mike, and your Dad were hitting flyballs!
I thought I noticed at least a momentary look of concern on your face when you hit the bottom after your prone feet-first run down the slide, as if you briefly thought you might not be able to fulfill your destiny to maintain the Rapchak family line, to be the mighty progenitor of future Rapchak generations! Then you got up, dusted yourself off, and said "Hey, nothing to worry about, I'm fine"!
Craig |
09-04-2011
( Reply#: 6930 ) |
Little Stevie |
Finally! Last night, we went to "Charliehorse" in Munster for Carol's BD, then to her home for cake and drinks. I got my copy of the family album.
Here are a few pics from it. Larry, you might be able to ID some of these people, I was only a little more than a year and a half.
This group of six shows some of the neighbors at the beach. I'm not sure which beach, I'm thinking Miller in Gary.
[img][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg75-1.jpg[/IMG][/img]
Top row L to R Pic 1:
Little Stevie playing in the wet sand - My oldest sister Carol standing on, I believe, Maretta Ordway's back and Mrs. Kessey, the neighbor woman that Mike said "OK, Sister!"
to in Larry's post above.
Pic 2
Carol doing whatever it is she's doing. (A back arch? perhaps?)
Pic 3
Mark Taylor
Bottom Row Pic 1
My sister Beverly standing on Carol & Maretta's back.
Pic 2
Scott Taylor & Little Stevie
Pic 3 Mark Taylor , Little Stevie & Scott Taylor
I might have the Taylor boys reversed. The blond was the older of the two.
Another picture of Mrs. Kessey, whose first name was "Elsie"
[img][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Aug56ElsieKessey.jpg[/IMG][/img]
Katherine Taylor and Scott
[img][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Aug56KathrineTaylor.jpg[/IMG][/img]
(Love the "Viceroy cigarette holder!)
And last but not least, Little Stevie and his car, in much better condition than the pool picture.
[img][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pedalcar.jpg[/IMG][/img]
The picture of me on the swing in Larry's post above was right next to this picture, so I'm guessing it too was taken in '57. I was 2, almost 2 1/2! What would that car be worth today in mint condition?
LS
More to come!
|
09-04-2011
( Reply#: 6931 ) |
Little Stevie |
Craig, I'm gonna have to find the video of the making of "Stars & Stripes". I don't think I've seen it.
LS |
09-04-2011
( Reply#: 6932 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Craig--
Great to hear from you (your class-reunion and our flight to L.A. meet-up took place a year ago this past week; jeez!).
Just glad to have you guys doing some posting, regardless of topic; however---why don't you guys start a "Beach Boys and related music thread"; at least it will be easier for you and others to find your info in the future.
That was my little brother Philip that went down the slide on his stomach, not me. I'm the one with the painted-on blue and white t-shirt (age 10 at the time). Incidentally, that little whipper-snapper Phil is now manager of the Game Stop store in Munster (across from da' Region's first Burger King on Calumet Ave), and also a fine bassist with the local band Nomad Planets; he co-hosts a radio show on area bands every Thursday night on WJOB---following in his famous father's footsteps, you might say.
Larry |
09-04-2011
( Reply#: 6933 ) |
Little Stevie |
Not a bad idea Larry 'cept IMHO, there ain't no related music to the Beach Boys
LS |
09-06-2011
( Reply#: 6934 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Great pics-- glad you posted them. Yeah, back in those days, families from the neighborhood would just pack up and hit the beach for the day. It probably was Miller, which we went to most often.
So that's Elsie Kessey, huh? Holy Cow! Imagine a 7-year old boy calling her "Sister"! He's lucky she didn't slug him.
Those Taylor boys were a real piece of work (for those who are following along with us, the Taylors lived in the house between Steve's and mine for the first 4 years or so; in fact, their father was in real estate and was the guy who sold the Rapchak and Kush families our new homes. They must have moved out c. 1959, and the Reeves moved in, with their daughter Sarah -- in the pool pic above).
Mark (the older Taylor) was a smart-aleck (but I never heard him call a grown woman "sister"), and I used to enjoy needling him. I remember a summer day when he and his family came back from the beach (WHO KNOWS? - it might have been the very same day recorded in your photos above) and he had a scorching, blistering sun-burn...red as a boiled lobster. He was not wearing a shirt, and was doing this "oh, poor little me" routine, like I should feel sorry for him. So I said something like "Gee, you look great" and slapped him as hard as I could on his bare back. He ran home screaming and within 5 seconds his mother charged over onto our property ready to rip me a new one.
Years later, in 1978, I ran into Mark again; we worked together at an Arts Organization in Hammond for a while. He was now considerably bigger than me, so only friendly back-slapping ocurred. Last I heard he was writing for the Gary Post Tribune--- he did a series about his home getting flooded out or something like that.
Here's a pic from summer of '58----
Mrs. Taylor had dressed her two darlings up as cowboys, and my mom did the same for Mike. I wanted to get into the act, but had no cowboy duds. So I ran downstairs and emerged out into the front yard dressed in knight's armor, with helmet, sword and shield (Mike and I had got these great toy suits of armor made by the Marx company for my birthday in May, '58. Oddly, we never took a photograph of us wearing them).
Anyway, my mother and Mrs. Taylor both chuckled at my medieval get-up, took pity upon me, and cobbled together enough western duds so that I would fit in with the old cowboy gang. And thus, this photo:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MagounCowboys0001.jpg[/IMG]
MIKE, MARK TAYLOR, SCOTT TAYLOR, LARRY
(I remember my mother complaining that Mrs. Taylor always was trying to "keep up with the Rapchaks"---and I specifically recall mom using the Mattel "Fanner 50" pistols as an example. Mike got his set for his birthday in October '57 and, sure enough, Mark Taylor got a set shortly after. It's obvious from this photo that the pistols were too big for Mark to handle, to say nothing of Scott, who apparently also got a set).
Steve--yeah, I'll post the Klish Halloween pic sometime soon.
Larry |
09-06-2011
( Reply#: 6936 ) |
Tom J |
Hope you guys have a lot more of this stuff. I love it! I can relate to all of the stories.
Tomster |
09-06-2011
( Reply#: 6937 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
Glad you're enjoying it, and yes....there's more on the way.
991 posts, eh? Should we be doing a countdown to the big 1,000th post[?]
Larry |
09-06-2011
( Reply#: 6938 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, those were cap guns, right? where you'd put the roll of caps in the gun, pull the trigger and POP POP POP! i remember unrolling them and just hitting the "Black dot" with a hammer or rock or something. then Mattel comes out with "Greenie Stick' em Caps" remember those?
Here's a pic from 1955 of Carol. it shows the house across the street. Did your grandparents live there then?
[img][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/CarolSept55-1.jpg[/IMG][/img]
This other pic is from Halloween of 56. I believe the Taylor boys are standing there next to me in my MM ears!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Halloween56.jpg[/IMG] |
09-07-2011
( Reply#: 6939 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Yeah, the Fanner 50's used the red roll of caps; the greenies came out a few years later, as I remember.
My grandparents didn't move into the house across the street until summer of 1959 (which was a scorcher!).
Your Halloween picture is really bizarre; that's Scott Taylor in the Pancho Villa get-up---same hat as he wore in the '58 cowboy picture above. I guess Mark is supposed to be Bugs Bunny; if I were in your place, I'd be messin' my drawers (which, judging from the look on your face.....aw, forget it).
Speaking of Mr. Taylor, who sold both our families their new homes, I guess he must have had a lot of confidence in the quality of the houses and been a pretty upfront guy; how else could you live right between two families that just bought houses from you?
Here's my dad, Mike and me in one of our very first photos taken in front of the new palace--[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/54House.jpg[/IMG]
My dad always remembered how great it was to wake up on the first cold fall day of '54 and hear the new furnace running...especially when he realized he didn't have to get up and go downstairs to shovel coal (as he had in every house up until then).
Larry |
09-07-2011
( Reply#: 6940 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, ya think maybe Mike called her "Sister" in the fact that she yelled at him like the only other non-related women in his life back then? A nun?
I think you're right about my emotions in this picture, judging by the look on my face and the low hangin' back end. I'm guessin' Mike took one look at the Taylor's and said, "Why don't you guys go over to the Kush's and scare the crap out of Little Stevie?"
I could show you a picture of me "Potty Trained @ 10 months" but me thinks I'll pass.
LS |
09-07-2011
( Reply#: 6941 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's a couple more pictures from the Kush Home on Magoun Ave.
The player piano, in our basement, Larry was referring to in his above post.
[img][IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Piano.jpg[/IMG][/img]
One unique thing my dad did (you can see a little of it in the lower left hand corner) is put a shuffleboard game into the tile. Here's a better picture of it with my cousins & sisters. There is a "pusher" stick laying in front of Bev. Both of these were taken Thanksgiving 1954. About three months before I was born. Two months after they moved in.
As long as I lived there, I don't remember anyone or myself ever playing shuffleboard.
After the Rapchaks & Hlads moved, Little Stevie had to keep himself entertained. I devised a game of football with the discs. Roll one of one color (red or black) on edge and slide the other colored disc at it to "tackle" the rolling one. Eventually, I broke most of the discs by sliding them too hard.
(Guess I was venting my anger at the fact that my friends & abusers had abandoned me!)[:(!]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Cousins.jpg[/IMG]
L to R: My sister Bev - cousins John & Paul Surowiec - My sister Carolyn & cousin Joann
This end of the basement became the goal end for floor hockey, which by the way, hadn't been invented yet. We played with a sponge rubber puck. We broke the window a couple of times before I replaced it with plexiglass.[^][^]
LS
|
09-09-2011
( Reply#: 6944 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
This is getting better by the minute.
As you know, our two houses on Magoun (AND their basements) were exactly the same design and dimensions; they may not have looked like much, but ours was a refuge, a fantasy world where Mike and I loved to hide out and enjoy the things that really excited us; model building, reading comics, our train set-up, watching baseball in the summer, listening to music, drawing...etc, etc.
THAT OLD PLAYER PIANO in your basement---man, that was October of 1958 when Mike and I sat there and pounded on it! And here is a cool pic of Mike and I in OUR basement during that same great month. As Halloween was approaching, Mike and I divided our evenings between running around the neighborhood spitting into Jack-o-Lanterns and sitting downstairs drawing Halloween figures: ghosts, pumpkins, witches, skeletons, etc, etc; we'd color them, cut 'em out, and then tape them up to the ceiling rafters.
Here's what it looked like:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58HalloweenBasement.jpg[/IMG]
(The window in the background is the southeast one---the same window in your basement's shuffleboard photo).
While we were working on this project, we'd play a certain old '78 record over and over--it was the song "Moonlight and Roses" performed by The Three Suns, which featured a very sad-sounding accordion playing the melody (you can hear this same recording on my You-Tube Toy Store Video Part 1 when I discuss '58 Halloween and my grandfather).
The memories just keep a'-coming[;)]
Larry
|
09-09-2011
( Reply#: 6945 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, The window in the picture with the piano is the southeast one. You can hardly see it in that pic. The water heater and chimney are in the same exact spot as yours were. The window in the picture with Bev, Carol & my cousins is the northeast one. Probably the window you and Mike used to tease our dog, Blackie, through!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/BlackieMe.jpg[/IMG]
This picture of Blackie & me was taken on or near my first birthday. There are three whole pictures of me on my first birthday, then a few pictures of a snowstorm that must have prevented the large "Birthday Bash" my parents had planned.
LS |
09-11-2011
( Reply#: 6951 ) |
Little Stevie |
Soon to come . . . the dinosaur pictures Larry has been asking for. From our Wisconsin dells vacation in 1958.
LS |
09-13-2011
( Reply#: 6958 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S A second home video (on You-Tube) from 6912 Magoun Avenue; it's short but sweet.
It's the very first footage we took, with the new 8mm camera. Sunny, happy days in April of 1960. Mike, Jr was taken to St Catherine's Hospital on Good Friday night with a serious case of double pneumonia. He spent the next week there, and came home on a gorgeous sunny Saturday. Soon afterwards, this footage was taken.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iAssS9R_eY
Our wonderful pooch Bubbles was at her friskiest, and gladly went for a ride on the swing set in Mike's arms. At 0:59, Mike and Bubbles run onto the exact spot in the back yard where Nancy and Little Stevie were shoveling' and hoein' in the picture posted above.
Even when the film was freshly developed, we could never figure out why Nancy was brushing/slapping at her hair as she walked up the front sidewalk, having just exited the old family b&w '56 Chevy wagon.
Very brief shot of the 169th Laundromat/Darnell's barber shop in the background as Nancy is riding the white and maroon hand-me-down bike.[8D]
LR |
09-13-2011
( Reply#: 6959 ) |
Tom J |
Cool, Larry! Thanks for sharing.
I sure do remember those wonderful days of the 1950s and 1960s.
Tom |
09-28-2011
( Reply#: 7008 ) |
Little Stevie |
Finally! got to scanning more pictures. Larry, here are the pictures from our Wisconsin Dells vacation in the summer of 1958. I'm sure you'll be able to identify the type of dinosaurs in these!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg391.jpg[/IMG]
That's Little Stevie, Beverly & Carolyn riding the beast!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg392.jpg[/IMG]
Just the girls on this one! Guess I'd had enough for a spell.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg393.jpg[/IMG]
Again, just the girls, sitting on the tail of this "creachture" as Ernest T. Bass might say!
I have very vague memories of this vacation. Remember an area known as "The Wonder Spot" where things seemed to defy gravity and other laws of physics. I believe I lost my "Cubs" baseball hat while riding on a "duck". Me thinks that someone actually fished it out of the water and it was returned to me. Can't be too sure, I'll have to have one of the sisters confirm it for me.
Notice how "friendly" these dinosaurs look? They seem to all be smiling!
LS |
09-28-2011
( Reply#: 7015 ) |
Little Stevie |
The"Hood Walk" last Saturday was special. We re-created the "1st day of School" pics (posted on the Jefferson School thread) plus many more which Larry will soon be posting.
I'm sure many of you have a similar picture, in your archives, like the one below. It's my sister Bev on "Tony the Pony". I remember some guy coming around the neighborhood with this pony for the children to sit on and get their picture taken. I guess most of the "Baby Boomers" were living in the newly developed suburbs and were not used to seeing any type of animal 'cept a dog or cat. Maybe a turtle now or then, a lizard, maybe, but surely no horse, cow or other farm animal.
Of course, many of our mothers said that we looked like "pigs" after a hard day of play in the backyards and alleys.
This picture was taken on our neighbor's, The Bedas, sidewalk. They lived to the south of us. maybe next "Hood Walk", we can get a horse for the re-created picture!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg211.jpg[/IMG]
Whoever the guy was, he probably came up with the idea sittin' in a bar one day.[;)] Probably "Old Glory" on Indianapolis Blvd.
Probably told the guy next to him:
"Ya know, if eyes to git a horse and walk around dis neighborhood wit 'em, I'll just bet the little rugrats would like to git on him and go fer a ride!"
"Why take 'em fer a ride? Why not just take dere picture on him? Youse could charge da old man a couple of bucks per kid for dere picture, sittin' on da horse!"
"Yeah . . . but . . . who's gonna clean up after dat horse? Ya know he's gonna have to take a dump sumtimes while walkin' around!"
Dat's true. . . better git . . . you knows . . . one of dem small horses. Less to clean up afters"
"Small horse? you mean a pony?"
Yeah . . . Yeah! A pony! Call 'em "Tony". . . Tony the Pony!"
"Damn! dat's a hell of an idea![:0] Bartender! ! ! Git my buddy here an nudder beer! He jist give me a crazy hair-brained scheme dat even dat Ralph Kramden would be jealous of!"
Then again, maybe not.
LS
|
09-28-2011
( Reply#: 7019 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
These pics are fabulous!
What's really cool is that I clearly remember seeing these three Dinosaur photos when your family got them developed in the summer of '58; you guys made sure to show them to us, since Mike and I were nuts about dinos, and I remember how envious I was, especially seeing the girls perched on top of the Stegosaurus (middle pic; the top one is a Protoceratops, the bottom one a gigantic trachodon; there was also a huge brontosurus among the trees and shrubs; all were made out of plaster, I think...maybe fibreglass).
What's odd is this: for years after I saw these pics in '58, I thought they were taken in some place called "Dinosaur Park"; we came to believe that this was the famous park near Mount Rushmore in South Dakota; I figured the family would visit it some day.
Then, in June of '62, our family took a vacation around Lake Michigan, and stopped at the Wisconsin Dells, where we all thrilled to these very same dinos, without realizing they were the ones in your '58 photos. It was only in summer of '64--when our family finally drove to S. Dakota/Mount Rushmore---that we visited the actual "Dinosaur Park" (it's actually in Rapid City, S.D.).
It was then that I said---"hey, where's the Stegosuarus that you can climb on like we saw in the Kush pictures"? Ultimately...(duh)...it dawned on me that the Kush pics had been taken at the Dells, the same place that we had visited in '62 without realizing it.[:0]
The big old plaster dinosaurs in Rapid City, South Dakota are pretty poor; they're primitive in design and very plain-looking and UN-detailed. They are BIG, though (they're still standing on a massive, grassy hill).
ALSO-- Steve--- I don't remember nuttin' about no miniature horse on Magoun Ave; I'm sure if the little guy had unloaded on Beda's sidewalk we ALL would have known about it. Your re-telling of the origins of the project had me crackin' up big time. Great picture of Bev in her cowgirl dude-ess duds.
More, please.
Larry |
09-28-2011
( Reply#: 7020 ) |
duane |
Hello all. I've been avidly following your Magoun Avenue memories for a couple of weeks now. I, too, was a Magouner (is that a word?) albeit on the south side of East Chicago. A couple of other things - I had a Bugs Bunny costume exactly like the one your neighbor has in one of the posted pictures, although mine had the tall ears on it. I've got a photo of that somewhere...perhaps I can find it. I'm posing with my father in his EC Police uniform (he was NOT dressed for halloween...just for work!)
I remember well the Dinosaurs in Wisconsin Dells. They were located just as you went up the hill past the dam and into the town of Wisconsin Dells proper. The other strip along Hwy 12 was Lake Delton. Anyway, I believe there was miniature golf in with the Dinosaurs. Sadly they are now gone. Also gone is Storybook Gardens, which was a large area along HWY 12 that had all sorts of scenes of storybook characters as well as real life people dressed as characters (I remember Bo Peep having several live sheep). That just disappeared within the past few years. Biblical Gardens was located along a ravine about a mile east from Storybook Gardens. It had dioramas (actually full size statues) of many events in the life of Christ. Unfortunately, that disappered many (perhaps 20) years ago. The Wonder Spot was indeed the area where they gave the illusion that gravity was wacky. What they did was build a house that was at an angle to the ground, but you didn't notice it as much when you were inside...so a ball appeared to roll up hill when placed in a gutter. A bowling ball hung from a chain bolted to the ceiling appeared to swing in only half an arc when given a push. There were Wonder Spots all over the country. I know for sure there was one located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but I don't recall exactly what town anymore.
So anyway, thanks to all you Magouners for bringing back some great memories - even though I was in the next town, we still appear to have had some common childhood experiences. |
09-28-2011
( Reply#: 7021 ) |
Little Stevie |
Duane, now that you mentioned it, I remember seeing pictures of the storybook Garden. Maybe they're in another album I haven't look through yet. Your father was an E C policeman? Did he/ you know the Kawicki's from E.C.? Daughter Judy, son Mickey wife Theresa. I can't think of dad's name at the moment. He was heavyset, rode a tri-wheel cycle.
LS |
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7022 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's a pic of one of the Wisconsin Dells dinosuars, a Triceratops (which I had forgotten about)--
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/DellsTriceratops.jpg[/IMG]
This is the only one of the old Dells dinos that I can find on the Internet thus far. We bought postcards of all of them when we were there in '62, but those cards are long gone.
HERE's a view of the huge Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota,
which still stands today--
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/DinoPark.jpg[/IMG]
Duane-- Glad you're enjoying these posts; more to come on both this one and the Jefferson School thread.
Larry R |
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7025 ) |
Little Stevie |
OK folks, more pics from those golden years on Magoun Ave.
These are from summer of '58
This one is looking north from in front of our house @ 6920.
First house on the left was the Taylor home, next, the Rapchak's.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg301.jpg[/IMG]
L to R:
Mark Taylor, My sister Bev (I believe), Cy Beda (in front) Scott Taylor (nice hat!) and a girl I cannot ID. Maybe you can Larry
Here's Cy and myself. Guess I wanted to be one of the "Cowboys" in the 'Hood too!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg311.jpg[/IMG]
This one, a few months later, is a view to the south:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg541.jpg[/IMG]
L to R standing
sister Bev & Mark Taylor
L to R kneeling
Scott Taylor, Larry's sister Nancy, & Myself
The first house on the right, the Gormans, next to them the Klishs.
More on them later! |
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7026 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
... There were Wonder Spots all over the country. I know for sure there was one located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but I don't recall exactly what town anymore.
I don't recall signs advertising one anywhere around Iron Mountain, Crystal Falls, Sagola, or the Michigamme Reservoir where my family vacationed a number of summersin the '50s. The resort was first called Rogge's Resort, then Ruth and Ray Kopf's WayDam Resort. It is still around.
Plenty of Burma Shave signs around, but no "anti-gravity" ones.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7027 ) |
Bill Bucko |
P.S. Wonderful photo of Bev as a cowgirl. Thanks!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7028 ) |
duane |
Google works wonders....St. Ignace, MI, under the name of Mystery Spot. Different name, same lame tricks!
(and lots of other places too!)
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/29062
|
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7029 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Duane, now that you mentioned it, I remember seeing pictures of the storybook Garden. Maybe they're in another album I haven't look through yet. Your father was an E C policeman? Did he/ you know the Kawicki's from E.C.? Daughter Judy, son Mickey wife Theresa. I can't think of dad's name at the moment. He was heavyset, rode a tri-wheel cycle.
LS
The Kawicki name doesn't sound familiar. I did know many of the cops that worked on the East Chicago side. Perhaps he worked the Indiana Harbor side? My dad was the 4 corners EC traffic cop for mill traffic. His "beat" was downtown EC on foot. He was there for about 25 years. How old were Judy and Mickey in the late 1960's? |
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7030 ) |
Little Stevie |
Duane,
Judy graduated from Roosevelt in '66 I believe. She and my oldest sister were good friends. They went to the same church we went to, St. Michael's Polish Nat'l Church on Wegg Ave. in EC. She married a guy named Steve Glombicki, who is/was either a cop or fireman. Maybe in Chicago, IL. All I remember is that he left her at the altar the night before they were to wed.[:0] My sister was livid! Then some time later, Judy married him anyway. Mickey must of graduated in '69 or '70 from ECR too. Also, I found out the dad's name was Vince.
LS |
09-30-2011
( Reply#: 7031 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Hey--
Wonder why the two Rapchak boys aren't in any of these photos? (probably on lock-down at 6912).
Steve--don't know the name of the girl on the right; I'm sure Carol and Bev would remember. See if you can't convince them to check out SHEPTALK and see what we're doing with all of these photos.
I don't understand the women folk; sometimes it's like pullin' teeth to get them involved. [xx(]
LR |
09-30-2011
( Reply#: 7032 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Duane,
Judy graduated from Roosevelt in '66 I believe. She and my oldest sister were good friends. They went to the same church we went to, St. Michael's Polish Nat'l Church on Wegg Ave. in EC. She married a guy named Steve Glombicki, who is/was either a cop or fireman. Maybe in Chicago, IL. All I remember is that he left her at the altar the night before they were to wed.[:0] My sister was livid! Then some time later, Judy married him anyway. Mickey must of graduated in '69 or '70 from ECR too. Also, I found out the dad's name was Vince.
LS
Well, now we are getting somewhere. I did know an EC Policeman named Vince, and Steve Glombicki's name is VERY familiar. I went to ECR in Jr. High and then transfered to BNI as a sophomore, so I probably didn't rub shoulders with Judy or even Mickey (you know how upper classmen didn't mix with the underclass rabble!) My brother graduated ECR in 68, so he probably knew both of them. So, did that Judy/Steve thing work out in the long run?????
I have many fond memories of St. Michael's on Wegg. Even went to service there a couple of times (probably was a mortal sin for a Roman Catholic back in those days!). I always enjoyed the church bizaars that they had in the church yard, and our family went to those very often, as we had many neighbors who belong to the Polish National church. |
09-30-2011
( Reply#: 7033 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
... They went to the same church we went to, St. Michael's Polish Nat'l Church on Wegg Ave. in EC...
LS
That's the church my parents dragged me to. (Until finally in 1965 I rebelled, and refused to get out of bed Sunday mornings.) Still remember the old wooden church that was replaced by the new one north of it around 1957, and Father Sienko, who died in 1963. The parish has moved to Cedar Lake, but their website has many photos from the East Chicago days. See http://www.stmichaelpncc.org/ .
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
09-30-2011
( Reply#: 7034 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
MANY OF YOU'S GUYS may not be familiar with Magoun Avenue itself, but EVERYBODY knows Indianapolis Blvd, which was mere steps away from our front doors (Magoun is the first block west of Indy).
Indy Blvd was like the "BIG CITY" to me...bright lights, store windows, restaurants, lots of traffic...and a nice clean "modern", upscale feel that was really cool back when it was new.
Steve and I recently walked the Blvd (and got questioned by the cops as we snapped photos) to document the way it looks now, compared to the great old days.
Here's that shot again from the Purdue Cal Photo Archives, circa 1958 (yeah, I know...it doesn't look very bright or exciting in this picture):
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd.jpg[/IMG]
It's winter, the Christmas decorations are up, the recently opened Jewel Food Store is on the left, and the classic old SERENADE drive-in is visible on the right edge, with its rectangular facade and the name in NEON against a background of pink and sea-green stripes.
AND HERE"S the same shot as it looks today (photographed Sept 24, 2011)
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff064.jpg[/IMG]
We'll post more of these soon.
LR |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7036 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
... They went to the same church we went to, St. Michael's Polish Nat'l Church on Wegg Ave. in EC...
LS
That's the church my parents dragged me to. (Until finally in 1965 I rebelled, and refused to get out of bed Sunday mornings.) Still remember the old wooden church that was replaced by the new one north of it around 1957, and Father Sienko, who died in 1963. The parish has moved to Cedar Lake, but their website has many photos from the East Chicago days. See http://www.stmichaelpncc.org/ .
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
Well . . .well . . . well, Bill!
I thought the "Bucko" name rang a bell! Yes, they moved to Cedar Lake. My wife & I just returned from there. You see, every Friday, from 4-8 PM they are having fish frys to help raise cash. Since I was asked to come to see if the building was structurally sound, (I haven't been to a service in years. 1st time I entered, the place did give a slight shudder![}:)]) we have been going there for dinner on Fridays ever since. In fact, I asked our waitress tonight about the Buckos. She said that they were her relatives. I'm talking about Nancy Dykiel. She has 2 older brothers, Vince & Tom. Tom & I served 9 AM Mass together. Many great stories about those Labor Day Bazaars at the Grove! Did you know any of the Krupas that lived behind the bar their father Henry aka "Peeches" ran? Man! the twins, Alan & Tony, knew every drunk and derelict that lived, wandered East Chicago. Including the the most famous one, Martin Pinack. The Man who lived under the Grand Calumet River Bridge.
Duane, I'm not sure how Judy & Steve are doing. I'll have to ask Carol. Did you know any of the above mentioned Krupas? The bazaars were great! Theresa Kawicki was the woman who would bellow out the bingo numbers at all of the events. She was a great woman. Very kind. I think she died of a heart attack. Also think her husband Vince did too. No . . . I think she had a stroke. Did you ever play bingo in that old shed/barn/hall in the grove? For all those great prizes? Washcloths, lamps, a cheap toy or two?
LS |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7037 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
we didn't get questioned by just some cop, remember? He was a State Cop!
Larry & I are just standing on the corner, trying to figure out the best position to take the photo when this maroon car pulls up, the passenger window goes down and this young guy says:
"Whaddya takin' pictures of?"
Larry & I look at each other and I ask the guy:
"What did ya say?"
It's then I notice all the electronic equipment in the car and notice the ISP patch on his shirt sleeve.
"I SAID. . . WHAT ARE YOU TAKING PICTURES OF!"
"Well. . ."
I start to stammer when Larry tells him that we grew up in the area and we are re-visiting the neighborhood for old times sake and are just re-taking pictures of pictures we have from the fifties.
The officer kinda looks at us in doubt till I hand him the above picture that shows the "House of Pizza" in it. He asks if it the same and are the pizzas any good.
Well, right then I realize this cop's not from the "Hood". We tell him that yeah, it's the same business, in the same building as it was fifty years ago, and yeah, the pizzas are still great. In fact, that's where we're going to have dinner in a few minutes. He hands back the picture, realizing we weren't plotting a terrorist act and goes on his way. In the meantime, my two sisters are gabbing, about who knows what, unaware that we were being questioned. Another affirmation that they didn't pay much attention to "Little Stevie" or his on-goings! Even fifty plus years later!
LS
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/LittleStevie-1.jpg[/IMG] |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7040 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
The Jewel Food Store seen in the "OLD" version of the picture above was a great place to shop. On Saturday mornings we'd always head over there, and I still rememeber being fascinated by the coffee grinder and that pungent smell of fresh-ground coffee.
Here's an ad from the Hammond Times announcing the opening of the store; where were you on October 28th, 1954?
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JewelFood0001.jpg[/IMG] |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7041 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
... They went to the same church we went to, St. Michael's Polish Nat'l Church on Wegg Ave. in EC...
LS
That's the church my parents dragged me to. (Until finally in 1965 I rebelled, and refused to get out of bed Sunday mornings.) Still remember the old wooden church that was replaced by the new one north of it around 1957, and Father Sienko, who died in 1963. The parish has moved to Cedar Lake, but their website has many photos from the East Chicago days. See http://www.stmichaelpncc.org/ .
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
Well . . .well . . . well, Bill!
... In fact, I asked our waitress tonight about the Buckos. She said that they were her relatives. I'm talking about Nancy Dykiel. She has 2 older brothers, Vince & Tom. Tom & I served 9 AM Mass together. Many great stories about those Labor Day Bazaars at the Grove! Did you know any of the Krupas that lived behind the bar their father Henry aka "Peeches" ran? ...
LS
I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank on the name Dykiel. I had an Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Mike Jancek; also an Aunt Stella and Uncle Ed, whose last name escapes me. The name Krupa is familar, though I don't think I knew them personally. I did know a Bielat, Kowalczyk and Surowieck. And from the early '50s there still rings in my ears "Swieta Maria, Matko Boza, modl sie za nami" as well as Father Sienko singing "Pan z wami," to PROVE that I grew up among Polacks!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7042 ) |
Little Stevie |
"Here's an ad from the Hammond Times announcing the opening of the store; where were you on October 28th, 1954?"
Still cookin' in my mama's womb!
The eight o'clock coffee grinders in those stores! How great was it? I loved that freshly ground smell! What's really remarkable is, I never became a coffee drinker! Maybe 1 cup in my life.
While waiting for Jeff D. to walk down the block for school at Jefferson in the spring, I patiently sat on those steps in front of 6920 Magoun, drinking a 10 ounce bottle of that fabulous new drink from Pepsi-Cola, MOUNTAIN DEW!
I still drink a Dew once and a while, but give me 12 cold ounces of Pepsi any time!
Ahhh! Pepsi-Cola, the Nectar of the Gods!,The Joy of Cola!
Check out this clip of one of the best Pepsi Jingles ever made!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du-bPdzXkTs
(You might have to Copy & Paste it)
LS
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/LittleStevie-1.jpg[/IMG] |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7043 ) |
Little Stevie |
I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank on the name Dykiel. I had an Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Mike Jancek; also an Aunt Stella and Uncle Ed, whose last name escapes me. The name Krupa is familar, though I don't think I knew them personally. I did know a Bielat, Kowalczyk and Surowieck. And from the early '50s there still rings in my ears "Swieta Maria, Matko Boza, modl sie za nami" as well as Father Sienko singing "Pan z wami," to PROVE that I grew up among Polacks!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
[/quote]
Well Bill, Wally Bielat and his wife, Marcia are at the fish fry every Friday My mother's maiden name was Surowiec, no "K" at the end. Her brothers were John and Alfred, AKA "Fritz". Sisters were Lil, Alice & Patricia (Pat). Only my three aunts are alive. In fact, in the picture of our basement @ 6920 Magoun, Alice & Pat are sitting at the piano! I remember Father Sienko vaguely. I served as an altar boy under Father Ed Broztowski. His daughter Betty, set the hearts of many the young men at St. Mike's, ablaze when Father Ed took over after Father Seinko died. She married Pete Bianchi. He is a retired EC fireman.
My Aunt Alice is still active in the church and still corresponds with Betty.
LS |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7044 ) |
duane |
Little Stevie:
Yes, I knew both the Krupa's well. I think they had a sister that was a year or two younger as well. Alan and Tony were twins and we were in the same grade and we sometimes hung out. We were friends, but not best friends. We were both in scouts, but in different troops. As fellow south siders, we'd play basketball and football together. And Krupa's tap was a famous south side establishment.
And I believe the answer to "Pan z Wami" is "Iz duchem twoim" (I probably spelled it wrong) And I can still say through my fault, through my fault, through my most grevious fault in 3 languages...English, Latin and Polish!!
Yes, I spent many an afternoon and evening sitting next to my mother whilst she played bingo in that shed/hall/whatever you call it that was in the churchyard of the Polish National Church on Wegg Ave.
And as for Martin Piniak, we had a big discussion about him a couple of years ago...it is still somewhere here on the forum somewhere. One south sider (I think it was Jay on this forum) said that his mom dated Martin Piniak in Marty's younger days, when he was said to be quite a looker and a lady's man! Oh, yeah, and there is an entire thread somewhere on the forum also dedicated to that other famous EC south sider EDJU! Lots of hilarious stories on that thread about Edju...so if you've got any to contribute, we'd all love to hear them! |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7045 ) |
seejay2 |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
... They went to the same church we went to, St. Michael's Polish Nat'l Church on Wegg Ave. in EC...
LS
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
Well . . .well . . . well, Bill!
... In fact, I asked our waitress tonight about the Buckos. She said that they were her relatives. I'm talking about Nancy Dykiel. She has 2 older brothers, Vince & Tom. Tom & I served 9 AM Mass together. Many great stories about those Labor Day Bazaars at the Grove!
Did you know any of the Krupas that lived behind the bar their father Henry aka "Peeches" ran? ...
I was dating one of the Krupa daughters, Linda, for a while back in the 70's.
FYI: Gene Krupa, the legendary drummer, was some kind of relation to them as well...Cj
LS
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
|
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7046 ) |
Little Stevie |
Yeah Duane, there were two girls in the Krupa family. Karen, who was a year or two older than the twins, and Linda, who was my age. A year younger than Alan & Tony. I still run into Tony once and a while. His father-in-law lived across the street from us here in St. John. He would drive by the neighborhood now and then to chat.
I'll have to go to the other topics strings to look up the Pinack stories. I always heard he was a good looking, young man from a well to do family. Then, he had his heart broken by the girl of his dreams and never cared to live in society again.[:(]
LS |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7047 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Gentlemen,
Loads of scholarly research (and laughs)re: Edju Tucker can be found here on (big) Page 1 of Sheptalk (about half-way down the page). If you go ahead to big Page 3, you'll find two threads that deal with Martin Piniak: "Martin Piniak - an East Chicago legend" and "The Grand Calumet and its Bridges".
In the meantime, here's a cool photo taken on the sidewalk right in front of the Jewel Food Store on Indy and 169th, on Saturday, December 11, 1954 (less than 2 months after the store opened). Why in the world they thought the kiddies would want to ride a merry-go-round in the dead of winter is beyond me---but I know of two brothers (pictured here) that were goofy enough to do it.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Jewel19540001.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7048 ) |
Dave |
Regarding the pony: I have pictures somewhere of my sister and brother on the same (?) pony. These would have been taken 1960ish on the southeast side of Chicago. I worked with a guy who had pictures of himself taken on the same (?) pony. These would have been on the SW side of Chicago, also in a 1960 timeframe.. I have also seen photos of cousins on the same (?) pony. |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7049 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Larry, I went to both threads bout Edju & Piniak. Interesting. Pretty much what I already knew/heard. Especially your Edju story!
Had to be cold on that merry-go-round! Youse guyz are both bundled up! I'm wondering what the price of pork loins and ribeye steaks were back then. That's what the sign behind the merry-go-round looks to be advertising![?]
Think Mike put the fear of god into other little kids waiting a turn so's the picture could be taken with just you & him on the merry-go-round?[8D] |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7050 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Hey, guys--
RE: the dirt shoveling' picture-- it was definitely taken by one of my parents, probably my dad.
ANYWAY---1958 Halloween was approaching - incredibly cool time in my life! One cloudy weekday afternoon, my brother Mike and I were invited into "Little Stevie's" house by one of his sisters, where we pounded away on an old player piano they had in their basement. We then plugged in this tin electric stove-oven toy that the girls had down there; it was one of those KENNER-like toys, and the top surface REALLY heated up! You could burn the crap out of yourself on those things! So as it heated up, Mike took a little wax pumpkin candle that we found down there, and set it on top of the stove. We enjoyed watching the orange wax streaming down the side of the thing (can't imagine why the girls left us down there unattended!)
Here's an E-Bay pic that Mike sent me a few years ago; this may, in fact, be exactly the same type of pumpkin candle that we destroyed that day.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/PumpkinCandle.jpg[/IMG]
Such was life. LR
Here's a picture of Bev in Oct. of '57. See the look on her face as she's holding a present she received for the upcoming Halloween?
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pgA21.jpg[/IMG]
Looks like she knew the candle wouldn't be around a year later if her then "sweetheart" and his older brother, those Rapchak "Hooligans", got their hands on it![:(]
FOR SHAME !
LS |
10-01-2011
( Reply#: 7051 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's a picture I'm really proud of! (What a "Dorky" picture,huh?)I think it was taken in the fall of '66. It was in with pictures of my sister's Senior class trip in the spring of '66.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/0512-1.jpg[/IMG]
The Hatcher's lived in the house across the street, on the left, and Larry's grandparents lived in the house to the right of them. I'm not sure if they were there at the time of this picture.
That's our '59 DeSoto parked at the curb. We bought it from my Uncle George. Had push-button transmission.
Plus a really cool speedometer where a line was green for 0 -30 mph, then yellow from 30 - 60 mph
THEN red from 60 - 120 mph!
Uncle George was actually my Dad's buddy from the neighborhood they grew up in, in EC. They both went to war together, served in the same outfit. Cyclone division, "Avengers of Bataan".
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg111.jpg[/IMG]
Dad & Uncle George
On the family trip out west in July of '52.
He worked at Inland, as did my Dad, never married and lived with my grandparents in south Hammond on Howard Ave. He was a huge baseball fan, but preferred the Cubs to the Sox. Went to games all the time.
One of my best memories of that time was, if I was out playing in the yard and Uncle George pulled up around 11 -11:30, it meant I was going to a Cubs game!
If he showed up around 5 or so, a Sox game was at hand. I remember watching fireworks after every Sox game back then.
I enjoyed the Sox games but I grew up, and will always be a Cubs fan. My favorite player back then and forever? None other than "Mr. Cub" himself, Ernie Banks![:)]
Some day either Larry or myself will tell the story about the brown garage door in the backround, to the left of the Hatcher home!
Just another slice of Life from growing up on Magoun!
LS |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7053 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Man, you're coming up with some great stuff!
1.) After more than 50 years, I see the very same pumpkin candle that Mike and I destroyed in October of '58 by melting it on your sisters' toy stove-of-death in your basement. And MIKE WAS RIGHT! That is THE EXACT SAME design as the color E-bay pic he sent to me a few years ago (which you've posted here), right down to the uneven shape of the eyes. Damn!
2.) Enjoy the dorkey picture of you as patrol boy--though I'm certainly not one to talk. Re: my grandparents' house across the street: no, Grandma Ortman died in June of '63 (positively the most traumatic event of my young life), and my grandfather was moved out sometime later that year.
3.) Regarding that BROWN GARAGE DOOR across the street on the left: let's see......ummmmm..... Once upon a time, in August of 1960---the second week when the summer meteor showers are at their height----Mike and I decided we were going to stay up late that Saturday night in the hope of seeing a few shooting stars. [To be continued].
4.) Re: the picture of your dad and Uncle George-- I was struck by the fact that we're looking at two guys who typified that greatest generation who grew up in the Depression, went to war and kicked some Axis Ass in order to save the world, came back home--NEVER crowing about their war-time activities--and then settled down to raise their families and help build a solid, moral, community. And the best we can do to honor their memory is to live our lives in a way that they would be proud of.
And that includes keepin' yer damn grass cut!
Larry |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7054 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
ALSO-- re: the color patrol boy photo---by '66, the great old SERENADE drive-in restaurant on Indy Blvd had been torn down and was replaced by that single-story white building you can see in between the two houses across the street; that building housed the Foster Music store (where I would briefly work as a sales-dork in the fall of '67). More on my grandparent's house and the SERENADE soon.
Larry |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7055 ) |
tom w |
Sorry Larry and Steve, I just wanted to interject that the pix of you as a patrol boy not only brought back memories for me, It also reminded me of how old we are. Our belts were WHITE!!! I am also reminded ot how little things some change because both of thoose Bee-utiful cars seem to be parked on the wrong side. Tom |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7056 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by tom w
Sorry Larry and Steve, I just wanted to interject that the pix of you as a patrol boy not only brought back memories for me, It also reminded me of how old we are. Our belts were WHITE!!! I am also reminded ot how little things some change because both of thoose Bee-utiful cars seem to be parked on the wrong side. Tom
quote:
4.) Re: the picture of your dad and Uncle George-- I was struck by the fact that we're looking at two guys who typified that greatest generation who grew up in the Depression, went to war and kicked some Axis Ass in order to save the world, came back home--NEVER crowing about their war-time activities--and then settled down to raise their families and help build a solid, moral, community. And the best we can do to honor their memory is to live our lives in a way that they would be proud of.
And that includes keepin' yer damn grass cut!
Larry, AMEN TO THAT!
Tom!
Interject all you want! That's what we're here for! I figger I musta been in the 6th grade at Jefferson when this was taken, cause I remember having a white belt when I started "Patrolling".
Must of wanted to show off the latest fashion in Crime-stopping ware![;)]
Judging by the shadows, which are running SW to NE, I'm guessing this picture was taken 3 -4 PM in mid to late November.[^]
LS quote:
|
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7057 ) |
BobK |
"Why in the world they thought the kiddies would want to ride a merry-go-round in the dead of winter is beyond me---but I know of two brothers (pictured here) that were goofy enough to do it."
==============================
Larry, you and your brother don't look too happy about it. [;)]
Bob
|
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7058 ) |
Tom J |
The car across the street in the patrol boy picture is a 1962 Olds. We had one of those for our family car for a few years as I was growing up. Ours was a cream color four door hardtop but the one in this picture looks like a two door hardtop.
We had a brown and cream 1954 Olds before Dad got the '62. That '54 is the first family car that I can actually remember. I'm not sure which year Dad traded the '54 for the '62, but Dad never bought new cars, so I guess it would have been in 1963 or 1964.
I am ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY enjoying this thread!
Tomster |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7059 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
... And I believe the answer to "Pan z Wami" is "Iz duchem twoim"
Absolutely correct. As final proof that I grew up among Polacks: I remember old Mr. Apolski, from two doors down, spitting tobacco juice and saying "Psia krev"!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7060 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Hey..
Why don't yous' guys try speaking english around here?! (or at least translate for us all)... |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7061 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
[quote]Originally posted by BobK
"Why in the world they thought the kiddies would want to ride a merry-go-round in the dead of winter is beyond me---but I know of two brothers (pictured here) that were goofy enough to do it."==============================
Larry, you and your brother don't look too happy about it. [;)]
Bob
BOB---
We probably started out enjoying it; but I can hear my dad saying "just stay up there and go around a few more times soz I can get some more damn' pictures!" [:(!]
ALSO-- and this is as far off the trivia charts as you could imagine: At the very moment these pictures were taken (Saturday, Dec 11, 1954), Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows, et al were rehearsing at the CBS studios in NYC for their evening broadcast of "The Jackie Gleason Show/The Honeymooners". The episode, broadcast LIVE that evening and thought lost until 1984, is called "SONGWRITERS" and is my absolute favorite of the series, with the sweetest, happiest ending you could ask for (plus a very clever new song written especially for Kramden and Norton to sing in the show). If you're a Honeymoomers fan and have never seen "Songwriters" (it's included in the "Lost" episodes), you should definitely check it out.
LR |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7062 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
[quote]Originally posted by tom w
Sorry Larry and Steve, I just wanted to interject that the pix of you as a patrol boy not only brought back memories for me, It also reminded me of how old we are. Our belts were WHITE!!! I am also reminded ot how little things some change because both of thoose Bee-utiful cars seem to be parked on the wrong side. Tom
TOM-- This ain't supposed to be no two-man discussion here...so chime in all you want! In addition to doing a sort of chronicle of the Rapchak/Kush childhood years together, this thread is supposed to "key in" to all of yous' guy's memories too. [:D]
I was also assigned the old regulation WHITE patrol belt in my day.
I remember getting hit in the mouth by a folded-up patrol belt that was thrown by my brother Mike;
POW!!
Larry |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7063 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
"Psia krev"!
Ah, Bill...that brings back memories. Often, the Psia krev was followed by Cholera! (pronounced "whole e rah", with a rolled r) And while it basically meant "may you get cholera" it was really just a Polish cuss word akin to damn.
I remember as a teenager, whenever my I would cuss in Polish, my mother would say "Where did you learn that" and I would respond, now mom, who do you think I heard those words from?
Tom, it sounds like your dad bought cars the same way my dad did. We had a 1950 dark green chevy with a visor (we called it the bulge-mobile) until about 1962, when he bought a 1958 pink over white biscayne. That thing was a rust bucket and was completely rusted out by 1966. People today forget that cars didn't last very long back then, at least not in da region where they put down so much salt. |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7065 ) |
tom w |
Duane; We didn't Have a car. My dad took the bus to work and I walked or took the bus. No one in our group had a car. My brother gave my dad his 49 Ford Custom when I was about 15. {about 1957} My first was a big, black and yellow 51 Buick Super. Wow man it took me a long time to come up with that!! Thanks for the memory exercise.
Might make another interesting thread, huh? Tom |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7066 ) |
duane |
Lots of Tom's on this forum...I should have directed the comment to Tom J. But the neat thing is that everyone has a story or memories that are jogged by what others post.
RE: Taking the bus...Now, all these years later, I too, am taking the bus to work. I live 20 miles from work and there is a coach bus that goes from my town to Duluth, MN every morning. It stops just 1/2 block from my house. Picks me up at 6:30 AM and drops me off at 5:50 PM. I'm the first one on, and the last one off. Makes for a long day, but it is cheaper than buying gas and putting 40 miles a day on the Chevy - and I can read, or listen to my iPod, or even sleep on the way to and from work! Riding the bus ain't bad! |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7067 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
SPEAKING OF OLD BEATERS...
Check out these two Chevys ('48 and '50, I think?), the Rolls Royce(s) of the newly suburbanized Region family of the era.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Summer20001.jpg[/IMG]
We're all holding onto my sister Nancy (born Dec 14,'54). The date on this pic is July 31, '55, which still stands as one of the area's HOTTEST summers.
Oh, yeah....DIG THAT CRAZY LAWN!
The apartments across the street, which we all feared would attract riff-raff, were under construction; the neighborhood fears were unfounded, since mostly older retired folks moved in (including one guy who seemed to have trouble figuring out which pedal in his car was the accelerator, and which one the brakes.... but that's another story).
You can barely make out the neon display sign for KELLY'S Drive-In on the left edge of the apartment building (with a couple more vintage cars in their lot); that's the southwest corner of 169th and Indy Blvd.
LR |
10-02-2011
( Reply#: 7068 ) |
duane |
Keep posting those great photos, Larry. I love 'em! |
10-03-2011
( Reply#: 7069 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Keep posting those great photos, Larry. I love 'em!
Same here! |
10-03-2011
( Reply#: 7070 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Hey..
Why don't yous' guys try speaking english around here?! (or at least translate for us all)...
"Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners"
"The Lord be with you," "And with thy spirit."
"Dog's blood" (the strongest swear word in Polish).
Now that you know these, try not to mix them up and use them at the wrong time! "Psia krev" is NOT for using in church!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
10-03-2011
( Reply#: 7071 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Hey..
Why don't yous' guys try speaking english around here?! (or at least translate for us all)...
"Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners"
"The Lord be with you," "And with thy spirit."
"Dog's blood" (the strongest swear word in Polish).
Now that you know these, try not to mix them up and use them at the wrong time! "Psia krev" is NOT for using in church!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
I thought the last one meant "cholera of dog's blood" Same thing I guess!
Pronounced "pishahh krev (Roll the "R" a little) hoe let a"
Larry, it wasn't a tennant as I remember, it was the owner! |
10-03-2011
( Reply#: 7072 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
ANOTHER CLASSIC from the family archives---
OWWW!--- MAN, that HURTS!!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57Gunplay0001.jpg[/IMG]
Mike on a rampage with his Fanner 50's at 6912 Magoun. I remember this photo was taken on a
Sunday afternoon. Check the cool '54 CHEVY WITH VISOR parked out front
(it was a deep Navy Blue). Great car.
Hey---DIG THOSE CRAZY CUFFS on my pants!!
LR |
10-03-2011
( Reply#: 7073 ) |
Little Stevie |
I don't know if Larry will remember this item, I pulled it off the Internet. They might have moved before Sara got one of these for a birthday
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/serry.jpg[/IMG]
It's a surrey that you pedaled from the back seat while others could ride in the front.
Cy Beda would always want to be the one to drive it.
If he didn't get his way, he'd go tell his mama and she say we had to share so let Cy drive until he got tired.
Ya know Larry, all the pictures and all the stories with Mike involved, seems he was never the "villain". Seems he was the "instigator" though!
Man! I wish we would have gotten back together before he passed. I always thought of him as a big brother while you lived on Magoun!
LS |
10-03-2011
( Reply#: 7074 ) |
Little Stevie |
I'm sure many here will remember this game:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/1958allstarbaseball.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/1958b.jpg[/IMG]
I played this game till the spinners wore out! I used to keep stats while also keeping score in a notebook. Used to set it up on our dining room table and play all night. Had the bright idea of playing "night games" by turning off the dining room light and using one of those new, high intensity nightlights that came out in the sixties!
LS |
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7075 ) |
tom w |
These pix are just GREAT. I love the Bel Air cause I had one too but the really great shot is the one with you guys and your dad on 10/2. The lot next to the apartments partially reveals some kinda car with FENDERSKIRTS and looks to be in good shape. keep em coming guys. If I knew how much fun I'd have 60 years later, I woulda spent my money on a camera so I could go to car lots and take pictures too. Jeepers!
Tom |
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7076 ) |
tom w |
Larry, Did not mean to leave out lil Nancy, star of the picture and cute as a button. Tom |
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7077 ) |
BobK |
Looks like about a 1950 Hudson, Tom.
Bob
|
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7078 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's a photo that's special for two reasons: it captures a totally average moment in the lives of my maternal grandparents, Harry & Pearl Ortman, AND it's one of the very few pics I've ever seen of at least PART of the classic old SERENADE Drive-In on Indy Blvd, just south of 169th.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/GrandmaPa.jpg[/IMG]
My grandparents moved into their Magoun Ave home (it's the brown one on the right in back of "Little Stevie's" patrol boy pic on the previous page) sometime late in 1959, in order to be close to us; in fact---right across the street. My relationship with my grandmother was very cool: she was one of the nicest people I've even known, and I spent tons of time at their house from '59 to early '62, when we moved to Hessville. Her death in June of '63 was absolutely traumatic for me.
But here was a happier time. It was a cloudy, warm weekeday afternoon in August of '61; Mike and I were returning from one of our long walks up and down Magoun and over by Baring Parkway. On this particular day, Mike was carrying his little plastic grey camera, so we decided to drop in to see the grandparents. Mike asked if he could take their pic, so we all stepped out in the backyard; that summer, my grandmother always had a plastic bag of those miniature marshmallow-type candy ice cream cones around, and I distinctly remember her grabbing one as we headed outside (that's what she's holding in her hand).
You can also see their dog, a nasty mutt named "Blackie" standing behind grandma on the left. When we were younger, this malevolent mongrel would terrorize us kids by staring us down while growling at us, then suddenly grabbing one of our feet in his mouth and viciously shaking it, while we howled in pain! No kidding--it was unreal! Eventually, one of our parents...who were in the dining room having coffee with the folks...would say "Oh, Blackie's at it again; dad, make him stop", or some such casual comment.
So anyway, Mike snaps this photo, gets it developed and sticks it in his album. In '63 summer, after my grandmother's passing, my mother remembered the pic; we found the negative, and multiple copies were made and distributed to the extended family as a remembrance. We realized then that very few photos of Harry and Pearl together existed, and thus Mike's on-the-spot pic from two summers before became all the more valuable.
In the background is the partially visible SERENADE with its large vertical rectangular facade, painted in pink and sea-green stripes. Within a few years, it would be gone, too.
Wish we could find some more pics of the place; it was iconic.
LR
PS-- This is Sheptalk post no. 6,001. |
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7079 ) |
tom w |
Hi Bob; I was sitting here trying to make it original equipment on a 54 Bel Aire because it looks like there is a mud guard on the front of the rear fender and it's shiny and they only stayed shiny for about a year,but what I didn't consider is no whitewalls which would have been standard equipment for General Motors cars with skirts. So, you could be right.
A big part of what makes that so facinating for me is the fact that it's fuzzy and you can't quite make it out.
By the way, I rememberthose marshmallow cones very well. Tom |
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7080 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's a link to a song that is all about our dicussions here. My favorite band growin' up in the 70's. Then I saw them with the Beach Boys in '75 and well. . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY-kFODaZqE&feature=related
LS |
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7081 ) |
Tom J |
And well what? Did you decide you liked the Beach Boys more than you liked Chicago?
Tomster |
10-04-2011
( Reply#: 7082 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
And well what? Did you decide you liked the Beach Boys more than you liked Chicago?
Tomster
Well. . . gotta admit . . . after hearin' the Boys 6 nights in June of '75 with Chicago. . . last night front row @ the old Chicago Stadium . . .The Beach Boys became my favorite band. Once Terry Kath died and they brought in Lawrence Deliver Us From Evil or whatever his name was, Chicago started to lose me. Got more wrapped up in the music I missed written By Brian W.
LS |
10-05-2011
( Reply#: 7083 ) |
seejay2 |
I saw Chicago down in Bloomington. Terry Kath was Chicago. When Terry was gone, Chicago was gone...Cj |
10-05-2011
( Reply#: 7084 ) |
duane |
For several years in a row back in the mid-70's, Chicago would play a concert on the evening of Thanksgiving Day at the Aerie Crown Theater. Since our family had the Thanksgiving meal in the afternoon, and then for the evening it was pretty much sit around and watch a football game, my brother and I would double-date and take our dates to the Chicago concert. What a heck of a band. Why, oh why is that band not in the Rock n Roll hall of fame? |
10-06-2011
( Reply#: 7085 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Let's see...now where we..?
HERE'S THE 2ND of our "Then & Now" pics of Indy Blvd.
It's the northwest corner of 169th and Indy, with a thriving Standard station and a new row
of store fronts to the north (including ARROW hardware). Don't remember what that log-cabin
style building on the left was.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd4.jpg[/IMG]
And here it is today.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff060.jpg[/IMG]
Pretty mundane. The lime green building in the distance on the left is the former Laundromat/Floyd Darnell's barber shop
from the '50's. The row of storefronts (on the right) is still there--mostly nail shops, pawn shops,
head shops, chop shops....whatever.
LR |
10-07-2011
( Reply#: 7086 ) |
Little Stevie |
Ya know Larry, I didn't realise it till I looked at the "Now" pic but the multi - colored Suburban heading west kinda says it all about the old neighborhood!
Here's a picture from Sept. of '58
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg481.jpg[/IMG]
Little Stevie & Nancy with their cars
I think this was taken by the Rapchak home. The apartments in back were finished. There was a garage down the alleyway behind Nancy, hidden behind the Ford(?).
Ya think them suspenders were doin' their job or what! A little higher and I wouldn't have needed a shirt![:(]
There is a very interesting story about that garage that Larry will tell soon. Thing is, some people don't learn from their mistakes! More on that too!
LS |
10-07-2011
( Reply#: 7087 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's a picture of a flashlight I had in '65/'66.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/FlashybyAshFlash.jpg[/IMG]
It was a "Flashy" by Ash Flash. Made in Hong Kong.
I recently purchased this on E-Bay.
Another Magoun Ave. memory soon to come regarding this flashlight.
LS |
10-07-2011
( Reply#: 7088 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Hey, STEVE--
Looks like you and Nancy had a minor fender-bender in them two cars of yours; she looks pretty tough in this pic, like she's ready to kick some a____; hope she didn't rough you up. Of course, she's wearing those goofy Mickey Mouse ears on her head, so I doubt if she was lookin' for a fight. Incidentally, when I spoke with Nancy recently about this pic, she told me that she never owned a set of M.M. ears, but always wanted one; so they must have been YOURS...the same pair you were wearing in a previous pic. Maybe you let her wear them as a peace offering after you crashed your cars.
That's the Taylor's car parked on the street behind you guys, so that's their sidewalk leading out to it. It's a Ford, right? I vaguely recall my dad's attitude of disdain towards it (he was strictly a Chevy guy). I think it was a sickly yellow color.
Oh, yeah...the apartment/garage story....but before we get to it, you might have some 'splainin' to do re: my sister Nancy; didn't you guys have some sort of.. ummm...youthful encounter back around the time this pic was taken?? [;)]
Larry |
10-07-2011
( Reply#: 7089 ) |
Little Stevie |
OOOOOhhhhhh Boy!
First off, I think Nancy cut me off from going home in the car pic. Taken two years after the picture of me in those MM ears, I believe Nancy was wearing them as a sign of us being friends.
Guess I didn't have a pin for her to wear.
Probably too young for that sharp of an object anyway.
I have very vague memories of this next incident but Nancy confirmed it in a phone call we had back in July or August.
A few years later, when we were five of six, Nancy had come over to play, abuse me or who knows what. She was always intrigued that my bedroom closet had a light in it.
You had to go into the closet, then climb up a shelf in there to reach a string attached to the socket.
You had to climb if you were under five feet tall that is.
Anyway, I knew she would come in the closet to watch me turn the light on & off. So I coaxed her in there, turned off the light?,(not sure) put my arms around her and planted a kiss right there on her lips![:X]
Mabye I told her I wouldn't turn the light on & off for her unless she let me kiss her, I can't remember.
Seems we kissed a few times, but it didn't seem that Nancy cared one way or the other, I think she just wanted to watch the light go on & off.
I'm pretty sure I threw open the closet door, began to kiss her again when one or both of my older sisters saw what was happening [:0] and really began to tease us about it.[:I]
Seems that ended any "romance" I had with Nancy.[:(]
I guess when I learned they were going to be moving soon, I wanted her to have at least one "good" memory of living on Magoun.[:)]
LS |
10-08-2011
( Reply#: 7090 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Oh, man.....
I am shocked----though I'm glad you 'fessed up here in public fer' da indiscretions of yer' yout. But what does it say when you lay four or five kisses on Nancy and she just keeps staring at a light bulb with a string on it?? Pretty sad.
I wonder if the shovel full of dirt in the face came before or after this scandalous incident.
You mention wearing a pin----you'll probably never remember this, but I distinctly recall one summer when you--LITTLE STEVIE KUSH-- were wearing an "I LIKE IKE" campaign button on your t-shirt (!?) Yep, it's true. I remember asking my mother who "Ike" was; Eisenhower's re-election was in fall of '56, when you were too young to be hanging out down at our house. So you must have still been wearing that button a few summers later. Any memory of it? Were your parents big Eisenhower supporters?
While we're all pondering Steve's "Ike" button, here's another old photo. It's me---STILL STUCK on that dang' merry-go-round in front of Jewel Foods in December of '54 (probably frozen to the fake horse).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Jewel540001.jpg[/IMG]
WHAT'S INTERESTING is the background---the very same intersection of Indy Blvd and 169th that is featured in the "Then & Now" photos above, complete with the Standard station. Kelly's Drive-In is in there somewhere but...as luck would have it...the SERENADE Drive-in is totally blocked by me.
LR |
10-08-2011
( Reply#: 7091 ) |
BobK |
Anyone here remember the walk-in restaurant that was up at the corner of 169th & Indy before they built Kelly's Drive-in?
Bob
|
10-08-2011
( Reply#: 7092 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
NO DISCUSSION OF THE WOODMAR AREA would be complete without some info on the WOODMAR SHOPPING CENTER. Here's a photo from a yearbook ad that Ken O'Neal posted a few years back.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/WoodmarMall57-1.jpg[/IMG]
It's from the center's hey-day, when you still had to rough it outside in the weather before the place was enclosed. WALGREEN's drug store is on the extreme left, and if you look carefully behind the 3rd Pillar from the left, you can see the neon "S" that spells out STORK TOWN, the little toy shop that was one of those magical places included in my Toy Store video on You-Tube---filmed just prior to Woodmar being demolished. I think this is the same space that became Watland's Camera Mart in the '70's.
Here's the link to that "chapter" of the Toy Store video; the Woodmar/Stork Town material starts at about 2:00.
http://youtu.be/yHSbhfPwhpk
LR |
10-08-2011
( Reply#: 7093 ) |
Little Stevie |
[quote]Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Oh, man.....
I am shocked----though I'm glad you 'fessed up here in public fer' da indiscretions of yer' yout. But what does it say when you lay four or five kisses on Nancy and she just keeps staring at a light bulb with a string on it?? Pretty sad.
I wonder if the shovel full of dirt in the face came before or after this scandalous incident.
You mention wearing a pin----you'll probably never remember this, but I distinctly recall one summer when you--LITTLE STEVIE KUSH-- were wearing an "I LIKE IKE" campaign button on your t-shirt (!?) Yep, it's true. I remember asking my mother who "Ike" was; Eisenhower's re-election was in fall of '56, when you were too young to be hanging out down at our house. So you must have still been wearing that button a few summers later. Any memory of it? Were your parents big Eisenhower supporter?[quote]
Well, I'm not really sure why the kissing went on in the closet. And why I didn't seem to have an effect on Nancy? Well. . . either I was just a poor kisser at that age (Me thinks my Mom & aunts would've disagreed though) or I wasn't Nancy's sexual preference. (course they say that's a selection you're born with) Or I turned her off to "men" at an early age.
My guess is that Little Stevie was just a poor kisser back then.
As far as the "Ike" button, I think it's in a box in our closet ( unfortunately I'm a little too big to get in there with my wife for a kissin' session) I'll have to look for it.
LS |
10-08-2011
( Reply#: 7094 ) |
Little Stevie |
A walk-up restaurant on the corner of 169th & Indy Blvd before Kelly's? Wow! That's before Little Stevie's time!
I do remember Kelly's and went into the Serenade many times with Rod Hlad for a cold glass of water, which we would or wouldn't get depending on the waitress.[:)]
Do any of you remember the "50 Mile Hike" that they held at the Woodmar Shopping Center? Around 1960-62? It was tied in with President Kennedy's Fitness program back then.
I remember walking down there with my Dad to see the beginning of it.
I think it was a Friday night, after business hours. The walkers then completed whatever the required number of laps around the center was.
They finished up Saturday morning. Can anyone out there refresh my memory?
Did any of you participate in the event?
LS |
10-08-2011
( Reply#: 7095 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
and if you look carefully behind the 3rd Pillar from the left, you can see the neon "S" that spells out STORK TOWN, the little toy shop that was one of those magical places included in my Toy Store video on You-Tube---filmed just prior to Woodmar being demolished. I think this is the same space that became Watland's Camera Mart in the '70's.
LR
Larry, Are you saying Watland's moved to the Stork Town location in the '70s? Watland's was in Woodmar Shopping Center in the fourth store north of Walgreen's from the beginning or almost from the beginning. It's the store behind the fourth pillar in this picture. I bought photo supplies for the Photo Club there as early as 1958.
According to my 3" magnifying glass, my trifocals, and the copy of this photo printed in the 1957 Top Hat, the stores north of Walgreen's are: 1 -- cannot read sign, 2 -- Hansel and Gretel, 3 -- Stork Town, 4 -- Watland's, 5 -- Fabric Fair. Farther back I can see Lerner Shops and Kinney Shoes, but that's all.
Bye for now..
Ken |
10-08-2011
( Reply#: 7098 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
KEN--
No kidding; for as often as I walked through Woodmar and stopped into Stork Town, I never realized there was a camera shop next to it. I thought Watland's came in much later. During the 70's, there was a HALLMARK store to the south of Watland's, which must have been in the former Stork Town space.
Larry |
10-09-2011
( Reply#: 7100 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
KEN--
No kidding; for as often as I walked through Woodmar and stopped into Stork Town, I never realized there was a camera shop next to it. I thought Watland's came in much later. During the 70's, there was a HALLMARK store to the south of Watland's, which must have been in the former Stork Town space.
Larry
Was is Watland's or Comay's Jewelers that had the listening stations for records?
I remember going in there and seeing/using them for the latest 45's.
Preview the record before you bought it.
Watland's was a part of the center for as long back as I can remember.
LS |
10-09-2011
( Reply#: 7101 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Do any of you remember the "50 Mile Hike" that they held at the Woodmar Shopping Center? Around 1960-62?
STEVE--- Are you saying that the entrants in this event walked ALL NIGHT around the center 'til Saturday morning? That's strange. Kennedy took office in January of '61, so this event probably took place in '62, after we had moved to Hessville.
I DO remember a 1955 Halloween costume contest/march at Woodmar, probably a Saturday morning, with all us kids lined up outside along the south end of the mall. I wore my dorky, deformed-looking rubber Donald Duck mask, and Mike was a freaky-looking rubber Pinocchio; I'll see if I have an old pic of them---it would be worth a laugh.
Also remember several slug-fests with Santa and the Easter Bunny in Carson's during Woodmar's earliest years.
Larry |
10-09-2011
( Reply#: 7102 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
FOR ALL YOUS' GUYS who appreciate classic old cars of the '50's, here's a cool pic of my dad, Mike and I and our 1950 Chevy.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HoffmanStreet0001-1.jpg[/IMG]
Pic was taken in front of our house on Hoffman St. in North Hammond (prior to our Magoun days); the car belonged to my uncle who was going into the service and didn't need it---so it sold it to my dad.
My only memory of the car was the night we were driving home and the speedometer suddenly went berserk, squealing and spinning around like mad...and we weren't even doing the limit.
LR |
10-09-2011
( Reply#: 7103 ) |
Tom J |
That is definitely one cool car, Lar!
Tomster |
10-10-2011
( Reply#: 7104 ) |
Little Stevie |
Yes Larry, I'm sure they "hiked" all night.
If memory serves me correctly, some guy ran the entire 50 miles, a long distance runner, obviously.
Pretty sure it went all night!
LS |
10-10-2011
( Reply#: 7105 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Was is Watland's or Comay's Jewelers that had the listening stations for records?
I remember going in there and seeing/using them for the latest 45's.
Preview the record before you bought it.
Watland's was a part of the center for as long back as I can remember.
LS
Definitely Comay's Jewelers that sold 45s and had the listening booths. They also had those red "I am Loved" buttons they would give away. Much later, there was Woodmar Records that sold lots of bootlegs...I really added to my Beatle Bootleg collection whenever I'd come to da Region to visit my folks. |
10-10-2011
( Reply#: 7106 ) |
duane |
Larry - we also had a 1950 Chevy and it had a visor. It was a pretty sickly colored green if memory serves. |
10-12-2011
( Reply#: 7114 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's A SHORT YOU-TUBE HOME MOVIE...
posted in honor of what would have been my brother Mike's 62nd Birthday (October 12).
AUTUMN of 1960.
Note: It begins with an intentional "freeze frame" so you can see the big old butt of the
OLPH school bus as it drops off Mike and me at Magoun and 169th on Wednesday,
October 12, 1960.
The Link:
http://youtu.be/ACUv41SFS4E
MIKE told me years later how, when he saw our dad standing there with the 8mm camera,
he decided to whip out his new transistor radio as if were already listening to it; he thought it would look
"cool" on film. Our neighbors, the Sandors sisters, Claudia and Lynn, are seen briefly walking in the background.
HISTORICAL NOTE: This was the very same day (10/12/60) that that dufus Khruschev freaked out
and banged his shoe on the desk at the United Nations.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/images.jpg[/IMG]
0:18 - My sister Nancy lazily walking with our grandmother (my dad's mother) alongside her apartment in
Whiting (located in back of the former Diamond Tap, right off Indy Blvd on Roberts Ave).
Here is that very same sidewalk today:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff039.jpg[/IMG]
The apartment building (on the right) has been overrun by thugs and drugs for the past 20 years, and is slated for demolition.
0:33- Nancy arrives (in our brand new '60 Chevy wagon) at the Michiana Produce Mart at the north
end of the 9-Span bridge on Indy Blvd. Notice the cool old gas station in the background across the street;
it was one of those open buildings with the archway doors that you drove through.
Here's the same building today:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff044.jpg[/IMG]
The two guys you see with Nancy on the film were the owners of the Produce Mart and were named
Max and Maurice (or "Morris" as we called him); Morris was the funny one with the pumpkin on his head.
My dad was good friends with both of them and was always giving them free records.
A sunny, happy day.
Here is that same location today, which has been a swimming pool store for many years:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff046.jpg[/IMG]
Pretty sad when you see it in comparison with the bright, bustling, "old world"-style place that it used
to be.
1:00 - The film ends with an Sunday afternoon outing in Whiting Park. Watch our dog Bubbles go into "defense" mode, since she didn't recognize my dad with the camera held up to his face.
Hope you enjoy this.
LR |
10-12-2011
( Reply#: 7116 ) |
wvcogs |
Larry,
I have tons of 8mm reels from the 1950s through the 1970s and a variable speed 8mm projector. What's your secret about digitizing the old films?
Thanks.
Ken |
10-12-2011
( Reply#: 7118 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
KEN--
It's a pretty standard routine. I had the old 8mm films transferred to VIDEO (VHS) a number of years ago. I then transfer the video to DVD using my DVD burner (with a VHS slot); I also have a separate VHS deck which I sometimes use to patch into the burner. Then I load the DVD into my computer E-Drive and use a soft-ware editing program to upload to You-Tube. I'm pretty dense about these things, but I figured it out.
Would love to see some of your old stuff.
Larry |
10-12-2011
( Reply#: 7119 ) |
wvcogs |
Larry,
Thanks. My first chore will be to figure out how to get the 8mm transferred to some other medium.
Ken |
10-12-2011
( Reply#: 7120 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Ken--
You just have to hunt around in your area for some individual or service that transfers old home movies to video. Of course, these days, it would be a direct transfer from 8mm to DVD, eliminating the whole VHS step in the process that I went through.
Larry |
10-13-2011
( Reply#: 7121 ) |
Tom J |
Still enjoying this thread immensely. Like the video, Lar. Keep 'em coming, Steve and Lar.
Tom |
10-13-2011
( Reply#: 7126 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry! I love those hats/berets you and Mike wore![:D]
I'm guessing you'd do ANYTHING Mike asked of you in those days.[;)]
And the babushka Nancy wore on her head!
Much too young to be wearin' one of those![8D]
Isn't it something, that no matter whose old albums/films you look at from those days, all the grandparents could almost be interchangeable! They all had that old world look to them.
I'm still searchin' for more pictures for this forum.
Maybe I'll figger out a way to post some old movies to youtube from back then.
LS
Yer Favorite Pepsi Guy
Yep . . . I did read "this post" and isn't it bout time to post the "garage story"? |
10-14-2011
( Reply#: 7129 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
RE: The Autumn, 1960 You-Tube video I posted a few days ago--
Below you'll see the two guys who owned the old Michiana Produce mart that was at the foot of the 9-Span Bridge on Indy Blvd (north end) that is now a swimming pool shop.
I LOVE those old, open-air produce produce stands; they provided a real connection to the former open, farm-based culture that was a big part of da' Region's southern boundary; Highland, Schererville, St John, Cedar Lake. My favorite was Janssen's across from Wicker Park on Ridge Road....totally plowed under about 20 years ago, without a trace. I know that the town fathers in upscale Munster considered it an eyesore.
ANYWAY---THESE TWO PHOTOS WERE TAKEN less than TWO WEEKS after the 8mm film scene on the Autumn video; if you haven't done so, check it out, and you'll see these two gentlemen in full color.
Here's the link to the video:
http://youtu.be/ACUv41SFS4E
This was Max, definitely the gruff, no-nonsense businessman, with Mike and me:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/60Halloween0001.jpg[/IMG]
And this is Maurice or "Morris", the funny, friendlier guy, who poses with a pumpkin on his head with Nancy in the film.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MaxMorris0001.jpg[/IMG]
These pics taken on Friday night, October 28, 1960.
Later that night, Mike and I watched the Twilight Zone, the network premiere of this really dumb episode
called "A Thing About Machines" with actor Richard Haydn as a guy who hates all things mechanical.
STEVE--oh, yeah...the garage story. We've given it such a long, drawn-out buildup that it's bound to fall flat. Soon, though.
Larry |
10-14-2011
( Reply#: 7130 ) |
tom w |
As long as you mentioned Jansen's and Ridge Rd, Does anyone know about the mansion that was built by the guy that owned Calumet National Bank? Is it still there? Last I remember, I was in behind it breaking ground for a subdivision thru a beautiful soybean field. Even though I was an apprentice then, I remember feeling guilt for destroying that beautiful field although we relocated several underground wasp nests too. Tom
|
10-14-2011
( Reply#: 7141 ) |
BobK |
http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/meyers.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meyer's_Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E._Meyer
http://www.meyerscastle.com/
Bob
|
10-14-2011
( Reply#: 7144 ) |
tom w |
Thanks Bob Tom |
10-14-2011
( Reply#: 7145 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
REMEMBER that brand-new, shiny 1960 copper-colored
CHEVY wagon in the 1960 Autumn home movie (in my previous post?)
HERE'S the ORIGINAL INVOICE:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/60ChevyInvoice0001.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7146 ) |
Little Stevie |
Tom, were you talking about the above mentioned Meyers castle in Dyer? Or one in Munster? Colonel Riley's home was a castle of sorts, in Munster. I believe he owned the First National Bank in East Chicago. Interesting side fact to Meyer's Castle. It is built on the last remaining dune of the old Glenwood Shoreline of Lake Michigan which was formed 14,000 to 15,000 years ago. There were dunes as high and higher running east & west in a horseshoe shape around the lake until the late 1800's & early 1900's when settlers and farmers removed the dunes for sale and fill of the lowlands around them. A very interesting book on the subject:
Calumet Beginnings by Kenneth Schoon. It can be found at the visitor's center off of I94 and Cline? or Kennedy. Check it out sometime.
LS |
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7147 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
REMEMBER that brand-new, shiny 1960 copper-colored
CHEVY wagon in the 1960 Autumn home movie (in my previous post?)
LR
Do you think anyone ever bought a car without the "option" oil filter?--My first new car was a 1965 VW bug and it cost $1974. SC
|
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7148 ) |
seejay2 |
Thank you, SC!! I saw that too and wondered where I missed something over the last 60 years. Look at all the money I could have saved by not ever having to monkey with an oil filter.
I just bought a new Sienna minivan last week. It was over 30K, but it comes with an oil filter...Cj |
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7149 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
Thank you, SC!! I saw that too and wondered where I missed something over the last 60 years. Look at all the money I could have saved by not ever having to monkey with an oil filter.
I just bought a new Sienna minivan last week. It was over 30K, but it comes with an oil filter...Cj
Those cars like you just bought are pretty rare, Chris. You hardly ever sienna on the road. :) |
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7150 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
In my early driving years, I had a couple of VW Beetles without the "OPTIONAL" heater.
Then in 1972 as I was going back to college, my dad bought me a '67 Buick Special V-6 (stick) that would still be
goin' strong today if some jerk hadn't been speeding on an icy street and slammed into me (in'79).[:(!]
My dad had paid $500 for the Buick, the best car deal I've ever heard of.
LR
PS. I think the oil filter on the '60 Chevy invoice would be considered an "accessory". |
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7151 ) |
S C Jones |
LR
PS. I think the oil filter on the '60 Chevy invoice would be considered an "accessory".
[/quote]
Larry, I suppose the oil filter does fit the definition--especially the useful part.
Accessory: 1 a thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive
I am wondering (and thinking that it is so) if there was a time that cars did not
have an oil filter???? |
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7152 ) |
seejay2 |
Well, I had a '49 Ford with a flathead 6 engine and it had an oil filter. I gave $50 (in a cloth bag full of change) for that car.
I don't think you can call an oil filter (or kidneys) an accessory.
Your machine will not function too well for too long if these accessories are turned down...Cj |
10-15-2011
( Reply#: 7153 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Come to think of it, that's a pretty expensive oil filter
in 1960 dollars--- $9.15! The car itself only cost $2,800.
LR |
10-16-2011
( Reply#: 7154 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's ANOTHER classic shot from the Purdue Archives;
it's the NE corner of Indy Blvd and 169th Street, Christmas time, probably 1958.
This was an everyday site for the those of us on Magoun in Woodmar:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd3.jpg[/IMG]
AND HERE IT IS, as seen on Sept. 24, 2011
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff058.jpg[/IMG]
Steve, his sisters, and I actually had a print-out of each of these old photos with us when we
took the new shots, so's we could line up the shot as closely as possible with the old one.
How's THAT for historical accuracy?
LR |
10-17-2011
( Reply#: 7161 ) |
Little Stevie |
I received my "Flashy" flashlight made by Ash Flash. It's the same as the one my grandmother gave me back in the mid sixties.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/FlashybyAshFlash.jpg[/IMG]
[b]The red dome would flash on & off. The beam below was quite bright.
Why do I bring this up?
Well there is an interesting story connected to this flashlight, an incident that took place on Magoun. Probably the 2nd most negative memory I have about living on Magoun.
One night after visiting my grandparents, my dad & I went to open the garage door to put the car away. No automatic openers back then, you know. Well, my dad notices that our front fence gate was open and tells me to go and close it. As I swung it shut, I noticed a couple of guys walking across the street. It was dark already and I had my "Flashy" with me and had it on. As I pointed it towards these two guys, with the red light flashing, they look at me the take off running up the alleyway across the street by the apartment buildings. I didn't think anything of it until I reached the back door with my dad who noticed that the window was broke and the door open.
As we entered the kitchen, we can see that every drawer and cabinet door was open.
"We've been robbed" my dad tells me and my mother. She worries that "they" might still be in the house. . . maybe the basement. . . or in one of the bedrooms!
Dad checks the upstairs: the living room, bathroom and bedrooms. All the drawers were open in all the dressers, the door open in the medicine cabinet. "I'll check the basement" Dad says. I follow him to the stairs with my 28in H&B baseball bat, shaking all the way!
No one is downstairs. When the police arrive, I remember the two guys I'd seen. The detective notes my story and starts to inspect the house. He can't believe the mess that was there. When he looks into my bedroom, he exclaims "Oh My God!" seeing the mess in there!
Well . . . my mom, who has been nervous until now, starts to SMiLE, trying to hold back her laughter.
You see, the burglars hadn't even entered my room. It was just a mess from the way I kept it. Every now and then, Mom would clean it up, put things in their place and pray I'd keep it that way, which I never did. Clothes, toys, things were always all over the floor, bed, in the closet where I kissed Nancy, just a mess everywhere!
After she told the detective that they weren't in my room, he said "It's a shame they didn't enter the house through this bedroom window. One look around and they would have left." he said. "Would've thought someone else beat them to it!"
That night, I slept with that bat.
LS
|
10-18-2011
( Reply#: 7164 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
So here I am bragging about "historical accuracy" in our THEN and NOW photos, and I can't even get the damned CORNER of the intersection right! Yer' right---it's the NORTHEAST corner of Indy and 169th. I've changed it in my post, so you may want to delete your correction to avoid even more confusion.
So lil' "FLASHY" came to the rescue, eh? Around what year would that have been? Sad to think that good old Magoun in Woodmar experienced break-ins back then; were the punks ever caught? Wonder what they'd think of 6920 today?
----------------------------------------------------------------
Oh yes...the apartments across the street from us on Magoun and the long-awaited story we've been dying to tell here on Sheptalk (certain to be anti-climatic). These were the apartments directly across from my house (check the pics and home-movies on this thread above), and right in back of KELLY'S Drive In; the tenants where mostly genteel retired folks.
So gather 'round, Sheptalk readers--pull up a chair, grab a hot cup of java, and prepare yourself for a real nail-biter![:0]
One night in August of 1960, Mike and I were lying awake in the dark, in the SE bedroom of our house, positioned in such a way that we could look out the window into the clear, starry night sky. This was that second weekend in August, when the big meteor showers are supposed to be at their peak. My parents were out on the town for the evening, so our grandmother from across the street was sittin' with us.
"HEY---did you see that shooting star?"! Yeah, that was cool".
And on it went into the night, as we tried to stay awake and NOT
blink for fear of missing one of them-there brilliant, streaking meteors.
Suddenly we hear this TERRIFIC CRASH...a BANG that made us practically JUMP up out of the sack! Our surprise soon turned to excitement--"Hey, what if that was a METEOR that CRASHED across the street!!? We were scared and thrilled at the thought of it, since it sounded as if it had barely missed our house---I mean, the crash was REALLY loud, so the thing HAD to have landed very close by! Maybe it was a SHIP of some sort, and we were about to witness the first real "close encounter" in recorded history! Man, our young imaginations were running WILD with excitement!! We dashed into the living room, where our grandmother told us to calm down and not let things get out of hand. "But Grandma, maybe we're being INVADED by space monsters!! THEY MIGHT BE RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR FRONT DOOR!!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Invaders.jpg[/IMG]
TO BE CONTINUED
|
10-18-2011
( Reply#: 7165 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Larry, don't worry bout a minor typing error! We all make 'em.
The break-in had to be in between '65--'67. I think we already had purchased our '66 Dodge Belvedere that was fire engine red. (more on that later too!) I'll get the date narrowed down tonight when I see Carolyn. Having dinner with her and a cousin of ours @ Freddy's on 165th & Kennedy. Your old, but not oldest, stomping grounds!
Anyway, no, I don't think they ever found the guys who did it. I don't remember if anything was actually stolen either. Maybe some cash that might have been laying around.
I've got to correct a part of the story though. The guys did go in my bedroom, in the famous closet, we kept our movies in a strongbox type case. They had brought it out into my room and opened it. Since there was nothing of value to them, just movie reels, they left it there.
That was all they did in Little Stevie's bedroom. I'm sure they had a tough time getting to the closet since the floor was covered with toys, clothes and who knows what else. That's why my mother thought the detective's comment was so funny.[:D] |
10-18-2011
( Reply#: 7166 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE---
Regarding my shooting-star saga;--I think you should finish it.
After the big build-up with meteors, crashed space-ships, aliens
on our doorstep, Grandma trying to save us from the invasion....
I'm too embarassed to go on. (Actually, you and your sisters know
as much or more about the facts than I do).
Larry |
10-19-2011
( Reply#: 7167 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE---
Regarding my shooting-star saga;--I think you should finish it.
After the big build-up with meteors, crashed space-ships, aliens
on our doorstep, Grandma trying to save us from the invasion....
I'm too embarrassed to go on. (Actually, you and your sisters know
as much or more about the facts than I do).
Larry
Ok . . . I'll give it my best shot.
Well, in August of 1960, Little Stevie was just 5 & 1/2 years old. (You know how important that half year was when we were younger!) I didn't know anything about meteors, aliens or space monsters then but I do remember the incident Larry's talking about. Yes, there was a loud crash! I'm sure the Rapchak boys thought a meteor or spaceship crashed across the street cause almost immediately, neighbors came running out of their homes. I believe this was late, 11 PM or so.
(After hearing the rest of this story, I'm guessing it might have been even later, but too much later and Little Stevie would have been asleep!)[|)]
Back to our story, everyone was heading for the alleyway next to the apartments across from the Rapchak home. I remember looking towards the garage with my parents at the destruction! Was it a spaceship?
I couldn't tell cause all I could see was the back end of the apartment complex owner's Cadillac (green & white, I believe) sticking out of the garage.[?]
Once we got close enough to view what had happened, we could see into the garage. I was amazed that now you could see through the front wall of the garage too.[:0]
What I didn't understand, at that age, was. . . why did. . . I think the owner's name was Stanley. . . why did his car have bricks all over the hood and roof? I remember Mom telling me that . . . well. . . Stanley must have been sick or something and he forgot to stop when he put the car in the garage.
There was Stan, being helped out of the car by my dad and other neighbors. To me, he looked kinda woozy,[:o)] but I guessed that's how you'd feel after hitting a brick wall with your car.
After all, I had been jolted forward a couple of times in my own Mark V pedal car when Nancy would hit me with hers.
(See picture below)
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg481.jpg[/IMG]
Or if I ran it into a tree. So I didn't think much about it. . . that Stan hit the wall of his own garage.
Later in life, I found out that Stan had self medicated himself that evening, probably at Old Glory Tavern on Indianapolis Blvd.[:o)]
I guess after he got out and opened the garage door, he climbed back in the Caddy and gunned it. Gunned it right through the front wall.[:0]
Then he put it in reverse and backed the car out leaving the hole. Guess he thought he could reverse the damage or travel back in time a couple of minutes to try to undo the event.
So . . . no meteor crashing in the 'hood. No spaceship with aliens invading.[:(] Just the old guy Stash. . . coming home from a night on the town.
Funny thing is . . a couple of years later. . . . he did it again.
Just another Magoun Ave. Memory!
LS |
10-19-2011
( Reply#: 7168 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Thanks for delivering the big wrap-up to the story. Now that
you mention it, I remember Mike and I looking out the bedroom window
over towards the apartment garage (which was directly in back of Kelly's Drive-In)
and seeing the smoke rising into the night sky! That's when we started in with all
of the space-ship/alien nonsense.
But that's pretty much par for the course---for Magoun Ave,
anyway. Our first extraterrestrial visitor turns out to be old Stash who got
hammered and crashed his shiny new caddy through his garage wall,
and probably ruined a good cigar in the process.[xx(] (He could have
walked the one block north to the Old Glory Tavern!)
I tell ya'...it's enough to make anyone skeptical about life on other planets.
By the way, I think both Mike and I had our own pedal cars in the
early years on Magoun; I might have a photo somewhere that I'll look for.
Larry |
10-19-2011
( Reply#: 7170 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
Speaking of meteors and spaceships, I do have memories of going out with the family and looking into the night sky for "Sputnik" the first artificial satellite launched by those "good fer nuthin' Commies". That was in 1960, I believe. Man! I wished I had known that Mike was into astronomy! It's been one of my hobbies for a long time! I remember while I was shoveling the alley in '67, after the big snow, I happened to look up towards the southwestern sky and saw a meteor streak across it from south to west. [:0] It was the first I'd seen! Years earlier, Charlie Sandor, whose two girls are in your video, called Rod Hlad and myself over to his back yard. Charlie was a surveyor for the Hammond water department. He had set up his transit (correct term?) for us to get a look at the moon in daylight. That was my first view through any type of telescope. . . and I was hooked.
LS |
10-20-2011
( Reply#: 7172 ) |
BobK |
Larry and Little Stevie, thanks so much, I'm really enjoying your stories.
Bob
|
10-20-2011
( Reply#: 7173 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
Larry and Little Stevie, thanks so much, I'm really enjoying your stories.
Bob
That's why we started this thread Bob!
I'm sure life was about the same anywhere in mid-America in the late 50's/early 60's. It sure seems like it was a most innocent time for all.
However, life on Magoun Ave. just seems extra special to all who spent some of, or most of, their childhood growing up there.
I know Larry will agree!
I was fortunate enough to spend the first 25 years of my life living there. The first 13 with the whole family. Then in Febuary of '68, my oldest sister got married and moved to Greenbriar Apts. in Hessville with her husband.
Then in May, May 2nd to be exact, after a 5 year battle, at the young age of 48, we lost my father to cancer. That was the most negative experenice growing up on Magoun for me.
LS |
10-20-2011
( Reply#: 7174 ) |
BobK |
Yes, we all had our neighborhoods. The first house I can remember was at 6234 Calumet Ave just south of the old Wallace School. I'm not exactly how old I was when my mother moved us in with her parents when my dad went off to war. I think I was 5 or 6 when we moved from there when my dad returned and my grandfather died to 444 Highland St just off of Harrison. Then at age 10 we moved to 3950 Torrence on the north side and I lived there until I went in to the Army at age 21. I married while in the Army in 65 8 months before discharge. She was a classmate at HHS and lived somewhat in the neighborhood. We rented a back house behind her parents house where we had our two children before moving to Highland in 70. After our kids moved out we moved to our current home in unincorporated Porter County in 90. Our son and his family live in St john and our daughter and her family live in Palos Hills, IL. I have two brothers. I was #1 and #2 was born 7 years later at the Highland St address and #3 was another 7 years later at the Torrence address. Because of all those years apart we weren't that close like our kids who are only 2 years apart.
Bob
|
10-21-2011
( Reply#: 7175 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Bob, I also reside in St. John. My wife and I have been here for 28 years. Our 2 sons have only known 1 home growing up. Our oldest, Mike lived in Indy for a few years but lives at home while working in Chicago.
LS |
10-21-2011
( Reply#: 7176 ) |
linbu |
Isn't it so much nicer living in one home your whole childhood? I wonder how many did? I lived at 7026 California from the day I was brought home from St. Margaret's until I left at 18. I often wished my parents would move. Maybe I would have more friends in another school, maybe be more popular, lol. I went to Morton from kindergarten all the way through. |
10-21-2011
( Reply#: 7177 ) |
tom w |
Hey Stevie; Me too!!! Is my ex next door neighbor Ralphie Keilman still around? His gas station was across the street from me and my ex and kids. Have you eaten at Freddies in Hessville for long? I need to fins someone that useta work there. I also went to Irving in Hammond with Bob and Tsofred who takes 2 1/2 years to answer a post!!! LOL Fred, Tom (W) |
10-21-2011
( Reply#: 7178 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE---
Since our shooting star/space-alien/cadillac-through-the-
garage-wall story brought back the toy pedal-car topic,here's a photo from late '54 of Mike
and me in our basement at 6912 Magoun with our own cars. I
barely remember these (we got them while we were still living on Hoffmann St. in North Hammond).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/54KidsinCars0001.jpg[/IMG]
We look deliriously happy here--maybe even crazed---probably
in anticipation of getting back outside in the spring to
terrorize the neighborhood.
Larry
|
10-21-2011
( Reply#: 7179 ) |
Tom J |
I had a pedal car that was a firetruck. I LOVED that thing!
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Scan0011_011_011.jpg[/IMG] |
10-21-2011
( Reply#: 7180 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by linbu
Isn't it so much nicer living in one home your whole childhood? I wonder how many did? I lived at 7026 California from the day I was brought home from St. Margaret's until I left at 18. I often wished my parents would move. Maybe I would have more friends in another school, maybe be more popular, lol. I went to Morton from kindergarten all the way through.
I guess it's hard to say. Since we haven't experienced living anywhere else, I can't comment on it.
I did move out of our house on Magoun in 1980, had an apartment in Munster, five minutes from work. I lived there for a little less than 3 years before my wife and I moved to our present home here in St. John. I've lived here longer than the time I lived on Magoun. Sure doesn't seem that way though. Seems like I lived there for an eternity compared to living here. Seems like only a few years here in St. John. Guess time really does fly as you age.
Larry,
Those are great looking cars! I noticed though, while looking at the expression on the horse between youse guys, I'm wondering if the horse overheard Mike talking about "Draw & Quartering" him!
Tom W,
Yeah, I believe Ralph is still around. I haven't seen him in a while though. I knew him when he worked for the town. If it's the guy I'm thinking of. Which gas station are you talking about?
We hadn't eaten at Freddy's for quite a while before Tuesday. We had a nice time reminiscing with my cousin Joann (pictured in the basement photo earlier in this thread). I hadn't been there in 15 - 20 years.
LS |
10-22-2011
( Reply#: 7183 ) |
Tom J |
Hey, Bob. This site doesn't have the feature that allows you to upload pictures directly from you computer. You will need to have them hosted somewhere like Photobucket where they allow "hot links."
If you need any help, let me know. I think I might have posted instructions somewhere in Sheptalk on how to do that. If I haven't, I need to make such a post.
Tom
P.S.
I just found the thread where I posted instructions on how to make pictures show up in our messages and I bumped it back to the top to make it easy to find. |
10-22-2011
( Reply#: 7188 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
Well, I'm trying to post a picture of my peddle car using the Insert Image button and the URL from Photobucket and it's not working for me. HELP!
Bob
Bob, I just "copy" the "url" from under the selected picture then come here and "paste" it where I want the picture to go.
LS |
10-25-2011
( Reply#: 7228 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Li'l Stevie and I have a special Halloween-related treat for later in the week; right now, here's another oldie:
HALLOWEEN NIGHT, 1956--
Mike and I on our front porch (just six weeks after my 1st-day-of-school shot posted on the Jefferson School thread),
modeling our new skeleton and black cat costumes; I can still smell that muslin/net mask that Mike wore.
A magical time.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/56Halloween0001.jpg[/IMG] |
10-27-2011
( Reply#: 7233 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S a photo from Halloween night, 1959.
Mike was "Satellite Joe", and I was SATAN himself![}:)] Nancy had inherited my Black Cat
duds, but the mask obviously didn't fit her too well. I remember Mike was miffed when we got this pic developed;
notice how he tilted the "helmet"/mask up on his head---he did this so that his eyes wouldn't show through the clear
opening, making him look more "alien". But his eyebrows and bangs were now visible, totally blowing the effect.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/59Halloween0001.jpg[/IMG]
FYI---Steve Kush and I have a VERY SPECIAL HALLOWEEN FEATURE to
share, which I plan on posting Thursday evening. I think everyone will enjoy it. [;)]
LR |
10-27-2011
( Reply#: 7236 ) |
S C Jones |
Larry and Stevie---The anticipation of what's to come is making the prospect
of Halloween 2011 VEwY SCAwRY! [8)] |
10-27-2011
( Reply#: 7237 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
SC--
It's actually a very genteel, sentimental sort of thing.
Larry |
10-27-2011
( Reply#: 7252 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
CHECK IT OUT:
On Halloween night, 1955, my brother Mike, Bev Kush, and
me (Little Stevie was really little at the time), were
trick-or-treating on the porch of Mrs. Joseph Klish (a few doors down from us on Magoun) when a
Hammond Times photographer walked up and snapped this picture, which appeared the very next day
in the paper (November 1, 1955):
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Halloween1.jpg[/IMG]
On September 24, 2011, Bev, me, and the delightful, spry, 93-year old Mrs. Klish
(whom none of us had seen in years) met in the exact same spot, almost 56 years later:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Klish2.jpg[/IMG]
Photographed by Lil' Steve himself.
LR |
10-28-2011
( Reply#: 7255 ) |
wvcogs |
Thanks Larry. |
10-28-2011
( Reply#: 7258 ) |
TestPattern |
quote:
Originally posted by tom w
As long as you mentioned Jansen's and Ridge Rd
While trolling around the web, I found this photo of Jansen's:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=469579419884&set=pu.328921084884&type=1&theater
on the Highland Historical Society Facebook page. |
10-28-2011
( Reply#: 7259 ) |
TestPattern |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
I don't know if Larry will remember this item - It's a surrey that you pedaled from the back seat while others could ride in the front.
What a memory to see that old pedal surrey.
Probably in the early 1960s the Hessville Department Store had some promotion and a drawing, maybe for a store anniversary celebration. The prizes were a surrey "with fringe on top" plus 4 hours of trampoline time at the trampoline center on the southeast corner of Kennedy and 167th Street. Parents submitted their kids names for the drawing. Well, my name was pulled and I won the drawing.
After a week or so of giving rides to neighborhood kids, interest in the surrey rides waned. A 10 year old boy pedaling around in a 4-seater surrey by himself did not garner much respect on my block. I had enough of the surrey, and my parents sold it to a family who lived over on Alabama north of OLPH. They had a daughter named Carol - the last name escapes me.
As I recall, the surrey I won was more elaborate than the previous photo shown by Little Stevie. I'm sure there were photos taken by my parents, unfortunately now lost over the many years.
However, I was able to enjoy the trampoline time. I think they had 20 or 30 minute sessions, and so I was there about eight or ten times, quite a unique gift not otherwise affordable.
I think the trampoline center was open only a few years. Probably, with high insurance costs and diminishing patronage, it closed, was vacant for quite a while, and then the land sold to a used car dealer.
|
10-29-2011
( Reply#: 7262 ) |
Little Stevie |
Nice to see those pictures from Halloween Larry! It'll be 56 years to the DAY! Seems there should be more to this story, don'tja think? Well. . . maybe if we concentrate,[|)] who knows what "fame" these pictures could generate![;)]
LS |
10-29-2011
( Reply#: 7263 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
You may be referring to the fact that the current version of the TIMES was very interested in this story, and should be running it tomorrow (SUNDAY, October 30th) as an entertainment feature. We'll see how it turns out.
Actually, I never knew Mrs Klish or her late husband; other than standing on their porch once a year on Halloween night, I don't
recall ever having spoken with them. You's guys in the Kush family, on the other hand, knew them fairly well, right? At least your parents did.
I think our fellow Sheptalk readers will be interested to know that both MY family (Rapchak) and YOURS (Kush) each held onto and preserved our own yellowed copies of the Times picture since 11/1/55 when we cut it out of that day's edition of the paper. Last month, Steve, his two sisters, and I all met in the 'hood (on Magoun Ave) to do some reminiscing, picture-taking, and pizza eating. We stopped across the street to talk with guy who now lives in the Hlad's old house, and HE told us that Mrs. Klish was still living in her original 1952 home, still alert and active. So the four of us decided to march up to her door and knock; what followed was one of the nicest 45 minutes I've spent in a long time, as she invited us in, then sat with us and chatted about her life and her own "Magoun Avenue Memories". She's still sharp as a tack!
When I asked her "do you remember that Halloween picture out on your porch in '55 that was printed in the Hammond Times?..." she quickly excused herself, walked into another room, and within 10 seconds returned with HER old, yellowed copy of the photo, which she has kept under the glass on her bedroom dresser fo the past 56 years!
After that, it was only fitting that we asked if she wouldn't mind re-creating the famous photo with us on her front porch. Of the "original cast", only big brother Mike was not around for the event..at least not in person.
Quite a day.
Larry |
10-29-2011
( Reply#: 7264 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, the Klish's were very nice people (Mrs. Klish still is!). The thing that we all remembered as kids was that they both were named "Joe" Joseph and Josephine. Of course, we never called her "Josephine". Always "Mrs. Klish" as we still do to this day! It was weird cause I remember calling The Bedas by their first names, Pete & Eve, but never any of the other neighbors!
I didn't call your mother "May" until I met her in the parking lot at her condo location a few years ago. (Which reminds me, I never explained the nickname "Little Stevie" on here as promised! That story sooon to come!)
They never had any children but always treated us well. We should have realised that her mailbox was still the original one from 1955! We coulda included it in the pictures!
Joe didn't mind if we went on his grass after an errant baseball or if Little Stevie was struggling with his big sister's bike and ran onto his yard. If that bike had a bar across it, I'd never been able to ride it! The handlebars were at ear level or higher when I would be pedaling!
They had a dog but I don't remember it. I thought I stated earlier that it always seemed to me that Joe was more of "pal" to Cy Beda than any of us other kids in the 'hood. Maybe cause Cy was the only boy in the 'hood with a dog.
Mrs. Klish was always good to us but we never really talked to them. Maybe, since they didn't have any kids, we just left them alone.
I think after Larry's family moved or when the Hlad's moved, Mrs. Klish was invited to join the "Magoun Ave. Bunco Squad". . .errr Club, Bunco club, that the women had formed some time in the late fifties. That was a once a month get together for the ladies of Magoun to gather and play "Bunco". It was also a night, as you stated, for the menfolk to get out of the house, if possible!
Of all the nights I would have to stay/play in the basement while the "games" were going on upstairs, I'll never forget the loud hearty laugh of Mrs. Sandor! Lorriane definitely enjoyed life! She was always in a good mood! I met Lynn Sandor a few times lately on her return to the 'hood to visit her dad, who is in a nursing home, and her sister, Claudia, who still lives in the house on Magoun.
LS
|
10-29-2011
( Reply#: 7265 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Yeah, that reminds me---when you took the picture last month with us
on the porch with Mrs. Klish, why the heck didn't ya tell me to duck down
a bit so's we could all see the MAILBOX in back of me? [:(!]She still has the original mailbox
that is visible in the old '55 Times photo.
So I'll bail you out; here's the mailbox, photographed last week
when I went back to chat with Mr. Klish, along with the '55 pic for comparison.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Halloween1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0071-1.jpg[/IMG]
While we're at it, why don't you relate the story here of Mrs. Klish's WWII experience that she told us about?
Larry |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7266 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, I'd love to however. . .[:p]this is the link to go to:
http://www.nwitimes.com/
Scroll down the page to the "Entertainment" section. It has a purple stripe across it. There you can click on a very secial story about a fifty year Halloween Reunion on Magoun Ave.![:D]
A very nice article! |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7267 ) |
BobK |
Very nice.
Bob
|
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7268 ) |
S C Jones |
Thank you for that picture and story--and kudos for getting the press.
I'm wondering if maybe for next Halloween, Beverly's kids or grandkids
(sorry, if she isn't a grandmother yet) might have their pictures taken in the very same spot with Mrs. Klish at the door.
I mean progress is our most important product, right---Now that that phrase came out, whose slogan was it?
You guys on Sheptalk are a class act!
|
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7269 ) |
BobK |
GE
Bob
|
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7274 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Yeah, the article turned out well, and I hope Mrs Klish is thrilled with it. She doesn't get the Times any longer (it's that tiny print, she told us), but I stopped by a week ago Friday to let her know her story would appear in today's edition. I'm sure her phone is ringin'
off the hook!
Sitting and talking with her---in the very same house she's lived in for decades---and a few doors away from where we all spent our golden
childhood years, was an exciting and moving event. One of the highlights was her telling us about her Word War II experience, as an assembly-line worker in a military TANK factory in Hegewisch. She told us that the facility had a big yard/testing area out in back that they would hose down to create layers of MUD. The newly-built tanks would then be run through the mud to test the treads for mobility...AFTER which Mr. Klish and her fellow workers would hose down the treads to remove the mud. She also related how they would paint the interior compartment of each tank: a (male) worker would spray paint the entire interior WHITE, after which the ladies would paint all of the controls, lettering, etc RED by hand.
The work was pretty grueling-- 7 days a week, pretty much non-stop. I guess her husband was not in the service, but worked at Inland. They rarely saw each other, even at home, during this period (Steve..correct me if I've mis-remembered any of this).
But Mrs Klish is one of those great gals who kept the country running in high gear all those years ago...and I'm very glad and honored to have had a chance to meet-up with her again 56 years after that photo was snapped on her porch back in '55.
Larry |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7275 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM J--
Can't imagine how I managed to MISS the pic you posted on 10/21
(with you and your pedal fire-truck); very cool. The birthday cake on the table (w/ 2 candles) tells all.
Do you have more where this one came from?
Larry |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7282 ) |
Little Stevie |
Glad Y'all liked the article! If'n it wasn't for Larry, none of this would have happened!
Here's how strange fate can be:
Last year, a week or so before Christmas, my neighbor, Eunice Michalski, sent me an e-mail with a link to a Christmas video called "I'm gettin' nuthin' for Christmas".
Well, as I read about it, I noticed it was created by one Lawrence Rapchak. I'm thinking, "How does Eunice know Larry?"
Turned out she didn't. She was just forwarding the e-mail to her contacts. I watched the video, then commented on it, telling Larry that it was special.
I also told him who I was, figuring he'd remember me even though we hadn't seen each other in years when my wife and two sons and I took my mother to the H.O.P. one Saturday night, 20 years or so ago.
Anyway, who's there having pizza? Why Mike and Larry Rapchak! Neighbors we hadn't seen since when? The early 60's?
Larry contacted me to thank me for the comments on the video and said we should get together. To make a long story short, the article is the culmination of that first e-mail from my neighbor, who, by the way,
brought over the article for me this morning from her paper! She had never seen Larry's picture before this morning and she has only met my sister once, I believe.
Here's a picture of Beverly in her costume at the church Halloween party that same year. Only this time, she's facing the camera.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/BevCampellKid.jpg[/IMG]
In this next picture, she's standing with our cousin, Paul Surowiec, who passed away in 1997.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Campellkids.jpg[/IMG]
Me thinks Larry & I are going to go on a date with Mrs. Klish. We hear she loves pizza!
LS
|
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7283 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
TOM J--
Can't imagine how I managed to MISS the pic you posted on 10/21
(with you and your pedal fire-truck); very cool. The birthday cake on the table (w/ 2 candles) tells all.
Do you have more where this one came from?
Larry
Lar, I only added the picture yesterday evening.
I might be able to dig around and find some other old pictures. I might even start a thread about my childhood on Woodward Avenue. It seems that we all enjoy seeing the childhood pictures of our fellow Region Rats.
Tom |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7284 ) |
Tom J |
LS:
That is so cool how you and Larry got hooked up again! I'm sure glad you did!
Tomster |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7285 ) |
wvcogs |
Someone should get Mrs. Klish a copy of the article. It just may end up under the glass on her dresser. |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7286 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Ken--
I called Mrs Klish today; she has a copy of the article and told me that a friend called her and said "now you've got your 15 minutes of fame!" She seemed genuinely pleased and, again, was as sharp and quick with her responses as any of us. I asked if she likes pizza (which she does), so I told her that Steve and I would take her on a date to House of Pizza (practically across the street from her house) soon.
She commented that the photos in the article today were a bit washed out (which they are), so I told her that Steve and I would get her a nice color copy of the new one in a frame; I then said--- "oops, it's supposed to be a surprise" to which she immediately responded "then I'll make sure and act surprised!"
Larry |
10-30-2011
( Reply#: 7287 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK...MAKE SURE YOU'RE SITTING DOWN FOR THIS ONE....
Since Steve has posted a pic of his sister Bev's "Campbell Kid" costume that she was
wearing on Halloween '55 (when the photo on Mrs. Klish's porch was taken), I've decided
to post a FULL-FRONTAL shot of the grotesque rubber masks that Mike and I were wearing
in the same photo! It's a wonder that Mrs. Klish didn't shriek in horror and/or call the cops when she saw us standing there!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/54Halloween0001.jpg[/IMG]
That's me on the left as the hideously deformed "DONALD DUCK!", and
Mike on the right as the only-slightly-less mis-shapen "PINOCCHIO!"
Fortunately, the next year ('56) we graduated to full costumes that
we ordered from a catalogue (see photo posted on p. 4), that
included plastic and muslin masks.
Now I'm sure you'll all have a HORRID HALLOWEEN!![}:)][:0]
LR
PS-- Come to think of it, that Campbell Kid get-up looks kinda'
creepy too, with the mask on. |
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7288 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AS LONG AS I'M ON A ROLL......
From the same Halloween (1955), here's Mike's FULL PINOCCHIO
get-up that our mother had assembled; I think this pic was taken as
he was about to leave for his 1st-grade Halloween party at Jefferson
School. I'm apparently in the pic as a bored onlooker...though I do seem
to recall that the whole thing felt a little creepy to me.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Halloween20001.jpg[/IMG]
Dig the cool FIESTA-WARE in the background.
LR |
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7289 ) |
seejay2 |
I'm not so sure that the items in back are Fiestaware. We have been collecting this (the old)stuff for years and it doesn't look like it. I'll have to consult my collectable expert after she wakes up...Cj |
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7290 ) |
S C Jones |
Thanks Bob quote:
Originally posted by BobK
GE
Bob
|
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7291 ) |
S C Jones |
CJ, I think you are correct. The dinnerware doesn't look not heavy (thick) enough to be the Fiestaware brand. quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
I'm not so sure that the items in back are Fiestaware. We have been collecting this (the old)stuff for years and it doesn't look like it. I'll have to consult my collectable expert after she wakes up...Cj
|
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7292 ) |
seejay2 |
It might be Redwing or something. In fact, it might even be worth something, but it's not Homer Laughlin...Cj |
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7293 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Mommy always told us kiddies it was Fiestaware; the plates were quite thick, and in lots of funky 50's colors (the cream pitcher that you see was chartreuse---so I learned that word at a very early age). We never used the stuff that I can recall; I think it only came out for my mom's big BUNCO nights (!)
Who know? Maybe it was some kind of knock-off.
LR |
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7294 ) |
BobK |
Here ya go, better Buy It Now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUGE-143pc-Vtg-ORIGINAL-50s-FIESTA-WARE-Genuine-RARE-/390183850899
Bob
|
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7295 ) |
S C Jones |
Wull, it looks like I might stand corrected. I think I must have been comparing it with a later design. [:I]
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
Here ya go, better Buy It Now.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUGE-143pc-Vtg-ORIGINAL-50s-FIESTA-WARE-Genuine-RARE-/390183850899
Bob
|
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7296 ) |
seejay2 |
Some Fiesta stuff was a bit oblong, but not square (except maybe the new stuff) like in your photo.
This is one of my Fiesta pride and joys--the Relish Tray. I think the cobalt pieces give Fiesta it's worth.
[IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/DSC_0046.jpg[/IMG]
This might go for around $300 or so, depending on who you are dealing with. No chips, no cracks...Cj |
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7297 ) |
Bill Bucko |
What I'd really like to see youse guys come up with, is an original piece from The Great Orpheum Gravy Boat Riot!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
10-31-2011
( Reply#: 7298 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
What I'd really like to see youse guys come up with, is an original piece from The Great Orpheum Gravy Boat Riot!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
Don't know about that but I'll be posting a picture of an item you might all remember!
HO! HO! HO![^]
LS
SCROLL DOWN
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V
V
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And here it is!
V
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[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/JeanShepardTrivia.jpg[/IMG]
Ever seen this item before? Hmmmm?
|
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7299 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
While youse' guys are debating the fine points of crockery and soup bowls, here's something very special: it's the Hammond Times full-page spread from TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1st, 1955---yes, FIFTY-SIX YEARS AGO TO THE DAY---the same montage that included the pic of Mrs. Klish and us guys on her front porch.
Check 'em out---the captions are minsicule and faded, but you might see someone you used to know!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55HalloweenTimes0001.jpg[/IMG]
The upper right pic (above) shows the 3 prize winners in the Woodmar Mall Halloween costume parade, which I remember being part of with Mike and his full Pinocchio get-up and me in my deformed Donald Duck mask. Can't imagine why I didn't win a prize.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55HalloweenTimes30001.jpg[/IMG]
The 3 hoods in the lower right pic (above) were participating in a window-painting competition of some sort at Woodmar Mall.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55HalloweenTimes20001.jpg[/IMG]
And here's the very bottom of the full page, with our now-famous pic in the lower right-hand corner.
THE ENTIRE SPREAD WAS TITLED: HOW REGION KIDS CELEBRATED HALLOWEEN". What you see above is my scan of a XEROX copy made from the microfilms of the Times which are stored at the Hammond Public Library-- so it's several generations removed from the original print, which wasn't very good to begin with. Interesting to find out that the Times facility does NOT maintain microfilm copies of their paper---only the Library has them.
LR |
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7300 ) |
seejay2 |
Whatzit??quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Bucko
What I'd really like to see youse guys come up with, is an original piece from The Great Orpheum Gravy Boat Riot!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63
Don't know about that but I'll be posting a picture of an item you might all remember!
HO! HO! HO![^]
LS
SCROLL DOWN
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
And here it is!
V
V
V
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V
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/JeanShepardTrivia.jpg[/IMG]
Ever seen this item before? Hmmmm?
|
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7302 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
Whatzit??quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Larry could tell you I don't like to just give the answers to trivia questions, sooo. . .
Hint #1:
It is related to this website.
Hint #2:
It is a home bar accessory
Hint #3:
Ralph Kramden would of loved to have one in his apartment, since it represents one of his favorite pastimes.
Hint #4:
True JS fans should recognise it!
I'll try to get a better picture later today. In the meantime
Here it is again!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/JeanShepardTrivia.jpg[/IMG]
LS
|
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7303 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
After looking at the full page spread, (which is very cool!) I'm disappointed that it seems you three are the only ones whose names were not given!
LS |
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7304 ) |
tom w |
In keeping with my current reputation of always being wrong, I would like to venture a guess. It looks like an old ice bucket to me. And since I'm almost assuredly wrong, How about a bowling trophy?
At least this time I made it clear that they were gusses. LOL tom w |
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7305 ) |
BobK |
I'm thinking it may hold cordial or shot glasses.
Back to the Halloween pictures; today it seems surprising that the paper would include addresses.
Bob
|
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7309 ) |
Little Stevie |
Bob you're right on track. So are you Tom.
It's a chrome, bowling ball shaped shot dispenser.
lift the top half by grabbing the man on the top and there are shot glasses with a pump in the middle to pour your favorite shot of alcohol!
The connection to this website?
If you watch "A Christmas Story", you'll see this same dispenser in the movie. It sits on top of the radio Ralphie listens to for his coded message![:D] |
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7310 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
BOB---
You're right about the addresses; they took up enough space just listing everyone's name---everyone, that is,
EXCEPT THE RAPCHAKS and BEV KUSH! [:(!] Steve-- thanks for pointing this out ot me. Who do I call at the
Times to complain? Do you think they'll print a "we regret the omission" (56 years later) if I give 'em hell about it?
Larry |
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7311 ) |
Little Stevie |
YER DARN TOOTIN" you should complain!!! But wait . . . they did print your and Bev's name in the Sunday article. So. . . I guess the old saying still holds true:
"Better late than never!"
LS |
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7319 ) |
duane |
Ratts...I wanted to give the answer before you told!
I knew EXACTLY what it was, because my dad had the very same one as "the old man" in the Christmas Story!!
In fact, this past summer, our family went to Cleveland and visited the Christmas Story House and they had one sitting atop the floor model Philco radio in Ralphie's living room. |
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7320 ) |
BobK |
Here it is.
[IMG]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab70/BobK1942/Misc/xmasstory.jpg[/IMG]
Bob
|
11-01-2011
( Reply#: 7321 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
Here it is.
Bob
Yep! here it is! Thanx Bob!
Mine is a little pitted plus , God knows when it happened but . . . the bowler's arm with the ball. . . broke clean off at da elbow!
As Jerry Reed sang 'bout Amos. . . Amos Moses!
Never go alligator huntin' in da bayou!
LS |
11-03-2011
( Reply#: 7344 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Speaking of Magoun Ave.....
Here's one of my all-time favorite family pics, taken on OCTOBER 12,
1961....my brother Mike's 12th birthday.
Mike was going nuts hoping to get his first TELESCOPE on this day. But instead,
my parents got him the "spin-off" of the popular model
kit The Visible Man called THE VISIBLE HEAD--- a lifesize, plastic
take-apart human head, with all the trimmings. Mike was really
bummed out.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/VisHead.jpg[/IMG]
That evening, our Uncle Bob (my mother's younger brother) stopped over for
cake and coffee. He was a very funny guy; here he's holding
the SKULL from the Visible Head, posing for the camera. I clearly
remember him (referring to the then-popular ladies' Home Permanent)
saying "WHICH ONE HAS THE TONI?" as my dad snapped this pic: [:D]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/61MikesBirthday0001.jpg[/IMG]
Mike is at the extreme left, looking unhappy. [V] I'm next, with my mother and Philip checking out
the cake; Nancy practices her batting swing with a lightweight, yellow plastic bat.
Mike ultimately got his telescope that Christmas; he loved astronomy.
Uncle Bob was the same guy who sold my dad the shiny black '50 Chevy seen in the
photo elsewhere on this thread. My Uncle Bob seemed to lose a lot of his zany-ness after my
Grandma Ortman (his mother) died in June of '63. He later became rather withdrawn and very religious.
He and my Aunt Jean now live in Rensselear; the last time I saw them was at Mike's wake in January of 2010.
But 50 years ago, things were swingin'..just like Nancy's bat.
LR |
11-04-2011
( Reply#: 7363 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S THE FOURTH (and final) in our series of Indy Blvd "THEN & NOW" photos.
First, the Purdue archive shot of Indy looking NORTH, taken from
down by the old VanTil's Supermarket building on the NE corner of 171st. You can see the
Jewel Food Store and the top-hat sign for a tuxedo shop on the right, and da' Region's
pizza champ "HOUSE OF PIZZA" on the left (still goin' strong!)
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd2.jpg[/IMG]
HERE'S THE SAME VIEW TODAY:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff066.jpg[/IMG]
Steve, his sisters and I somehow unexpectedly found ourselves stumbling into H.O.P. for a delicious thin-crust pie right after
this pic was taken (Sept 24, 2011). [:D]
I believe Steve and his family have a long-standing association with House o' Pizza.
LR |
11-04-2011
( Reply#: 7364 ) |
Tom J |
House of Pizza rules! |
11-05-2011
( Reply#: 7365 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
House of Pizza rules!
It sure does! Larry is right! H.O.P. was our Saturday night dinner. My dad and I would walk across the street, cut through the Sandor's backyard, walk down the alley till we got to the backdoor of H.O.P. I don't get carry-out there too often now but I always park in back so's I can take in that aroma that's wafting through the air around the place!
Even picking up a pizza was dangerous for Little Stevie.
One summer,when I was 5 or 6, I remember my dad, being older and bigger, was a little ahead of me on the way home. As we crossed the "public" sidewalk just in front of our house, some kid on a bike was heading towards 169th street (north) right as I was getting ready to cross the walk. I stopped so he could go by but, wouldn't you know it, he swerved into me, clipping my bare leg with his front fender and kept on going. By the time my dad turned around to see what happened, this kid was long gone! Well, needless to say, I was laying on the ground, BLEEDING from the wound!
After a quick wash and a smearing of mercurochrome (remember that stuff?) Mom had me up and at the table for the pizza.
Seems my sisters ate what was to be my share, so they ordered another pizza, a small one, for me.
Some think this pizza is second best to Conde's in Hessville from the past and some other pizza place in Hessville. Well . . all I can say 'bout that is. . . of the three. . . who's still standing? I rest my case!
LS
Never tried the others! |
11-05-2011
( Reply#: 7366 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's a picture from what I believe to be the day/week my family moved into 6920 Magoun. There isn't a date on the picture or page it is on.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/10.jpg[/IMG]
L to R: Bev, Grandpa Surowiec, Mom, Carol, Dad. Cousin Joann is in front on the lower step |
11-05-2011
( Reply#: 7367 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
That pic is too cool.
You's guys moved in on Labor Day weekend, 1954, and us Rapchaks followed one
week later; it was then that your dad ran a big ol' extension cord out of your northwest basement window
over to our house so's we could have electricity that first weekend. Your dad is sportin' a pretty mean-looking
suntan in this pic, so he must have been working outside most of the summer.
The newly painted cedar shingles look DARKER than I ever remember them; your house was always a tan color,
as I recall. And I don't think I'm confusing it with the house' current color, which
is something quite....unique.
Hope you've found more oldies like this one.
Larry |
11-05-2011
( Reply#: 7368 ) |
Little Stevie |
There's more comin'! The tan might be left over from the California trip they took earlier.
Or the fishin' trip they took almost every year to Houghton Lake in Michigan.
Seems once Little Stevie showed up, all vacations seemed to cease. With the exception of the Dells trip. The one with the dinosaur pics.
Vacations after that were to Anderson, IN to see my Aunt Pat & Uncle Fred.
LS |
11-05-2011
( Reply#: 7369 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Well, needless to say, I was laying on the ground, BLEEDING from the wound! After a quick wash and a smearing of mercurochrome (remember that stuff?)
Mom had me up and at the table for the pizza. Seems my sisters ate what was to be my share, so they ordered another pizza, a small one, for me.
STEVE---So Carol and Bev ate your portion of the pizza while you were lyin' in the gutter bleeding, eh?
Sounds like the abuse you received in your early Magoun Ave days didn't come from ONLY the Rapchaks!
Larry |
11-05-2011
( Reply#: 7370 ) |
Little Stevie |
STEVE---So Carol and Bev ate your portion of the pizza while you were lyin' in the gutter bleeding, eh?
Sounds like the abuse you received in your early Magoun Ave days didn't come from ONLY the Rapchaks!
Larry
[/quote]
It was TERRIBLE! LARRY! TERRIBLE! It continued all through my life, you know.
When I was 11 or 12, on a church picnic, the priest even abused me:
The bishop's son (our priests could marry) lost his high school ring. They had all of us get on our hands & knees a crawl around the area that he lost it.
After a few minutes of crawling, guess who looks down, sees something shiny and yells "I FOUND IT!" to the masses.
Yep, none other than Little Stevie!
Well everyone cheers Little Stevie's heroics. Then the bishop's son comes over shaking, thanking Little Stevie for finding it.
He proceeds to pull a $5.00 bill out of his wallet and says "Here kid, take this. You don't know what it means to me to have it found."
As he's telling Little Stevie this, he's slowly lowering the bill into Little Stevie's outstretched hand.
Well, my eyes lit up! FIVE BUCKS! In those days! Heck, I was suddenly rich!
I looked over at my cousin Paul, who was "upset" he didn't find the ring, and kind of gave him a smirk.
Then. . . just as the bill was about to land in the palm of my hand, I heard a voice bellow out:
"HE doesn't want that five dollars!"
As I turned to see who was talking, I saw a hand come into view and steer the five dollars away from me.
"All he wants is three cheers for St. Michael's in East Chicago!"
I looked up and saw that it was our "new" priest, Father Ed Brzostowski!
He had come to our parish a year or so earlier.
He took the five bucks, gave it back to the bishop's son and started the
"HIP, HIP, HOORAY!" cheer in my honor.
Little Stevie looked on in disbelief as all around were cheering.
All, that is, except my cousin, Paul. He was doing all he could from peeing in his pants while rolling on the ground in laughter!
LS |
11-08-2011
( Reply#: 7383 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS about growing up on Magoun in Woodmar was the fact that BARING PARKWAY was located a
block to the southwest of our homes. A few minutes' walk and we were in this beautiful park, surrounded on both sides
by some pretty classy-looking brick homes. The park, except for the old-style "vintage" lamp posts, is
essentially unchanged from the 50's.
East side of the parkway, looking toward 171st St ~
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0066.jpg[/IMG]
Same view, from further south ~
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0062.jpg[/IMG]
Baring Parkway still has the same sense of tranquillity that it
had when we were kids; it's almost like stepping back into the past.
LR
|
11-09-2011
( Reply#: 7392 ) |
Tom J |
The kids in my neighborhood had a place to play that we all called "The Field." I guess it was railroad property because it was located beside the Erie-Lackawana (old C&O) tracks. The Field was behind the houses on Cleveland Street at the north end of Woodward Avenue, my street. It continued to the southeast behind the houses on Crescent Place.
The Field is now the site of the playground for the new Maywood School. The houses on the east (or north) side of Crescent Place were torn down to make room for the school.
Even the RR tracks are gone.
Sad.
Tomster |
11-09-2011
( Reply#: 7393 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS about growing up on Magoun in Woodmar was the fact that BARING PARKWAY was located a
block to the southwest of our homes. A few minutes' walk and we were in this beautiful park, surrounded on both sides
by some pretty classy-looking brick homes. The park, except for the old-style "vintage" lamp posts, is
essentially unchanged from the 50's.
Baring Parkway still has the same sense of tranquillity that it
had when we were kids; it's almost like stepping back into the past.
LR
Here's a link
describing the history of the Woodmar Neighborhood.
http://www.hammondindiana.com/history/woodmar.htm
Interesting to read that the 30's crash abruptly changed the plans for this area.
LS |
11-10-2011
( Reply#: 7394 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Interesting article. Let's point out that, of the SIX COLOR PICTURES
in the article of distinctive architecture in the Woodmar area, THREE of them:
#4, 5, and 6----are ALL ON MAGOUN AVE!
In fact, #5 - described as "Spanish eclectic style house" was the
former LUCAS family home on the SW corner of Magoun and 171st.
Here's a recent shot, from the side/garage-
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP0067.jpg[/IMG]
A beautiful home that Mike and I were fascinated by. Pics #4 and 6 in the article
were on the next block south of us. I always liked #4 ("International style of design"), with its balconies
and brick-glass windows.
Of course, the Kush and Rapchak homes were built in 1954, cookie-cutter style. Nothing that would ever make
the historical register, but great places to grow up in!
Larry |
11-10-2011
( Reply#: 7395 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
Of course, the Kush and Rapchak homes were built in 1954, cookie-cutter style. Nothing that would ever make
the historical register, but great places to grow up in!
Larry
LARRY! I beg to DIFFER!
Yes, they were great places to grow up in! But,those two houses were "homes" to some of the most fascinating humans to ever walk this planet! (just look in the mirror, like I do now and then!):
A common Machinist who had so many other talents and knowledge of other subjects, he might have been a college professor had he chosen that direction in his life!
A girl who has grown up to work in the entertainment industry in Chicago as a well known DJ, then to move on to the theater district of New York.
Who also did more than her share of volunteer work during thee most trying time in our country's history!
A girl who became a director at the EPA. Oversaw hazardous waste cleanups in the Midwest. Trained in a NASA moon suit for the tasks!
A boy who has produced some of the most entertaining and informational videos on "YouTube" who also commands one of the most prestigious orchestras in the country!
A girl who still. . . .50 some years later. . . still loves to take dance lessons!
And, of course, a boy. . . who. . . despite all the abuse put upon him by "Friends & Neighbors", sisters, priests and others,
took all he learned from those experiences and put them to good use in thirty years of sales for one of the combatants in the "Cola Wars" of the eighties!
(I was a hired gun and kicked ass in it I might add!)
Why, if they were just "plain old, run-of the-mill" type dwellings, their existence would have never made it to be the subject of a thread on this here website!
LS
|
11-10-2011
( Reply#: 7396 ) |
S C Jones |
You are so right, Lil Stevie---the size and the layout of a house does not make a home. It is the lives lived in a structure and the relationships that make great characters----like you and Larry. I mean, real characters who are delightful in your rapport as you share your memories through
pictures, videos, and words. Thanks to you both. You will go down in history
as the Magounites of sheptalk who, in their dotage lived in their own memories, if not in anyone else's..... [:)] Know that I do appreciate your banter....
|
11-10-2011
( Reply#: 7397 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
You are so right, Lil Stevie---the size and the layout of a house does not make a home. It is the lives lived in a structure and the relationships that make great characters----like you and Larry. I mean, real characters who are delightful in your rapport as you share your memories through
pictures, videos, and words. Thanks to you both. You will go down in history
as the Magounites of sheptalk who, in their dotage lived in their own memories, if not in anyone else's..... [:)] Know that I do appreciate your banter....
S C,
Here's where I take a bow!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
More Magoun Ave. Memories to come.
LS
PS (don't tell Larry. . . but he is a genius!) |
11-11-2011
( Reply#: 7398 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Man, that was beautiful...just great.
Larry
(But I was commenting on the actual..ummmm... architecture of our homes; no attempt
to shortchange da' brilliance of da' occupants was intended or implied).
|
11-11-2011
( Reply#: 7399 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
Man, that was beautiful...just great.
Larry
(But I was commenting on the actual..ummmm... architecture of our homes; no attempt
to shortchange da' brilliance of da' occupants was intended or implied
]True Larry,
But had it not been for the architecture of one certain closet and a young girl's fascination with the light bulb in it, I never would have been the "Don Juan" I was at such an early age!
Besides, once the world realizes "Who" lived in those dwellings, the masses will clamor for them to be included on the National Registry list!
LS
|
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7400 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
How very true.
In the meantime, now that the cold air of Autumn is upon us, here's another cool pic from the family album,
from October 1957. Mike on his bike, with little dorky-boy in his leather hat in the background;
all that's missing is the creepy rubber Donald Duck mask (see photo above--when the winter coat
fit me a little better).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/BikenCar0001.jpg[/IMG]
A few things to check out:
- our cool dark blue '56 Chevy w/visor
- the plastic grey camera hanging from the bike handlebars that Mike used to
take some of the great pics posted on this thread
- If you look closely in the background by Mike's ear, you can see the rear side of
the "L-L-Y-'S" of the Kelly's Drive-In letters on Indy Blvd
The bike was eventually handed down to me, and I rode it through the
summer of 1963, when it made me the laughing stock of Hessville.
Not sure why, at age 8, Mike still had training wheels on the thing.
LR |
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7401 ) |
tom w |
A thousand pardons, excellency. What year chariot awaits??? Tom W |
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7402 ) |
S C Jones |
"If you look closely in the background by Mike's ear, you can see the rear side of
the "L-L-Y-'S" of the Kelly's Drive-In letters on Indy Blvd."
I was a carhop at Kelly's Drive In the summer of 1957. Nicholas and Helen
Kikilos were the owners. They now own liquor stores. One night a week,
Nick would don a suit and a homburg, get into a big black limo (not a stretch)
that would drive up to get him and go to Chicago to gamble--or so we guessed.
We always speculated whether he was part of the mafia--never mind he was
Greek.
|
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7403 ) |
Tom J |
Lar:
That Chevy with the visor is not a '56. It looks like it might be a '53. Not sure what year it actually is, but I AM sure it is not a '56.
Tomster |
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7404 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
Of course you're right. My mistake. On big page 3 of this thread, there's another pic of
the car which I got right; it was a '54 (or maybe '53, since they were very similar). Shortly
after the pic above was taken, we did get a '56 wagon (black and white), which you can see
in a couple of the you-tube home movies I posted.
Larry |
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7405 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry!
Do I have a surprise for you![:0]
One and only HINT:
I'll be posting a picture soon of something that will show what an influence Mike had on Little Stevie way back then!
I didn't even know it till now![?]
LS |
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7406 ) |
Little Stevie |
I believe the grandchildren of Nicholas and Helen Kikilos now own the liquor stores. Nick and Liz.
I graduated with Liz in '73 from dear old Donald E. Gavit.
The old man was a fanatic about his grass like Kurteff.
He once told my mother that she shouldn't allow myself and Cy to play catch or "Frizbee" on our grass cause we would kill it.
To which my mother replied:
"Mr. Kikilos, you're going to be dead and buried, I'm going to be dead and buried, and that grass will still be there."
With that Kikilos looked surprised then. . . turned and walked away.
LS |
11-12-2011
( Reply#: 7407 ) |
Little Stevie |
OK LARRY!
Here it is!
SCROLL DOWN
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/2.jpg[/IMG]
Yep! This is sitting on a shelf with all my other cameras!
I believe it's the same make, just black
I've had this camera for I don't know how long!
It has to be 45-48 years old.
LS |
11-13-2011
( Reply#: 7408 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
THAT'S THE ONE!
Mike's was a light grey...but the other parts are the same color
(mostly RED--like the shutter button). What's the brand name on
the thing?
Groovy, man.
Larry
|
11-13-2011
( Reply#: 7409 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
THAT'S THE ONE!
Mike's was a light grey...but the other parts are the same color
(mostly RED--like the shutter button). What's the brand name on
the thing?
Groovy, man.
Larry
IMPERIAL
is the make. I'll bring it the next time we get together, which should be soon. It's still has my name on it, you know, one of those embossed labels that were popular back in the sixties.
LS |
11-14-2011
( Reply#: 7414 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Another typical day in the life of the Rapchaks on Magoun ~
From Fall of '58---Mike, Nancy and I each had a pair of toy glasses that were
called "ZOOGIE EYES!". The lenses were what were called "wiggle pictures" (remember those?),
that changed appearance when you rocked them back and forth. In this case, the eyes were either wide open or half-closed.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58HalloweenZoogieeyes.jpg[/IMG]
What's funny is that Mike and I each assumed a pose for this pic: Mike's doing his monster thing, while I'm clearly the nerdy dufus...
and the EYES happened to be in the right "mode" for each of our poses. Nancy's just lost in the fog of a bright flash-bulb. The
pic was taken in the SOUTHEAST corner of our great old basement; the cabinets in the background had been recently built by my dad;
when Steve, his sisters and I actually walked through the house this past July, the new owner told me he had scrapped the cabinets
when he put in a bedroom in that corner.
You can see some cool things on the cabinets: plastic and papier-mache jack-o-lanterns, what looks like a toy boat of some sort
on top of an old radio, and our very first set of Aurora plastic KNIGHT models, which my dad had bought and assembled in early '58.
RIGHT BEHIND MIKE'S HEAD (left) is a 1958 Calendar from OLPH church that featured religious paintings for each month; we had two
copies of this calendar displayed in the house that year---this one in the basement plus another one up in the kitchen--
WHICH I STILL HAVE. I'll post a page from it sometime.
LR |
11-18-2011
( Reply#: 7437 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I've been checking the Hammond City Directories from 1958-61 for info on the businesses on Indy Blvd in Woodmar.
Here again is the Purdue Archive shot looking NORTH on Indy towards 169th, taken near the Van Til's store on 171st.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd2.jpg[/IMG]
Here's the 1961 Directory listing for this same block -
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HammondDir61Indy0002.jpg[/IMG]
On the right (EAST) side of the street, you see the Jewel store in the distance, then the Top-Hat sign of
Dunhill's, then the CHAPMAN laundry letters on top of their building, the Kaplan Shoes letters (intersecting
with the top of the '55 Olds), and the SHU from Shutan's Kiddie Shop; had the picture exetended a bit further
south, the next building would have been the great old REXALL drug store ("Indianapolis Pharm") at 7011 Indy.
On the left (WEST) side is House of Pizza (yeah!), the Patty-Cake Bakery, the the "Gift Shop" portion of
Woodmar Jewelers sign, mostly hidden in the tree branches. The legendary Serenade Drive-In is obscured
somewhere in the cluster of trees overhanging the street.
This was the "BIG CITY" to me during my years on Magoun Ave.
LR |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7438 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's an EASY trivia question for ya all[?]:
On the list Larry provided, the phone#'s are listed.
My question is: What did the "TI" stand for before the "4"?[;)]
LS |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7439 ) |
tom w |
Thats tooo easy, man. Ask them to tell all of the early ones from Sheffield and Russell on. One of these guys even knows WHY and WHO the prefixes stand for. Thanks Steve. Tom W |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7441 ) |
BobK |
Tilden, Russell, Sheffield, Westmore are the ones I remember in Hammond.
Bob
|
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7442 ) |
seejay2 |
I remember a Temple(Te)too, but I don't remember for where...Cj |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7443 ) |
Tom J |
WE 3-0308 will remain in my mind as long as I live. That was my home phone number on Woodward Avenue, where I lived from late 1955 (age six) until I left the nest in 1971. |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7444 ) |
wvcogs |
TE was TEmple in Highland and at least part of Munster.
I'll always remember TI4-6708 (Judy's phone number) and TI5-1701 (my phone number). Notice the "1701." That's the Enterprise even before there was a Star Trek.
Larry -- It looks like we need the 1958 directory to figure out what that music store was next to Chapman Cleaners in the 1959 Morton yearbook photo.
Ken |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7445 ) |
seejay2 |
I think we touched on this one before, but my best friend's (3 brothers) down the block from me was Judy's number after it was shaken up in a paper bag---Ti4-7860...Cj |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7446 ) |
tom w |
Tom, WE was Westmore. Tom W |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7447 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by tom w
Thats tooo easy, man. Ask them to tell all of the early ones from Sheffield and Russell on. One of these guys even knows WHY and WHO the prefixes stand for. Thanks Steve. Tom W
I figgered it was! Pray tell. . .who is "da guy" who knows the "why & who"? I have never heard the reasons for the prefix names.
Fess up out there, will ya? It sounds like an interesting story related to Magoun & Hessville threads!
LS |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7449 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Larry -- It looks like we need the 1958 directory to figure out what that music store was next to Chapman Cleaners in the 1959 Morton yearbook photo.
Ken
KEN-- What Morton Yearbook photo is it? Have you posted it somewhere? Must see.
Incidentally, I was at the Hammond Public Library's Historical Room
yesterday; they have the '58 City Directory as well as MANY Hammond High and Morton Yearbooks; I think I'll spend some
more time there this week and check the yearbook ad sections for photos. My ultimate "Holy Grail" goal: a full-view pic
of the SERENADE Drive-In.
ALSO--I checked their photo archives and found a couple of interesting things--including a shot of the ORIGINAL
red-and-white striped FABULOUS HOT-DOG building at 169th and Arizona, as described in the "FABULOUS HOT-DOG TACOS"
thread here on Sheptalk. I'll see if I can get access to some of these things and post them here.
ALSO-- without peeking, I think TILDEN was the dude who ran for president and lost to Rutherford B Hayes around 1876.
LR |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7450 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by tom w
Tom, WE was Westmore. Tom W
Yep. WEstmore 3-0308.
Tom |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7451 ) |
wvcogs |
Oops, senior moment. Sorry Larry.
This picture was a two page spread in the 1959 Top Hat that was used as an introduction to the advertising section. It was taken in the fall of 1958 or winter 1958-59. Jim Zacny found a glossy print of the photo and posted it on Facebook. We couldn't figure out what music store was next to Chapman Cleaners where Dunhill's was in 1961. When you get back to the local history room could you check the 1958 directory to see if you can find the name of that store?
That looks like Thom McAn's to the left of Van Til's in the photo.
Ken
[img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/Hammond/1959adpage.jpg[/img] |
11-19-2011
( Reply#: 7452 ) |
Little Stevie |
Educated Guess tells me that the music store was Foster's @ 6945 or so.
Then, by 1961, they moved to the location listed on Larry's list, across the street.
Then, needing more room and (less rent) they purchased the land the Serenade was on and built there.
Just a guess![:)]
LS |
11-20-2011
( Reply#: 7453 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
KEN--
Fabulous picture; really first-rate. Yep, that's the way the Blvd used to look: wide-open, clean, up-scale..in a modest sort of way,
lots of neon. Wow. (I've never checked Facebook/Planet Hammond; do they have a lot of stuff like this?)
Yes, that's Tom Mcann on the SW corner of Indy and 171st, with the
elegant KARLINE HOUSE showroom just beyond it. And that Van Til's sign is something I haven't seen in 40+ years.
Here's some interesting questions that this photo brings up:
1.) The banner hanging on the Music Store says "COOK'S" -- which makes sense since, as you'll see below (in '61), there was a COOK's Piano and Organ Store a block NORTH-- at 6826. So the business obviously had moved by then. But what business moved into the former Cook's space that we see in your pic? There's nothing listed there in '61.
2.) The picture shows Wulf's Cleaners and Chapman's...just as the '58 and '61 Directories say, and further down you see the sign for Shutan's, listed as 7009 in both '58 and '61. HOWEVER...there, big as day, is the REXALL Drug sign--EXACTLY WHERE I REMEMBER it being located---practically next door to Chapman's --- but both Directories list it as 7011 Indy, which would have been SOUTH of Shutan's, whereas the yearbook pic CLEARLY shows it being NORTH of it.
That's weird, because I just parked my car and walked that block earlier tonight, and my memory tells me that Rexall was further north than 7011---and, sure enough, your picture confirms that it was. So why do both directories list Rexall ("Indianapolis Pharm") further south on the block-- at 7011?
It's not like I feel my life unraveling because of this...but it IS fascinating to examine these things 50+ years later.
Anyway, to add to the fun and confusion, here's the '61 Directory listing of the 2 blocks of Indy NORTH of 169th which, in addition to the re-located Cook's, contained a WURLITZER ORGAN store, right next to Al's Quality Meats--- only in 'da Region could you find a fancy-schmancy ORGAN emporium right next door to the local butcher shop (for years, Al's had a big painted diagram of a side of beef on his front door; the beef was white, the background door was a reddish-brown).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HammondDir61Indy0001.jpg[/IMG]
I remember Ted's Food Mart (6817) for one reason..back
around '55, on a cloudy summer day, they had a live elephant in their parking lot (on the north side of the bulding). My dad took Mike and I over to see the critter, which I assume was there to attract business for their big opening day. I remember the elephant had a big chain on its front leg, and that there was a worker with a huge push broom and shovel to clean up after the big guy. That night I had a dream that we were back in front of Ted's--it was night with a big moon in the sky and the workers were burning the elephant turds in a bonfire near the street.
Across the street (west side) was the FAT BOY restaurant (by '64 it was called "O'Sullivan's Fat-Boy"; by '71, it was listed as VACANT). Also, good old ARROW HARDWARE, in one of the nifty new brown-brick storefronts (with COOK's now next-door to
it). Mike got his toy air-rifle at Arrow in the summer of '58--
and HERE HE IS, a proud new sharpshooter, ready to terrorize the neighborhood [}:)]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58MikeAirRifle0001.jpg[/IMG]
LR
|
11-20-2011
( Reply#: 7455 ) |
tom w |
So Larry. I wonder why there is no listing for the Joe Hirsch store in the article above? That was the only store that could drag me away from downtown. Strange because my parents lived on Monroe St. and the girl I dated and married lived on 167th. I might guess, however, that there is more than one store missing. The article is a fascinating chronology of a piece of property. Thanks to you and Steve for the tremendous amount of time and research that you put into this thread. Also as a sidebar, I think that you both have tremendous memor powers indicative of an ideal childhood enviroment. Tom W |
11-20-2011
( Reply#: 7456 ) |
wvcogs |
Larry,
I checked my scan of the left section of this photo (1.06 MB). The Rexall sign is in much sharper focus than Shutan's; meaning it is closer to the camera.
There are some good pictures on Facebook / Planet Hammond, and many that are not so good. The pictures are filed in 100 or so albums by categories. Jim is interested in Hammond history and spends quite a bit of time at the local history room.
Ken |
11-20-2011
( Reply#: 7457 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
KEN and TOM---
KEN--
The Rexall thing is baffling; your '58 yearbook pic confirms my
memories of its location, but the Directory listing contradicts it.
Incidentally---I double-checked the Rexall location by using the YELLOW PAGE LISTING in the '59-60 Phone Book
(also at the library). There it is: REXALL DRUGs at 7011 Indy (but it was NOT listed in the '58 Yellow Pages at all [?])
But the photo clearly shows it further NORTH by a few doors--- it would be 7003 Indy, in between Wulf's cleaners
(I clearly remember that Rexall SHARED a building with another small business on its north end) and Kaplan's Shoes, at 7005.
Totally mysterious.
TOM--- Glad you like this thread; yeah, Steve and I (and his sisters!) remember quite a bit of detailed stuff from the old days--
and it's great to be able to find a group of folks that appreciates it.
I think we'll revitalize the old thread for Woodmar Mall (it's somewhere on big page 5 of Sheptalk) and start adding to it, as
opposed to piling it onto this thread; Woodmar Shopping Center definitely deserves its own thread. Re: Joe Hirsch--- I have
three sets of listing's for Woodmar Mall's stores (from the '58, '61 and '71 Directories) and there's NO Joe Hirsch listed in any
of them(?) I wonder why; there's Benson-Rixon Men's Clothes, but no Hirsch. Another mystery we'll have to explore.
Larry |
11-21-2011
( Reply#: 7458 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's a daytime pic----so heavily re-touched that it looks like a cut-and-paste job (and lifted from the
Planet Hammond site, I'll admit)-- of the Van Til's store at 171st and Indy.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/VanTilsIndyBlvd.jpg[/IMG]
I clearly remember a hot, sunny weekend afternoon--probably in '55--
when the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was in town, and was parked in the Van Til's lot (facing south) right
in the spot where the station wagon is parked in this photo. I remember "Little Oscar" (or one of his phony doubles)
ushering us up the front stairs and through the vehicle.
LR |
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7459 ) |
Tom J |
Cool, Larry! Tell us more about that experience. What was in the Wienermobile? |
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7460 ) |
BobK |
Larry, were you in your time machine so that you could see Little Oscar a year before the store was there? [:D]
Bob
|
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7462 ) |
BobK |
I still have mine.
[img]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab70/BobK1942/Early%20days/OscarMayerwhistle.jpg[/img]
Bob
|
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7463 ) |
tom w |
BOB WoW, that IS 5he original style. When we lived in Madison and I was working on my degrees, someone got me a whistle from the factory but the new ones only had one note, I think. And I was disappointed because I remembered the old ones.Little Oscar was a friend of mine and he lived in Hobart. Tom W
|
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7466 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Bob--
Like, DUH, man......
Here I'm supposed to be doing some scholarly Region research and I
can't even keep my years straight. Das Wienermobile obviously would have had to have been '56---
probably as part of the grand opening festivites of the new Van Til's store at its new location.
But...talk about screw-ups....here (also lifted from Planet H.) is another officially mounted-and-framed
picture of the FORMER Van Til's site, prior to the 1956 opening at 7030 Indy:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/VanTils7010.jpg[/IMG]
PROBLEM IS---this "official" plaque has the ADDRESS WRONG! It should read 7110, NOT 7010.
Apparently, this second version of Van Til's was on Indy Blvd JUST SOUTH of the intersection with 171st Street---
right about where the Thom McAnn Shoe Store would soon open (at 7120 Indy--a new building?). So in '56,
Van Til's literally moved a few hundred feet across the street to the NORTH of 171st, at 7030 Indy.
The incorrect address in the photo above---7010 Indy---was occupied at the time by the Patty-Cake Bakery.
-------------------------------------
TOM-- I don't remember much at all about our brisk walk through the giant Wiener that day; there was a central aisle
like in a bus,and I seem to remember lots of control panels and gauges, etc along the walls as we walked through.
I was totally underwhelmed, even at age 5.
Larry |
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7467 ) |
BobK |
Can't help with Van Til's, my first Wienermobile encounter was at Morry's Market at Harrison and Standard (165th). I don't know what year that was.
Bob
|
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7469 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, I believe I read on Planet Hammond that Tom McAnn's moved into the Vantil building at 7110.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/ThomMcAnn.jpg[/IMG]
Lance Springs on Facebook: "I believe that this was the first Van Til's building on Indianapolis Blvd. They built a larger building and Thom McAnn renovated this bldg. They were right next to each other, I think."
By the looks of the 2 pictures, I believe he's right. I should see Frank or Sam Van Til the first week of December at the Christmas party they have for their vendors. Even though it's been 8 years or more since myself and other Pepsi retirees have serviced their stores, they still invite us to the party.
LS |
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7470 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Yep- yer' right again.
It's clearly the same building. I wasn't sure, since the street addresses were different. Van Til's address had been 7110 Indy,
and McAnn's was 7020---but that's because the shoe store used its new doors on the SOUTH side of the buidling as their
official address...10 street numbers to the south from where Van Til's entrance had been.
Larry
|
11-22-2011
( Reply#: 7471 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
Yep- yer' right again.
It's clearly the same buidling. I wasn't sure, since the street addresses were different. Van Til's address had been 7110 Indy,
and McAnn's was 7020---but that's because the shoe store used its new doors on the SOUTH side of the buidling as their
official address...10 street numbers to the south from where Van Til's entrance had been.
Larry
WOW! What determines the distance for a change of address? And how many feet equal a single or double digit difference?
LS |
11-24-2011
( Reply#: 7479 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
We'll probably never find a good, full-view shot of the classic SERENADE Drive-In
on Indy & 169th, so here's the next-best thing: a line-drawing of the joint from the
May, 1953 Yellow Pages ad -
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADEyellowpage0001.jpg[/IMG]
The tree behind it was really there; we used to call it "The Serenade Tree". On late summer afternoons, we'd be
watching the Mickey Mouse Club, the doors and windows were open, the sun was shining on the tree (as we looked
out our front window to the east), and a massive army of birdies would sit in that tree chirping away; it was a very
happy, relaxing sound---one of those great memories from that time when summer seemed to go on forever.
LR |
11-24-2011
( Reply#: 7481 ) |
Little Stevie |
Happy Thanksgiving! to all here at Sheptalk!
It was the holiday the Kush's hosted for our family members.
I can still remember the work my Dad would put into getting the basement ready.
Scrubbing & waxing the floor the night before.
Hanging sheets up to hide the oil tank and other things.
The smell of the turkey already cooking when I woke up that morning.
Some of the photos already posted in this thread were from past Thanksgivings.
Here are a few more photos from Thanksgivngs past:
1954
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Thanksgiving5403.jpg[/IMG]...[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Thanksgiving5409.jpg[/IMG]
L to R
Grandpa Surowiec, Grandma Kush and Mom
Little Stevie is still "in the oven" in this picture! ___________________________________________Uncles Fritz & John Surowiec and cousin Johnny
Dinner was held upstairs in 1956. Why? I dunno!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Thanksgiving5601.jpg[/IMG].......[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Thanksgiving5602.jpg[/IMG]
Paul, Aunt Marge, Uncle John and Johnny Surowiec, Grandma Surowiec,
Aunt Kathy & Uncle Fritz Surowiec,
Grandpa Surowiec and Cousin Joann Kush is on the left side of the table ________________Aunt Alice Surowiec, Carolyn, Grandma Kush, Aunt Fran Kush, Joann, Aunt Pat Surowiec and Bev
1958
Back in the basement!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/06.jpg[/IMG]. . . . . . . . . .[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/04.jpg[/IMG]
L to R
Aunt Kathy's mother Mrs. McCoy, Bev, Aunt Kathy's sister Sue and new cousin Bob______Aunt Marge, Aunt Kathy & Uncle Fritz and Aunt Kathy's dad, Mr. McCoy
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/01.jpg[/IMG]
Grandma Surowiec, Aunt Marge my mother's cousin and wife, Monica & Zig Surowiec, Mrs. McCoy, Aunt Fran. I believe Uncle fritz is hidden by his mother-in-law.
Those were the DAYS!
Happy Thanksgiving!
LS |
11-24-2011
( Reply#: 7482 ) |
S C Jones |
And a happy thanksgiving to you Stevie--and all others who are on the site,
lurking as the turkey and dressing aromas spread throughout the various homes.
I have an hour-long drive to make to get to that situation......
Hope all are well and surrounded by friends and family today.
|
11-26-2011
( Reply#: 7483 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
GREAT vintage photos; our basements were EXACTLY the same design, as
were the rest of our houses. It's amazing that you guys could pack so many people into such a small space.
(But the ceiling in the 6th pic is different than ours; looks like its got some sort of dry-wall over it, whereas
our ceiling was just the wooden underside of the main-level floor, joists and all).
Too bad your dad took all of the pics, since we don't get to see him in any of them.
Hope everyone is enjoying a nice, restful Thanksgiving weekend.
LR |
11-26-2011
( Reply#: 7486 ) |
Roger D |
As for the Serenade Drive-In, it was owned by Allen Wright and Karl Fisher (AlKar Inc.). They also owned the cleaners on the south of the Serenade. They tore down the cleaners and built a single story office/small business building there. Several years later the Serenade was torn down and an office/small business building was built there. At one time the state unemployment office was located in one of the buildings as was Allstate Ins. and a business that made trophys. |
11-26-2011
( Reply#: 7488 ) |
Little Stevie |
I remember the Serenade being torn down and Foster Music going in the new building. Johann Bowling made the trophies.
Later, Karnes bought out Fosters then the Unemployment office moved in after them. The name Fisher rings a bell.
Larry, I might know who might have, and where we can find a picture of the Serenade! [:)]
It'll be a looong shot but we've had pretty good luck when it comes to "taking chances" regarding "Magoun Ave. Memories!"[;)]
We'll discuss it Tuesday![:p]
See you then.[^]
LS |
11-28-2011
( Reply#: 7499 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
As stated earlier somewhere on this thread, I worked at Foster's Music as a sales-dork from late August-to early December, 1967...
right when I started my junior year at Morton at the newly opened school. Mr Foster himself sat in a big leather, throne-like chair
in his office up on the 2nd level behind big, full-length windows. He was a tall, impeccably-dressed, white-haired and very threatening
dude with a southern accent and a sharp-edged voice that cut through you like a knife-blade. He only stooped to address me a couple
of times...and none of it was encouraging. [:(!]
I didn't hang around long.
AND HERE, fresh from the musty old archives, is a photo from the
Hammond Times, fall of '67. It's a small feature ad-plug for Foster's
Music of Woodmar; the photographer decided to stage a scene around one of
their pianos, as if it were a real sales-pitch.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/FosterMusic670001.jpg[/IMG]
The guy on the right was one of the old-time salesmen from the store;
the other two "customers"---pressed into service for the photo--- were
one of the saleswomen from the first floor and...can you guess the identity of the
freaky-fruity guy on the left? [:p]
LR
PS-- No, that's not a bolt of lightning on the left side of the pic, striking down the evil Foster empire;
it's wear-and-tear on the 44-year old photo.
|
12-01-2011
( Reply#: 7517 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK, YOUSE' GUYS......
Little Stevie Kush and I gotta tell you about our DATE last night(Tuesday the 29th) with our old Magoun Ave
neighbor Mrs. Klish. We had a big Pizza outing at...where else?....the legendary House o' Pizza right across the way on Indy Blvd.
Mrs. Klish is one grand lady--man, is she sharp for 93 years! Memory that puts mine to shame. I could barely keep up with her
in terms of conversation----AND pizza eating!
Here's two pics---- Steve can tell you about the first one, in which he presented Mrs. Klish with a token of the respect
we have for her.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MrsKlishLS.jpg[/IMG]
After dinner, we pulled out the old photo albums and reminisced; Steve's sister Carol and his wife Dawn were also there.
Then the big presentation was made---
a beautifully framed collage (by Dawn) of our Trick-or-Treat pics from 1955 and 2011 with me, Bev Kush and Mrs. Klish
on her porch (see elsewhere on this thread) PLUS the Hammond Times article by Phil Potempa
which appeared on October 30th of this year.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MrsKlishLS2.jpg[/IMG]
You could tell how much Mrs. Klish really appreciated this gift, along with every other aspect of this very enjoyable evening.
She's a great lady, and we intend to stay in touch with her. It's amazing to now have the pleasure and honor to become
reacquainted with one of the original "founders" of the 6900 block of Magoun Ave from all those years ago.
LR |
12-01-2011
( Reply#: 7518 ) |
Tom J |
Oh, Lar, this is WAY beyond "cool"! Thank you so very much, Lar and LS, for sharing this with us.
I wish I could have been there even though I don't know the dear lady. I would have been able to relate to all that was going on because I, too, have had neighbors who were dear to me as I was growing up.
Tom |
12-01-2011
( Reply#: 7519 ) |
Little Stevie |
Yes Tuesday's Date with Mrs. Klish was a very good time! The way the weather was . . . cold . . . very windy, I didn't know if she would still be willing to go out!
I had a contingency plan ready. Order the pizza and dine at her house. I was fully prepared. Paper plates, napkins and of course, a 12 pak of Pepsi for our dining pleasure.
Whence I arrived at her home, Larry was already there. I didn't even need to ask about staying at her house cause 30 seconds after I arrived, she was putting on her coat and babushka!
We decided that she would ride with me, and Larry would go first, park his car and help her into HOP since the wind was a blowin'!
Carolyn was already there and had a table reserved for us. My wife Dawn arrived about 15 minutes later.
Right before the pizzas (we ordered 2 cause the 2 younger women didn't want green olives on theirs) I asked for everybody's attention at our table.
This is what the first picture Larry posted is about.
At our house, we have a tradition that on special days, birthdays or events, someone is selected to receive recognition for their being. We present them with a "Red Plate" for their meal.
This shows our gratitude for all they have done for us and our feelings of how special they are to us.
I presented Mrs. Klish with the "Red Plate" for dinner that night along with a commemorative document which read:
The
"Magic of the Red Plate"
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/red-plate-300-Copy.jpg[/IMG]
It was a time honored tradition among early American families
that when someone deserved special praise or attention
they were served dinner on the red plate.
Today, this custom, so dear to early American families,
returns to remind us that a simple reward can mean so much.
The Red Plate is the perfect way to acknowledge a friend or family member's
special triumphs...celebrate a birthday...praise a job well done...reward a goal achieved...or simply say
"You Are Special Today."
When the Red Plate is used, any meal becomes
a celebration honoring that special person, event or deed.
It is a visible reminder of love and esteem.
This is our way of showing someone dear to us that they are appreciated and remembered.
Magoun Ave. Senior Resident
Josephine Klish
All in all, We all had a great time! And for 93, she is amazing!
LS
Oh yeah. . . I can't believe how much weight the camera adds to photos![:0][:(] |
12-01-2011
( Reply#: 7520 ) |
Little Stevie |
One other incident that happened Tuesday night
that, along with all of you, Larry will be reading here first!
After pizza, I had my wife follow me to Mrs. Klish's house to help her up the stairs and into her home.
As we got out of the cars and began walking up her driveway, the front door opens at the house next to hers on the south!
A woman sticks her head out the door asking:
"Is that Mrs. Klish? Is she there?"
Mrs. Klish looks up and says yeah it's me. I've been out for pizza with a few of the kids that grew up here on Magoun.
Her neighbor says that she saw us leaving around 5:30 and that she was worried about her.
She called the house a few times and even sent her husband over to see if Mrs. Klish was alright.
She said she was going to wait another 10 or 15 minutes before she called the police!
Well, we assured her that all was well and that we had just spent an evening reminiscing about the great times on Magoun Ave.
It tells you how great it is to know that there are still people who care and will keep your best interests at heart.
May God bless all who have lived and are still living on the 6900 block of Magoun Ave. in Hammond.
LS[:)]
|
12-01-2011
( Reply#: 7521 ) |
Tom J |
Well, if that ain't somethin'! I thought those days were long gone when neighbors looked out for one another. That's great, Stevie!
Tom |
12-01-2011
( Reply#: 7522 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
NO kidding; what a way to end a great evening!
RE: the SECOND picture above----Mrs Klish is touching the old 1955 photo in the frame;
immediately after I took this pic, she said: "I was young then..." I pointed to me in the pic
with my silly D. Duck mask and leather hat and said "So was I", which caused her to chuckle.
Time does move on.
larry |
12-01-2011
( Reply#: 7524 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's one more Thanksgiving picture I'd like you all to take a look at
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Thanksgiving5404.jpg[/IMG]
1954 Grandma Surowiec and her daughter-in-law Marge
Was it the times? Or the way these folks all dressed back then?
I'm sure you all have pictures of relatives in the same style of clothes.
My point? Guess how old my grandmother is in this picture?
Guess again before scrolling down for the answer!
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
She turned 54 in September Of 1954.
To me, she looks a lot older than most 54 year old women of today.
Maybe it was the hard life of the Depression & war years which she had 2 sons be a part of.
Her oldest, Uncle John, a Marine who fought in the Pacific Theater. Yep. . .Iwo Jima. . . Guadalcanal. . . the whole shootin' match!
LS |
12-02-2011
( Reply#: 7526 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
People just LOOKED older back then; check any picture of kids or young men in the 1930's; their faces are more angular, tougher, more weathered. I think it had a lot to do with their heritage; us Eastern European types just have that 'earthier', more hardened look. Good peasant stock, I say. Something to be proud of.
Larry |
12-02-2011
( Reply#: 7527 ) |
tom w |
It does seem that people matured quicker then. Think of the old Mikey Rooney movies. The old lawyer or executive would say "How old are you, son?" And the guy that looked around 30 says "sixteen, sir"
Good point Larry. I think part of it is because kids were taught respect for others and had a lot less idle time on their hands.
It seems that bringing up children in todays society with one parent and no discipline might not be the best possible way.
I dunno. Tom W |
12-02-2011
( Reply#: 7528 ) |
BobK |
Yes, they had a tougher life and didn't have the medical advances that we enjoy today. Yes, most everyone dressed up back then. I've noticed in TV commercials lately, young women in dresses and it looks so nice. I've also noticed how younger people come dressed to weddings and funerals and someone must have failed to teach these people how to dress for the occasions. I think we've become too casual.
Bob
|
12-02-2011
( Reply#: 7529 ) |
BobK |
Check the last line.
[img]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab70/BobK1942/Misc/1931.jpg[/img]
Bob
|
12-02-2011
( Reply#: 7533 ) |
S C Jones |
And, they didn't have a closet full of clothes. There were clothes for everyday and clothes for occasions.
The only thing I disagree with, is that women have to wear dresses. In the summer, that is not a bad thing; but in winter, brrrrrrr.
|
12-02-2011
( Reply#: 7537 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
And every guy owned a SUIT---sometimes 2: one for dress-up occasions
and the other for more everyday wearing (going out to the store,, etc). Check any old picture--guys with suit coats and pants---even in hot weather, which must have been a real drag. But it's all they knew...it was the accepted way to dress.
I remember about 20 years ago watching an old movie with 2 younger people,and they commmented on the fact that all of the men in a street scene were wearing "those funny hats"; "I REMEMBER THAT", I said---"Yeah---I remember in the 50's riding the bus to downtown Hammond with Mike and our Mom and SEEING it first-hand, which seemed to astound these youngsters.
Historically and culturally, the beginning of the end for the men's hat custom was the JFK Inaugural in January '61, when he did NOT wear his top hat during the icy cold weather that day in D.C. Lots of guys decided to emulate him, and the custom of men wearing hats in public started to fade (I'm quoting info from a documentary, as opposed to guessing at this).
The way folks show up today at Church is pathetic---jeans, T-shirts,
shorts, tennis shoes, etc. I realize the church is struggling for
membership and wants to appear more "friendly"--but, C'MON, folks--
isn't it worth the effort and discipline to dress up a bit?
LR |
12-02-2011
( Reply#: 7539 ) |
BobK |
This was my Grandpa, me and Mom at a picnic in 1946 or 47.
[img]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab70/BobK1942/Early%20days/4-28-2010_010.jpg[/img]
Bob
|
12-07-2011
( Reply#: 7652 ) |
Little Stevie |
VanTil's started as a storefront of their home on Jackson and Vine Ave. in Hammond. In 1951 they moved into the new building at 7110 Indianapolis Blvd.
5 years later, another new building across 171st. 7040 Indianapolis Blvd. North of the first one which Tom McAnn's renovated and moved into.
1973 they moved again to their present location in Hessville on 169th st.
Supposedly, Nick VanTil's theory on beating the competition was to buy up the land in the vicinity of his stores so they coudn't build.
Rumor has it that he owned much of the land on the boulevard. |
12-07-2011
( Reply#: 7656 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
"...us Eastern European types just have that 'earthier', more hardened look. Good peasant stock, I say. Something to be proud of."
And speaking of good, Eastern European peasant stock, here's a great pic of my father's family (minus his own
father, who died in 1947 after many hard years of work and workplace accidents at Amaizo..).
This 1962 pic was taken in my grandmother's apartment in Whiting, a building that was just leveled last month.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Hrapcakfamily620001.jpg[/IMG]
Seated on the couch (L to R) are:
my Uncle Bill (he's in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame: all-time single game scoring record at both Clark H.S.
and U. of Michigan...and the only one in the photo who is still with us),
my Uncle George, who changed his last name to Harper, owned a furniture store in Gary, then moved to
California to open another one
my Grandmother, in the only picture I can recall where she was smiling
my Uncle Jack, aka "The Senator"
On the Floor:
my famous Radio-Dad
my Aunt Ruth
my Uncle Bob, who was scouted by the Cubs as a pitcher in the '40's, became a Hammond cop in '63,
and died of a heart-attack in 1971 at age 41.
The original Slovak spelling was HRAPCAK, but they moved the "H" to Americanize things a bit. I really like
this pic, since everybody looks happy.
LR
PS ~ Here's me on my Confirmation Day, May 10, 1959, with my Uncle
Bill, who was my sponsor. The stash of records on the floor was my dad's "payoff" to his brother for sponsoring me.
A picture-perfect, gorgeous spring day at 6912 Magoun. For a special confirmation present, my dad took Mike and
me to the Voge Theater in E.C. that night to see William Castle's "House on Haunted Hill"; way to go,
you fools...it scare the S____ out of us.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/59Confirmation0001.jpg[/IMG] |
12-08-2011
( Reply#: 7658 ) |
Little Stevie |
Beautiful pics Larry! The Rapchak genes are clearly seen from Uncle George, your dad to you!
That's gotta be it. . . the Eastern Eurpoean look. Life had to be tough, to pull up stakes and leave your homeland for the promise of a new, better life in a country as far away then as the moon is now!
LS |
12-08-2011
( Reply#: 7663 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
The "real" Eastern Europeans--Slovaks, for instance---have a certain "darkness" to their complexion, like a perpetual tan. You can
really see it ins this pic (aided by the fact that the pic was taken in the summer). But my grandmother, Uncle George and my dad
were the "darkest" of the family. I was too (as was Nancy); my mother told me that when I was an infant, her brothers
nicknamed me "Pablo" for this very reason.
Larry |
12-09-2011
( Reply#: 7664 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE"s SOMETHING that's pretty darn' cool, especially for us Magoun-centric guys.
It's an AERIAL SHOT of the Woodmar area from the early '50's.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Indy-169th1953-4.jpg[/IMG]
The street running diagonally up the to the left is 169th
The dark street that interects it about the middle of the pic is
Indianapolis Blvd.
WHAT A FIND!
On the NW corner of the intersection you see the white Standard station
on the SW corner, there's a lot with a storefront of some sort; that would be Kelly's Drive-In (or soon would be
If you follow to the left (south), there's a clump of trees; if you look closely,
you can see two white "pillars"; that's the SERENADE Drive-In!
Directly IN BACK (to the west) of the Serenade, there's a dark brown house that my
grandparents would occupy starting in 1959 (see the pic somewhere on this thread with the Serenade
in the background). To the south (on the left edge of this photo, are the Hlad's house and the Sandors (bright white).
Those are the houses on the East Side of MAGOUN AVENUE.[/*]
Across the street (to the west) you see a parkway with a few trees; that's right where the
Rapchak and Kush houses would soon be built!
Directly west is BARING AVE, where you can see six sand lots where the new houses are about to be built.
TONS MORE STUFF is visible:
[*]Follow Indy Blvd up north, and you'll see 167th and a huge empty
field that will soon be Woodmar Shopping Center.
[*]From there, follow Indy Blvd a bit to the south: there's another white gas station, and then you clearly see
the "FAT BOY" Restaurant, at 6730 Indy; check the pic below, and you'll see the same low, flat design with
the white brick facade, the overhang, and the four windows.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/FatBoy.jpg[/IMG]
THERE'S MUCH MORE that's visible in this Aerial shot, which we can all identify as we go. I've been checking with
all of the available Hammond City Directories from this period; my best guess is summer of 1952 or 1953 for this pic;
the trees are in bloom, but the lots where Little Stevie's house and mine would eventually be are not even cleared yet---
and we moved in during September of '54.
LR
|
12-11-2011
( Reply#: 7674 ) |
Little Stevie |
A Very Cool picture! Larry!
On the left, in the middle, you can see Knickerbocker Parkway!
Also, the large open area more in the center, the site of the "future" Purdue University Calumet Campus. All this sitting on the High Tolleston shoreline of Lake Michigan from about 3,800 to 4,200 years ago!
LS |
12-11-2011
( Reply#: 7680 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
RE: THE AERIAL SHOT ABOVE --- If you follow 169th Street diagonally down to the right
(that's traveling EAST towards Hessville), you see a big apartment complex (across from the huge,
open field that would become Purdue Cal), then a row of townhouse-like apartments
and then, on the corner, two lighter-colored buildings; the last one (on the corner of 169th and
HURON) is LUDDY'S Deli --- looking exactly like does in this Purdue Archive photo:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Luddys.jpg[/IMG]
In 1959-60, we'd stop at Luddy's on the way home from OLPH church in
Hessville, and grab some freshly-baked vanilla Long-Johns for
breakfast. Couldn't beat 'em.
-------------------------------
ALSO---check out the Intersection of 169th and Indy and the white Standard station on the NW corner;
if you travel NORTH, you see a stand-alone building with two storefronts in it; the one on the left was
"Lads and Lassies" children's clothes, and next door to it on the right was "Woodmar Home Supplies",
which would soon change its name to "ARROW HARDWARE".
DIRECTLY across the street, on the east side of Indy, is the structure that housed AL's Quality Meats and to the North,
the 2-story place with the five windows, it's Ted's Food Mart (the place that had the elephant in its parking lot for its
grand opening). Then you see a small DARK, dirt-like road--THAT's MARTHA St, and directly north of it should be the venerable
"OLD GLORY TAVERN"; it's there, for sure...but it's hard to see. You can see a white shouse and what looks like a
(dark) tree...and the tavern should be right there, complete with the owner's house attached.
Steve--can you make it out? It's there somewhere, and it's the ONE BUSINESS THAT'S STILL THERE!
Larry |
12-12-2011
( Reply#: 7685 ) |
Bill Bucko |
I remember Luddys. I bought wax teeth there, as in "A Christmas Story," and tiny wax bottles full of sweet juice. Also, in the foreground of the photo you can see the wooded area of the Porter School playground. In the extreme foreground, at the edge of the picture, you can see the grassy ridge that was perfect for rolling down, when you were "shot" playing war.
Though a Harding kid, for a year or two due to overcrowding they bussed my class every day to the old wooden Porter portable. This was 3rd or 4th grade. The teacher was Mrs. Schoon, the best elementary teacher I ever had.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
12-12-2011
( Reply#: 7692 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
That huge open space in the lower portion of the Aerial shot was the park we referred to as "Woodmar Park",
where the entire Purdue complex is located today.
But you can see "Woodmar Park" in its beautiful, pristine state in
this YOU-TUBE video I posted a while ago, from our family's 8mm home movies:
http://youtu.be/ANb6dkOMcMI
From July, 1961; in the scene with my dad, Mike and I hitting fly-balls, you can spot the first Purdue building and Porter School
behind the trees in the background along 171st. The spot we were playing ball was much closer to 173rd, which you can see
in the shots with my dad batting. Today, the open park that was south of 173rd is filled with new dorm buildings.
LR |
12-12-2011
( Reply#: 7694 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, I'm trying to figure out what the row of buildings on what would be Columbia Ave. & 165th street are. To the right of the water tower. They look like it could be a row of chicken coops? Too late for that? Menard's sits there now. I remember Zayre's as the first building on this location. To the left of the tower is the nipsco building on 167th st. Also, I see there isn't anything on the east side of Indy. No Jewel or anything!
Do you remember the Swift's whistle that would blow at noon? and again at 12:30PM?
LS |
12-12-2011
( Reply#: 7695 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Yeah, the East side of Indy south of 169th didn't start opening up 'til around 1954--the Jewel opened in October of that year.
The Hammond Directory from "54 lists a "JEWEL TEA COMPANY" at 6933 (?), which by the end of the year would become the full-size store
(with that damned merry-go-round out in front during December). 6947 Indy is listed as "Bardford's Dept. Store" in the '54 Directory...
the space that would become the Cook's Music Store (in Ken O'Neal's great 1959 Morton yearbook pic above), and then Dunhill's Tuxedo joint.
Now that you point it out--- I hadn't even LOOKED up at the Columbia Ave area in the Aerial pic; yep--there's the old water tower,
and WHATEVER those low-lying structures to the north might be is anybody's guess (would make a nice research project, right?) And there's
the 169th St. cemeteries hidden in the trees, to the west of all of the houses; the new St John's cemetery--on the north side of
167th---is still years away from being there.
The Swift factory----I remember the SMELL more than anything, when
the wind was blowing from the north. Not pleasant, but then---hey,
it was part of growing up on Magoun Ave, so I'd never complain.
Larry |
12-12-2011
( Reply#: 7697 ) |
duane |
Boy that brought back memories...the Swift company and the smell. Exactly what did they do there?...render tallow?
Is this where Walmart is now, or is farther west where that Dominic's was built and went out of business only a few years later?
I do remember a bit later on, there was the Stardust Bowl located south of the Hammond Watertower. Zayre's always seemed to be one step down from KMart, but of course our family shopped there.
To the east of there (north of Swift) was TrailerTrain who made railroad flatcars. |
12-12-2011
( Reply#: 7700 ) |
Jay |
Speaking of the Hammond Water Tower, what purpose did it serve? Was it supposed to be a limited emergency supply for certain high priority customers? |
12-12-2011
( Reply#: 7702 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Duane--
I think the current Walmart is on the same spot where the Swift factory is in this aerial shot.
Larry |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7704 ) |
BobK |
Jay, water towers are there in case the pumps fail and typically hold about a days supply of water for the community. They are on high ground or built high to provide pressure.
Bob
|
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7705 ) |
seejay2 |
I don't think it is so much an emergency precaution as it a matter of pumps would not be able to keep up with the 'on demand' supply of water. The pumps just have to keep enough water in the towers and gravity takes care of the demand...Cj |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7709 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Boy that brought back memories...the Swift company and the smell. Exactly what did they do there?...render tallow?
Is this where Walmart is now, or is farther west where that Dominic's was built and went out of business only a few years later?
I do remember a bit later on, there was the Stardust Bowl located south of the Hammond Water Tower. Zayre's always seemed to be one step down from Kmart, but of course our family shopped there.
To the east of there (north of Swift) was Trailer Train who made railroad flatcars.
Wal-Mart is located on the old Swift site. Pay-4-Less(?) is west of that. In the picture, it is just to the left of Swift.
The row of trees seem to be too much in line to be a natural happening, however, they are in line with the contour of the High Tolleston shoreline.
It's possible that the rows of trees are on small hills with swales in between. These types of land formations can still be seen at Gibson Woods in Hessville.
I always thought that water towers are built to supply the pressure, through gravity, not to supply the water its self.
LS |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7712 ) |
BobK |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
I always thought that water towers are built to supply the pressure, through gravity, not to supply the water its self.
LS
It does if the pumps quit working. Each foot of elevation gives a determined amount of pressure from gravity.
Bob
|
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7713 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
It's possible that the rows of trees are on small hills with swales in between.
Steve--
What the heck is a swale?
Larry |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7714 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
It's possible that the rows of trees are on small hills with swales in between.
Steve--
What the heck is a swale?
Larry
They are the topographical depressions between sand ridges formed by the wind and waves by piling sand up around vegetation:
Dunes
The dominant feature of the Indiana Dunes is the dunes. The hills and ridges throughout the southern border of Lake Michigan are predominately sand ridges, created by the movements of the winds and their deposition of the sands. The dunes cover a complex of plant communities.[1] The central dunes, which were a large area of high and diverse dunes was removed to make way for the Bethlehem Burns Harbor Steel Plant[3] The most accessible dunes are at the West Beach facility of the national lakeshore (Dunes Succession Trail); the Tremont's Trail in Indiana Dunes State Park, and at Mt. Baldy, located in the east end of the national lakeshore.
A swale is a low tract of land, especially one that is moist or marshy.[1] The term can refer to a natural landscape feature or a human-created one. Artificial swales are often designed to manage water runoff, filter pollutants, and increase rainwater infiltration.[2]
The swale concept has also been popularized as a rainwater harvesting and soil conservation strategy by Bill Mollison, Geoff Lawton and other advocates of permaculture. In this context it usually refers to a water harvesting ditch on contour. Another term used is contour bund.[3][4]
Natural swale
Swales as used in permaculture are designed to slow and capture runoff by spreading it horizontally across the landscape (along an elevation contour line), facilitating runoff infiltration into the soil. This type of swale is created by digging a ditch on contour and piling the dirt on the downhill side of the ditch to create a berm. In arid climates, vegetation (existing or planted) along the swale can benefit from the concentration of runoff.
The term beach swale is also used to describe long, narrow, usually shallow troughs between ridges on a beach, that run parallel to the coastline.[
Dune & Swale
At the west end of the Indiana Dunes, in Gary there is a dune and swale province of the system. The area is characterized by low, linear sand ridges, parallel to the shoreline. Between these ridges are low areas of marsh or ponds. The ridges are characterized by prairie and savanna life forms and the marsh areas and ponds by the plants and wildlife of those characteristic areas of the dune lands. The dune and swale topography is easiest to see in the Miller Woods area of the lakeshore. Much of the dune and swales was eliminated by the construction of the industrial plants of Gary, East Chicago, Whiting and Hammond.
|
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7715 ) |
duane |
When you talk Dunes...you are talkin' my language.
There are still remnants of the Nipissing Dunes located within the steel mill property in Gary. West Beach near Ogden Dunes was only salvaged because it was steel mill expansion property that never had a mill built on it. The Fed's acquired it back in the early 1970's.
I worked as a Ranger at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the mid-1970's. It got me started on a long career in Natural Resources and ultimately as the program manager for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
From Magoun Avenue, to fighting forest fires out west, to managing the nation's most heavily used wilderness area. What a ride! |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7717 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
When you talk Dunes...you are talkin' my language.
There are still remnants of the Nipissing Dunes located within the steel mill property in Gary. West Beach near Ogden Dunes was only salvaged because it was steel mill expansion property that never had a mill built on it. The Fed's acquired it back in the early 1970's.
I worked as a Ranger at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the mid-1970's. It got me started on a long career in Natural Resources and ultimately as the program manager for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
From Magoun Avenue, to fighting forest fires out west, to managing the nation's most heavily used wilderness area. What a ride!
Canoe believe it??? |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7718 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Well, I guess that answers that. And I'm assuming a beach swale is different than a beached whale, and contour bunde
is not related to contraband, and.......(now I'm all confused).
Back to the Aerial shot of Woodmar---it's fascinating to see how the area around Indy Blvd was starting to spring up,
and would soon enter its hey-day. Following Indy north from 169th, past Al's Meats and Ted's Foods on the east side,
there's that little dark road (Martha St) that intersects Indy..and somewhere right on that corner, hidden in the small grouping
of trees and buildings is the OLD GLORY TAVERN, at 6755 Indy, Stanley Zych, proprietor.
I believe it's the ONLY business that's visible in this pic that's STILL IN OPERATION TODAY (House o' Pizza
was not yet up-and- running).
WHAT'S FASCINATING IS THIS EXCERPT from the 1948 Hammond Directory, which lists the businesses that were open
around 4 years before this aerial shot was taken:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HammondDir48Indy0001.jpg[/IMG]
Notice that THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE on Indianapolis Blvd in 1948...except for
one little ol' establishment at 6755 Indy.
So here's a belated shout-out to Mr. Stanley Zych, a true Woodmar PIONEER!
LR |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7719 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
Well, I guess that answers that. And I'm assuming a beach swale is different than a beached whale, and contour bunde
is not related to contraband, and.......(now I'm all confused).
Hidden in the small grouping
of trees and buildings is the OLD GLORY TAVERN, at 6755 Indy, Stanley Zych, proprietor.
I believe it's the ONLY business that's visible in this pic that's STILL IN OPERATION TODAY (House o' Pizza
was not yet up-and- running).
WHAT'S FASCINATING IS THIS EXCERPT from the 1948 Hammond Directory, which lists the businesses that were open
around 4 years before this aerial shot was taken:
Notice that [u]THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE on Indianapolis Blvd in 1948...except for
one little ol' establishment at 6755 Indy.
So here's a belated shout-out to Mr. Stanely Zych, a true Woodmar PIONEER!
LR
Ya Know Larry, as long as I lived on Magoun and have visited the vicinity, and as much beer as I've drank in my life . . . I've NEVER set foot in Old Glory Tavern!
It was Pete Beda's favorite watering hole! I don't know how much my dad went there, if he ever did, but I'm sure he went once and a while.
My Magoun Ave. establishment was none other than Bill's Boulevard Lounge which was located next to the gas station on the NE corner of Indy & 169th. St.
I spent many a nights there, then would walk home. My dear mother would get up no matter what time
I came in and would begin to cry, saying how "worried" she had been about me.
Unfortunately, many of the times, while she was lecturing me, I was "talking" to God in the toilet, asking Him to forgive me, promising never to drink again!
Me thinks Old Glory should be a stop on our next "Walk Da Hood" get together, Hmmm?
All out there are welcome to join us to "celebrate" what is one of the first businesses on Indianapolis Boulevard!
(From there? HOP! Of course!)
LS |
12-13-2011
( Reply#: 7720 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
When you talk Dunes...you are talkin' my language.
There are still remnants of the Nipissing Dunes located within the steel mill property in Gary. West Beach near Ogden Dunes was only salvaged because it was steel mill expansion property that never had a mill built on it. The Fed's acquired it back in the early 1970's.
I worked as a Ranger at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the mid-1970's. It got me started on a long career in Natural Resources and ultimately as the program manager for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
From Magoun Avenue, to fighting forest fires out west, to managing the nation's most heavily used wilderness area. What a ride!
Duane, wasn't the scarp that is visible along LaPorte Ave. in Highland, through Wicker Park and along Ridgeway Ave. in Munster formed during the Nipissing Era? Thought that's what I read in "Calumet Beginnings". Seems the dunes in Gary would have formed later and were a part of the low Tolleston shoreline.
I probably got me facts wrong.
LS |
12-14-2011
( Reply#: 7732 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I was "talking" to God in the toilet, asking Him to forgive me, promising never to drink again!
Me thinks Old Glory should be a stop on our next "Walk Da Hood" get together, Hmmm?
All out there are welcome to join us to "celebrate" what is one of the first businesses on Indianapolis Boulevard!
(From there? HOP! Of course!)
LS
STEVE--
As long as you're on that road to Hell, ya might as well do yer'
drinking at Stanley's joint, in honor of the one true Indy Blvd
pioneer. And I'll join you...even though I ain't much of a beer
drinker; but as long as it leads us to HOP, I'm with ya.'
(And we'll announce it here, in case anyone else wants to drive
back to 'da Region for a visit).
Larry |
12-14-2011
( Reply#: 7733 ) |
Little Stevie |
OOOPS! Duane forgive me! I rechecked the facts in "Calumet Beginnings". The scarp was formed during the "Algonquin" Phase.
The High Tolleston shoreline was formed during the Nipissing phase. This does include Miller woods & Gibson woods.
Guess I should never question the authority of a park ranger!
LS
I'd love to hear about your experiences during your days at the Dunes! |
12-14-2011
( Reply#: 7734 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
I was "talking" to God in the toilet, asking Him to forgive me, promising never to drink again!
Me thinks Old Glory should be a stop on our next "Walk Da Hood" get together, Hmmm?
All out there are welcome to join us to "celebrate" what is one of the first businesses on Indianapolis Boulevard!
(From there? HOP! Of course!)
LS
STEVE--
As long as you're on that road to Hell, ya might as well do yer'
drinking at Stanley's joint, in honor of the one true Indy Blvd
pioneer. And I'll join you...even though I ain't much of a beer
drinker; but as long as it leads us to HOP, I'm with ya.'
(And we'll announce it here, in case anyone else wants to drive
back to 'da Region for a visit).
Larry
Sounds good to me Larry! Maybe in the next week or two? When another former Magoun Ave. resident is in town? Hmmm?
LS |
12-14-2011
( Reply#: 7735 ) |
seejay2 |
I'm gonna be in town for Christmas, but I don't think I've ever even been on Magoo [8)] so I guess I don't qualify...Cj |
12-14-2011
( Reply#: 7736 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
I'm gonna be in town for Christmas, but I don't think I've ever even been on Magoo [8)] so I guess I don't qualify...Cj
CJ, you'd be more than welcome to join us! Larry & I would be more than happy to show you the "hood" on Magoun.
Then, we could go to OLD GLORY Tavern. It'll be a "first" for me also!
LS |
12-14-2011
( Reply#: 7737 ) |
seejay2 |
Let me roll that around. We will be up there 23-26, but this will be in Valpo and then Lowell...Cj |
12-14-2011
( Reply#: 7738 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
OOOPS! Duane forgive me! I rechecked the facts in "Calumet Beginnings". The scarp was formed during the "Algonquin" Phase.
The High Tolleston shoreline was formed during the Nipissing phase. This does include Miller woods & Gibson woods.
Guess I should never question the authority of a park ranger!
LS
I'd love to hear about your experiences during your days at the Dunes!
But you were certainly correct about the old shoreline...Ridge road pretty much parallels the place where Lake Michigan used to lap up onto the beach.
Perhaps another day (and starting another thread) we can talk about the days at the dunes. Maybe ALL of us can tell stories of the dunes...as I'm sure there are many and some that can't be told here on the forum or in mixed company! Suffice it to say that my CB handle was Dune Boy, after the book by Edwin Way Teale about a boy who grew up in "dune country." |
12-15-2011
( Reply#: 7750 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK, YOUSE' GUYS.....
Here's the fourth and LAST 8mm Home Movie from the Rapchak archives on Magoun. It's from Sunday,
December 18th, 1960, the day of my sister Nancy's 6th Birthday party (her birthday is actually the 14th,
but the Sunday worked better for a big party).
Lots of fun in the old Rapchak house; watch out for some of the
dizzying camera work by my dad---- we were always trying to save on
the film, so the camera often moved VERY quickly. The party was held
in our great old basement, while the adults gathered upstairs in the
newly-added kitchen for coffee and conversation:
Here's the private You-Tube link:
http://youtu.be/cl8ZaO2ixBc
Some things to watch for:
I'm in the blue flannel shirt, Mike in the bright red; Little Stevie
is wearing a light blue dress shirt with a tie (!). Note that all of us kids are seated at (segregated) tables,
but that little Cy Beda is sitting away from us all with his mother.
0:37 - the adults; my Aunt Mary (in blue) and Uncle Nelson-- 2 really cool people---and their daughter Debbie
in the foreground (Debbie is the mother of Munster Marine Shaun Blue, who was killed in Iraq a few years ago,
and whose memory is honored with a sign along Ridge Road by the Munster Town Hall). Also at the table are my
grandmother (from across the street) and Mrs. Beda.
0:42 - there's Steve's pal Rod Hlad coming up the basement stairs.
0:44 - the next coffee shift in the kitchen includes Steve's parents, his dad, Andy...only seen from behind
(and ALSO wearing a suit!), and Mrs. Kush facing us from across the table.
0:56 - oops--the original film got a bit messed up in the camera, so here's the Rapchak kids on
Christmas Eve, 1960 and a "staged" opening of Christmas gifts.
1:12 - BACK TO THE PARTY --
1:19 - There's cousin Debbie pinning-the-the tail on the donkey, while Mike and I screw around in the background
1:30 - more fun with the dreaded PAPER-FISH-DRINKING STRAW game
1:35 -AND THERE HE IS-- "LITTLE STEVIE" in his Prime!!
1:53 - There's our great American Flyer train set-up (but all of the buildings were Lionel, so the scale
was bigger than the Flyer trains...), and my little brother Phil
1:35 -- and there's our pal Alan Molchan, checking out the train set on his own (the transformer would
mysteriously mal-function shortly after this incriminating footage was shot).
The opening music is the kiddie novelty tune "LITTLE KLINKER" by Tennessee Ernie Ford, released that year
(our dad brought home the DJ copy on Saturday, Dec 3rd I recall); the song tells of a little pup who wakes up
Santa when he oversleeps on Christmas Eve..another in the endless stream of critters in song and cartoon
who save Christmas for us.
Enjoy this little journey into the past, and
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
Larry R |
12-15-2011
( Reply#: 7751 ) |
Little Stevie |
HOLY COW! Man Larry! your Dad really wanted to "get it all in one take"! I had to watch it a couple of times, using the "pause" button, to see my appearances! Pretty darn cool!
Any idea who some of the other kids were? I'm thinking that Mickey Kovall was there. And Sarah Reeves? And what about my sisters? Probably didn't want to go to a "little kids" party!
The shot with my parents, was that taken in the add-on room in back? Does anybody out there know anyone who still wears a suit to a birthday party?
Once I get our 8mm transferred to DVD I'll post some of them. I know there's a 7th Birthday party of mine somewhere.
LS |
12-15-2011
( Reply#: 7752 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Yeah, grab your dramamime before viewing this film again....
Your sisters weren't there; they were too old for this sort of thing.
One of the youngest girls looks like my Uncle Bill's daughter, but he
wasn't there that day. I'm sure that one or more of the girls were
Nancy's classmates from the Muffet School of Dance (in Hessville).
I'll have to check again to see if Sarah is there. I don't think Mickey was among Nancy's friends.
Yeah, the coffee table shots were in the add-on kitchen. A happy day,
especially since we would only have two or three days of school left that week. One week later was Christmas,
and I got my "Visible Man" model. For a while after that, it looked like a career in medicine might be my calling.
But my mother wouldn't let me have the Visible WOMAN model for my birthday in May '61, so I said to hell with it.
Larry
PS-- I guess you weren't kidding when you told me that Cy Beda was a real "momma's boy." It's kinda' sad
to see him sitting over there with his mother. |
12-16-2011
( Reply#: 7753 ) |
Little Stevie |
If'n I'd taken the time to read the intro to your clip Larry, I wouldn't have had to ask some of those questions!
LS |
12-17-2011
( Reply#: 7754 ) |
Little Stevie |
A little off topic but. . .
check out this earth shaking news story!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-rt-beach-boys-brian-wilsonmt1thewrap33708-20111216,0,1011398.story
Maybe the sun will come up in the west someday!
LS |
12-17-2011
( Reply#: 7755 ) |
duane |
Our should I have marked this..."Reply to Off-Topic?"
The band sounds great...and great to see that Brian and Al Jardine are back in the band this time...
Take a listen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=tS2orIE2QUQ
|
12-18-2011
( Reply#: 7756 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Our should I have marked this..."Reply to Off-Topic?"
The band sounds great...and great to see that Brian and Al Jardine are back in the band this time...
Take a listen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=tS2orIE2QUQ
It's been rumored about @ brianwilson.com for some time. Glad to see it happen!
Once the SMiLE SESSiONS were released, this was only a matter of time. Plenty of unreleased material still in the vault!
LS |
12-18-2011
( Reply#: 7757 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
BACK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND......
Today, Sunday, December 18th, is 51 years to the day that the home movie of Nancy's birthday
was filmed...so I'd like to add a comment about it.
My late brother Mike and I were nuts....most of the time in a good, creative way. At Mike's wake
in January, 2010, I gave a short eulogy in which I talked about our zany personal brand of behavior
that we shared, citing a particular incident involving our home movies.
When we watched our home movies on the old projector, the thing we enjoyed the most was REWINDING the film,
when you could actually watch all of the action in REVERSE; we'd all howl til' our sides ached and the tears were
streaming. So one time when my dad had the camera running, Mike and I concocted the most INSANE plan that
only WE would know about: we would work our way unnoticed into the background of a scene and
perform some silly, cartoon-y action in REVERSE---
so that when the film was being rewound, it would look like the two of us were moving in FORWARD motion.
So here's what we decided to do:
a.) I would sit on some object, and
b.) Mike would stand facing me a few feet in front of me.
c.) I would quickly jump up TOWARDS Mike, so that my chin would
meet his clenched fist, which
d.) he would then quickly draw backwards.
Pretty inane, UNTIL YOU REWOUND THE FILM----THEN it would look as if Mike PUNCHED me in the jaw,
and I flew backwards off my feet and onto the object in a sitting position.
So that was our clever plan...which we put into action at Nancy's
birthday party.....unnoticed by our dad as he filmed the boring
Pin-the-tail-on-the-jackass game in the foreground.
HERE's THE YOU-TUBE LINK AGAIN:
at 1:17, you see me in the blue shirt position myself on our mom's cedar chest, which is covered with an
orangeish-pink bed spread. MIke, in the red shirt, stands in front of me.
at 1:19, the brilliant plan is put into action; of course, without "rehearsal" and only one shot at it,
it's pathetically bad, especially since we were trying not to call attention to ourselves.
at 1:23, our mother notices the messed-up bed spread on the cedar chest, and straightens it. I still recall
her saying "Don't make a mess, you guys..." or something similar.
http://youtu.be/cl8ZaO2ixBc
So almost 50 years later, I'm standing at Mike's wake at the La Hayne Funeral Home on Southeastern Ave,
and I recalled this incident as an example of the wonderful, wacky sense of humor that Mike and I shared
as kids and into our adult life.
And I told the crowd...."yeah, you can actually see us do it on the old home movie
of Nancy's birthday party in December, 1960." [;)]
LR ~ 12/18/11
-------------------------------------------
(MORE TRIVIA about this video clip...)
http://youtu.be/cl8ZaO2ixBc
In the background of the party footage (when the camera isn't flying at supersonic speed), you can see
much of our plastic model collection: my Bachmann BIRD models on the wall-shelves, along
with the ITC company's DOG models, the Pyro Stegosauraus and Tyrannosaurus, and the ITC Neanderthal Man
and T.Rex Skeleton models are all visible; also, you see some of my dad's big LP collection,
ensconced in his home-made shelves.
ALSO----at 0:37 to 0:41 ~ the white sugar bowl that's visible on the table in front of my grandmother
is the VERY SAME bowl that I used in 2010 for the close-ups in the insane "Nuttin' for Christmas" video
that's on You-Tube.
Here it is: http://youtu.be/O9XHEUTvVAc [:D] |
12-18-2011
( Reply#: 7758 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, that's a great hidden feature of this film!
Our projector didn't rewind the film that way. After the movie was over,
we had to restring the film in the "feed" reel and it would quickly rewind the film, not going through the film gate or sprockets.
LS |
12-19-2011
( Reply#: 7759 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Speaking of my brother Mike...
Here's a pic from December of 1958, leading up to our favorite-ever Christmas. Mike with Nancy sitting on our sled
out front of our house on Magoun. In the background is the laundromat on 169th, with Floyd Darnell's Barber Shop
(the tiny white door..with the mini-barber pole on the extreme left end of the building; check out the second pic
back on page 1 of this thread).
Steve--isn't that your relatives' house right next door to Floyd's--on the left?
This photo is looking NORTH---also visible are the now-notorious apartments across 169th; directly behind where
Mike is standing would be the Carson's facade in Woodmar Shopping Center in the distance.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58Pre-Christmas0001.jpg[/IMG]
The plaid wool scarf that Nancy is wearing was actually mine (it was
light blue and white); Mike got a similar one (maroon, yellow and
black plaid) at the same time (around 1956), which our mother kept throughout the years.
I recently claimed it, and wear it regularly today. It's small and itchy, but hey.....
LR |
12-19-2011
( Reply#: 7760 ) |
Little Stevie |
Were those the days or what!
Yes, the house next to the barber shop was my mother's Aunt Irene & Uncle Frank Troyan.
Here they are on their 25th wedding Anniversary:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Troyan25thbw.jpg[/IMG]
This picture was originally in color. It is with others dated 1958.
Unfortunately, one of my earliest memories was getting a haircut when an ambulance pulled up to their house.
My dad got up, ask Floyd to keep an eye on me while he went next door to see what happened.
Their daughter, Virginia, collapsed in the basement while doing the laundry.
She had a massive stroke that killed her. Very young. Maybe in her 20's. Happened in '58 or '59
LS |
12-19-2011
( Reply#: 7761 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
A sad memory. Was this picture taken inside of their house on 169th..
the same house seen on the left edge of the previous pic?
Celeste and I just hit our 25th last month; I was just telling her
tonight that I think I'm due for a new suit, and seeing your uncle
looking very handsome in his, I think I'll go out and buy one after
Christmas.
Larry |
12-19-2011
( Reply#: 7762 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
A sad memory. Was this picture taken inside of their house on 169th..
the same house seen on the left edge of the previous pic?
Celeste and I just hit our 25th last month; I was just telling her
tonight that I think I'm due for a new suit, and seeing your uncle
looking very handsome in his, I think I'll go out and buy one after
Christmas.
Larry
Yep! In their living room. Whoever took the picture, (my dad, I'm guessing) was standing near the front window (which can be seen in your photo) with his back to it.
What amazed me back then was their house had three doors!
A front door, which we never used.
A back door, which again, we never used.
And a side door, on the west, which was thee only door we used!
They loved to fish! Would go to Bass Lake all the time and bring my mother crappie to eat.
LS |
12-20-2011
( Reply#: 7763 ) |
Little Stevie |
I hate to be the Bearer of bad news but Joe Hlad, father of Sharon, Randy, Rod and Sandra, passed away.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nwitimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=155119254
LS |
12-20-2011
( Reply#: 7764 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Yes, the Hlad family was a part of our Magoun experience; they live right across the street from the Kush's, and next door
to my grandmother when she moved in in summer of '59. Randy was a year younger than me; his younger brother ROD is seen
prominently in the Christmas '60 home movie posted (on p. 7 of this thread)---he's the little guy in the pin-striped sport coat.
I believe he was a Jefferson school Kindergarten pal of my sister Nancy (and Stevie, right? More about that coming on the
Jefferson School thread). My brother Mike and I would periodically pal around with the Hlad boys; we made sure we
taught both of them all we knew about becoming a bona-fide "Magoun Avenue Menace" like we were.
LR |
12-22-2011
( Reply#: 7778 ) |
Little Stevie |
Since I'm not sure if I'll be posting again before Christmas, I thought I'd post these photos from Christmases past:
First, 1954:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Cristmas54.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg06.jpg[/IMG]
1955
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg53.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg54.jpg[/IMG]
Guess I couldn't wait for Christmas Dinner!
You can see my Aunt Pat painting our picture window, as I've posted earlier about in this thread.
Ya know, after looking at these pictures and more I haven't posted yet, I'm wondering how much I was being fed?
Seems every picture, I've got my hand in my mouth!
Oh well, I've certainly made up for a lack of food since then!
LS |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7779 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HEY, STEVE......
What are you guys doin' in our front room???..with our doors, our dining area,
our room divider-thing...our light fixtures, our TV, our.....
...oh yeah, that's right---our houses were CARBON COPIES of one another!
How cool to see these authentic, one-of-a-kind photos.
A Merry Christmas to you and your sisters...and your families, too!
Larry ~ |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7780 ) |
wvcogs |
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you Magoun Avenue guys and to everyone else here in the group. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful memories. |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7781 ) |
Tom J |
Merry Christmas! to you, too, Ken, and to all my other Sheptalk buddies. |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7782 ) |
S C Jones |
MERRYChristmas GUYS and thanks to all of you for "our nostalgic site".
Tom, you really took some time there to get the colors alternating!!!
S C
|
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7783 ) |
BobK |
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Thanks for all the great memories.
Bob
|
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7784 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
HEY, STEVE......
What are you guys doin' in our front room???..with our doors, our dining area,
our room divider-thing...our light fixtures, our TV, our.....
...oh yeah, that's right---our houses were CARBON COPIES of one another!
How cool to see these authentic, one-of-a-kind photos.
A Merry Christmas to you and your sisters...and your families, too!
Larry ~
And to you Larry! To Celeste, your Mom, Phillip, Laura and Nancy! And Da whole Rapchak extended family!
And to all on this here Sheptalk forum!
LS |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7787 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK, YOUS' SHEPTALK GUYS....
Something else from the old Rapchak family archives ~
Here's the front and back cover from the 1956 "CHRISTMAS CLUB" booklet that my mother used to
keep track of all the gifts she bought as well as the Christmas cards she sent:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Christmas56cover0001.jpg[/IMG]
AND HERE's the first inside pages; man, that's real 1950's-vintage Christmas artwork!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Christmas56Book.jpg[/IMG]
The right-hand page would seem to indicate that our parents provided Santa with at least a little assistance in the gift department...
AND HERE's CHRISTMAS DAY, 1956...where the gifts entered in the booklet above magically materialized under da' tree!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/56Christmas0001.jpg[/IMG]
My main present was Ideal's "ROBERT the ROBOT" (center), and the SEARCHLIGHT TRUCK, partially visible to the
left of Robert (as opposed to "Robbie"). I distinctly remember sitting on Santa's lap at Woodmar Shopping Center and
asking him for the Searchlight Truck. Mike is about to obliterate Robert with some sort of firearm.
MY MOTHER SAVED FOUR of these Christmas Club booklets: '56 through '59, and they were handed over
to me about 15 years ago; I really treasure them.
AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL YOUS' SHEPTALK GUYS 'N GALS; YOU ARE TERRIFIC!
STEVE---thanks fer getting involved and sharing all of this stuff
with us; I'm really enjoying creating this on-line chronicle of those amazing times; otherwise,
the stuff would just be
sitting around in old boxes---and what the hell good is THAT?
Hey---tell Carol and Bev to start checking out this site every now and then!
LARRY |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7788 ) |
Little Stevie |
Been Tryin' Lar! I'm pretty sure my Aunt Alice (the one you met at the Christmas concerts)
checks out the site now and then.
As for the girls? "Too mature", maybe?
Just like skipping out on Nancy's BD party!
Here's a few more I found
1956
Here's our picture window. Look closely, you can see the wreath painted on it.
Bev, Little Stevie, Carol & Dad is to the right, faintly.----------------------------------------------------------------- The Kush home decorated for Christmas
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/christmas5702.jpg[/IMG] - [IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Christmas5703.jpg[/IMG]
One More
No explanation needed here!
Check out the manger scene. . . .under the tree, on the left. . . . in the background
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/christmas57.jpg[/IMG]
LS |
12-24-2011
( Reply#: 7789 ) |
Little Stevie |
Okay Y'all!
I know you've seen this before.
It has it's own thread here!
It was the catalyst for this thread!
ENJOY!!! AGAIN!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9XHEUTvVAc
Thanx for all the memories of the past and of
this past year, LARRY!
LS |
12-24-2011
( Reply#: 7790 ) |
tom w |
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you six guys and your families. Also the cast of thousands that pass thru silently each day.
STEVE The last picture of you and your new bike is great. I remember seeing a picture of me and my late brother opening presents at that age. I was wearing my new Sgt Preston mountie uniform. I didnt end up with any photos. Just one of my mom and dad and one of my brother. So I love snooping thru your albums.(especially the cars) Thanks to both of you for the oppertunity. Tom W |
12-24-2011
( Reply#: 7791 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Your recent pics would have been from Christmas of '56 (since they
were developed 1/57); so that's the same Christmas as I've been posting!
Check out the size of that SNOWFLAKE that's falling by your
front door above; like Godzilla and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, I'd say it was
a mid-'50's atomic mutation. Or maybe it's a big piece of something on the picture,
or maybe it's part of the Christmas tree decoration on the door.....
BUT HERE'S ANOTHER PAGE from my mom's 1956 Christmas Club booklet; it's a partial list of folks who sent us cards.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Christmas56page0001.jpg[/IMG]
The very first name on the left is Werner Krauskopf (or "Curly-Head"), a German POW that my dad befriended in a camp here in the U.S.;
Werner has sent our family a card for EVERY CHRISTMAS since 1946---my sister Nancy just received this year's about 2 weeks ago.
-Third name is Peter Beda and son (?)
-Also George Harper (my dad's brother who changed his last name and
moved to California; S'matter--ain't Slovak good enuff fer ya?)
- There's our next-door neighbors the Feeney's
- My aunt Ruth's name is in ink, but my mother added "Mrs Rapchak"
(that would be my dad's mother) in pencil
- in the middle of the right-hand page are Jane King and Kay and
John Kasper---all of whom are still around (my mom's old "bunco
squad" cohorts); I just saw the Kaspars at one of the Whiting Park
concerts this past summer.
- and check out the Third name on the right-hand page......
LR ~ |
12-24-2011
( Reply#: 7793 ) |
Little Stevie |
OOOPS! yep 1956 instead of '57!
I'll change it in a minute!
You're right about the giant snowflake by the door but the atomically mutated one is about to land in the gutter. . . glowing, see it? A little to the left!
After Mom died, we were clearing out the house before we sold it to my cousin.
In the closet by the front door, we found boxes of the Christmas cards Mom saved that had been sent to us over the years. All in order, dating back to I don't know when. Bev might know. If she would ever post here.
I'll ask tomorrow.
Merry Christmas Everybody!
LS |
12-24-2011
( Reply#: 7797 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
... My main present was Ideal's "ROBERT the ROBOT" (center), and the SEARCHLIGHT TRUCK, partially visible to the left of Robert (as opposed to "Robbie")...
I got MY Robert the Robot for Christmas 1954. When you wound the small record player in his back, he recited:
I am Robert Robot,
Mechanical Man.
Drive me and steer me
Wherever you can.
I am Robert Robot,
Mechanical Man.
Several years ago I searched EBay, and there were a number of old Roberts for sale, in various states of dismemberment and disrepair. Ideal Toy Company came out with a limited edition reissue, for $ 75. I was tempted; but decided to make do merely with photos.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
12-25-2011
( Reply#: 7803 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
BILL--
Even back in '56, we cracked up at the way the freaky Robert Robot recording pronounced the word "mechanical" as MEE-chanical.
I am NOT a toy, comic book, etc. collector...but I do try to acquire the things that we had in the golden days of our youth on
Magoun Avenue. Here's most of my collection of stuff we had as kids, covered by several inches of dust on my piano.
(very few of these items are our originals)
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/ToysPiano.jpg[/IMG]
L to R: a couple of frame-tray puzzles, one of which--a puzzle that illustrates the FOUR SEASONS, was an iconic item in early '58
(it belonged to Nancy; we've since found 3 excellent copies of it).
---A great model kit ("G.I. BATTLE ACTION"), the rectangular box with the painting on the cover, by Revell; Mike got it for Christmas of '57
from our Uncle George (sent it from California). We liked it so much that my dad bought a second set for me. He would sit and paint
the soldiers by hand while telling us about his own war experience and explaining the various weapons, etc and how they worked. Unfortunately,
the set in the photo above, which I bought for $20, is almost totally trashed; only the box is in good shape. I saw a complete, untouched set
of these soldiers on E-bay a few years ago--the bidding was furious, and quickly soared out of my range.
Turns out the guy who was selling the set was located in Munster.
--in the back, a number of unassembled Aurora figure models from the late '50's: the Red Knight & Black Knight
(in their original-release boxes), and the very rare 1958 Aurora Viking.
--There's Robert the Robot in the middle (I bought him from a friend about 20 years ago, in the original box, for $25;
the recorded-voice thing actually worked...barely).
--A trio of "Satellite Men" on and around Robert; bought 'em at Stern's Hardware on Indy Blvd in summer of '58.
---My ONE AND ONLY ORIGINAL Miller Alien...yes, it's the bizarre (please don't say it...) URANUS, under glass!
Only the right forearm is missing from this rare, fragile 1958 original (bought it for $75 about 15 years ago).
---A miniature model, the "TALLY-HO COACH" by Revell (meticulously designed).
--The little square cases you can barely see contain the set of
trading cards by comic artist Jack Davis known as "You'll
Die Laughing" (or "Funny Monsters"), released in 1959.
---Remco's BIG MAX industrial-robot machine, which I got for '57 Christmas (this one, which I bought in the original box for
under $20 in Chicago, is incomplete).
--Sitting on Big Max is the KRONOSAURUS from my '57 Christmas MARX DINOSAUR PLAYSET...the only survivor
from this great set (it's our original).
---The ITC (the plastic model division of Ideal Toys) WIRE-HAIRED FOX TERRIER model from their 1960 series of
dog models (Mike bought this one at Pint Size in 1972...still sitting there on the shelf).
You'll also notice a few cut-out figures of mailman, policeman, etc
interspersed with the toys; these were all from the late '50's...the
kind of thing that grade-school teachers would pin on the classroom
bulletin board. Bought them at Whiting News Store about 20 years ago.
I have a few other items, but this is basically it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AGAIN!!
Larry R |
12-25-2011
( Reply#: 7804 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Very nice, Larry!!
Too bad I don't have a working camera, or I'd share a lot of photos with you guys. My collection includes:
books:
Rusty's Space Ship, The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, The Angry Red Planet, Monsters of Old Los Angeles (about the La Brea Tar Pits), all the Tom Corbett series, Danny Orlis and the Angle Inlet Mystery, etc.
models:
Aurora Frankenstein and Dracula
cutaway Vanguard rocket, from Palmer
flying saucer, space station, moon rocket, Vanguard satellite, 3 stage rocket
ITC Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton
complete 1957 Captain Midnight Secret Squadron membership kit (manual, decoder badge, etc.)
my 3 favorite issues of Mad magazine, from 1957
battery of 3 spring-launched Nike rockets from Cheerios
two Great Locomotive Chase cardboard locomotives, from Cheerios
Gilbert microscope and lab set -- the same model I had as a kid
Tinkertoys
American Bricks (the wooden ones)
plus many other treasures, mostly from EBay. If I had my life to live over again, I'd save all those things, instead of discarding when I "outgrew" them. Guess I haven't really outgrown them at all!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
12-26-2011
( Reply#: 7805 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Bill---
Those cardboard Locomotives---were they the old 1870's style trains
that you cut out from the back of the Cheerios box? Haven't seen
those in 50 years! Are they your originals?
Larry |
12-26-2011
( Reply#: 7806 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I posted this elsewhere, but it deserves to be seen again.
Part of an ad from LIFE Magazine, December, 1960---that really captures the feel of Christmas
back then, especially since it looks like the Rexall sign on Indy Blvd just south of 169th.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/RexallAd1960.jpg[/IMG]
.....and to all a good night....
LR |
12-26-2011
( Reply#: 7807 ) |
tom w |
Larry, whats the story on the lamp? Tom W |
12-26-2011
( Reply#: 7809 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
The lamp is one of the few recent, "non-vintage" items in the pic; I ordered it from a catalogue a few years ago. When it's
turned on, the shade reveals this very cool Western/desert/Indian scene in silhouette, which looks a lot like the old stuff
that was so popular in the late 40's- 50's with us kids.
Right now, I'm going to remove the lamp shade, take it outside, and dust it off.
ALSO--- just to the left of the ROBOT (behind the green "Satellite Man") you can see a black and white wooden Totem Pole;
it's an original that my grandmother brought back from a Wisconsin souvenir shop in the summer of 1960.
Also hidden from view in the pic above are my
blue plastic Jiminy Crickett drinking glass and the Remco "Electronic Space Gun" in it's original box.
The little white square item on the lower-right (in front of Big Max is a napkin from a chicken restaurant
in Northern Iceland, where my wife and I went to be married in '86; we just wanted to do something fun and special
for our wedding...so we planned it all out in advance (without telling any of our relatives, though), hopped on a plane and did it!
Larry |
12-29-2011
( Reply#: 7825 ) |
Little Stevie |
After meeting with Larry and his sister, Nancy, @ HOP Tuesday
Larry suggested I post a few more photos from our times back on Magoun.
My wife, Dawn, and sister Carolyn, joined us.
We determined that it had been almost 50 years since Nancy & I had seen each other since they moved from Magoun in March of '62.
As I stated earlier here, after talking to Nancy on Larry's cell phone back in July or August, it seemed as though I had just talked to her a couple of days earlier.
Well. . . when I saw her for the first time in almost fifty years . . . and looked into her eyes. . . . I knew I had been reunited with a long, lost friend, taken from my youth.
I wondered again why we, the Kushes & Rapchaks, didn't keep in touch all those years.
And how different life would have been on Magoun, had the Rapchak's not moved.
(Pause here for a moment of Reflection)
Ok, time to move on . . .
These photos must have been taken in November of '58, since they were
with the Thanksgiving photos I posted earlier.
If you look closely,
You'll see the "Serenade" sign, sideways, behind the house, directly across the street, were Larry's grandparents once lived. A little to the left of the chimney.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg571.jpg[/IMG]_______ [IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg572.jpg[/IMG]
Little Stevie ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Bev & Little Stevie
This one is of my dad after shoveling the snow, clearing the way for
Little Stevie's 4th Birthday! February of '59
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg631.jpg[/IMG]___________________[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg632.jpg[/IMG]
LS |
12-29-2011
( Reply#: 7826 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
So THAT'S what was going on during dinner on Tuesday!? All I knew was that I was enjoying the company, the conversation,
and the BEST DAMN' PIZZA in the county! House o' Pizza hasn't changed its recipe since it opened in '54 and they continue to do
great business; I'm sure the two are related.
Christmas of '61 would be the last one we Rapchaks spent in our house on Magoun. That's exactly 50 years
(yep, one half-century) ago.
And, as you point out, there's the top of the Serenade Drive-In that's visible over the roof of the house across the street
in your pics. Sooner or later, though, we're going to have to come up with something better than just
an occasional peek at the place.
Also, love the pic of you on your birthday; did Burger King ever contact you about royalties for modeling their cardboard
crown many years before it ever appeared on the market?
Larry
PS - Four candles on the cake means February of '59, right? |
12-29-2011
( Reply#: 7827 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
So THAT'S what was going on during dinner on Tuesday!? All I knew was that I was enjoying the company, the conversation,
and the BEST DAMN' PIZZA in the county! House o' Pizza hasn't changed its recipe since it opened in '54 and they continue to do
great business; I'm sure the two are related.
Christmas of '61 would be the last one we Rapchaks spent in our house on Magoun. That's exactly 50 years
(yep, one half-century) ago.
And, as you point out, there's the top of the Serenade Drive-In that's visible over the roof of the house across the street
in your pics.
Sooner or later, though, we're going to have to come up with something better than just an occasional peek at the place.
Also, love the pic of you on your birthday; did Burger King ever contact you about royalties for modeling their cardboard
crown many years before it ever appeared on the market?
Larry
PS - Four candles on the cake means February of '59, right?
Yep!That's what was going on . . . in my mind anyway.
Didn't mean to shake your concentration while reading my post. . .but. . uhh. .
I stated "Feb. '59" right above the picture Lar.
Hope Nancy enjoyed the evening as much as I/we did!
LS |
12-30-2011
( Reply#: 7828 ) |
BobK |
Larry, any relationship to Ray Rapchak? http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/hammond-club-brings-celebrities-convenience/article_ab4b2c38-480b-5be7-9c69-85c84a040943.html
Bob
|
12-31-2011
( Reply#: 7829 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Bob--
For the longest time I have thought that Ray comes from a completely different strain of Rapchaks.
However just last week, during a conversation with an old family friend, I found out that Ray is apparently related
by marriage. He is the SON of the SECOND WIFE of my COUSIN Randy who is the son of my late UNCLE BOB (the youngest
of my dad's siblings--he's in the group pic on page SEVEN of this thread--
the Hammond cop who died in 1971 at age 41). So Ray is my cousin Randy's son
by marriage to his second wife...and her father is apparently a major hotel owner with big connections in Vegas, etc.
I see that Ray is really goin' to town with the current administration in Hammond, which is a good thing...as long as they
are helping to lift the quality of life and business in the Hammond area, and aren't stomping all over other people in order to do it.
I read a while back that Ray's new place is supposed to feature a shark tank, and that that freaky creep
Perez Hilton is supposed to stop in...there's a good joke in there somewhere about sharks, but I'm too tired to attempt it.
My Uncle Bob was ONE OF THE GREATEST GUYS WHO EVER WALKED THE EARTH..and I hope that the new Rapchak enterprises
do justice to his memory, especially since there is a connection between the two by marriage (I could give a crap about my
own reputation). Maybe I'll stop into the new place sometime, introduce myself, and see how long it takes for me to get bounced out.
INCIDENTALLY----
Ray R. is obviously an enterprising guy, since a recent establishment
in downtown Hammond proudly proclaims the (adopted) family name:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/RapchakBuilding.jpg[/IMG]
Pretty weird driving through the town and seeing your name in big honkin' letters on a wall; the place apparently houses
the (somewhat controversial) Hammond Legal Aid Clinic.
Larry |
12-31-2011
( Reply#: 7830 ) |
tom w |
Thanks Lar. I asked you the Hammond cop question a coupla years ago. Just because of the unusual last name. Way back somewhere, he and I were friends. Sorry to hear of his passing.
On the subject of fighting city hall, If anyone knew of the reporter who faithfully fought city hall for years and mysteriously died in a fire in Horth Hammond recently, that was my cousin, Marsha Hahney.
On lighter note, everyone please have a safe and healthy New Year. Tom W |
12-31-2011
( Reply#: 7831 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
My Uncle Bob was ONE OF THE GREATEST GUYS WHO EVER WALKED THE EARTH..and I hope that the new Rapchak enterprises
do justice to his memory, especially since there is a connection between the two by marriage (I could give a crap about my
own reputation). Maybe I'll stop into the new place sometime, introduce myself, and see how long it takes for me to get bounced out.
Larry
Wadda ya mean you could give a crap 'bout your reputation?
YOU'RE darn tootin you better give a crap!!!
I'm proud to tell folks that Lawrence Rapchak,a man of many talents, including:
accomplished musician, Music Director, Conductor, filmmaker, Preserver of the Past, (how's that for a phrase!) former Magoun Ave. Hooligan
and general all-round "Nice Guy" is a friend of plain, (can't really use the word "little" here) old me!
Anytime youse wanna go to da joint, lemme no, Eyes be glad to go wit cha!
We check id oud, if we doan like it, maybe we bust up da joint!
Next week! Afta da fire!
LS
P.S. Say "Hello" to your sisters for me. (and mom)
and
HAPPY 2012
TO ALL HERE ON
SHEPTALK! |
12-31-2011
( Reply#: 7832 ) |
S C Jones |
Happy New Year to youse guys, too! |
12-31-2011
( Reply#: 7833 ) |
wvcogs |
Out here in my current home state of West Virginia that would be:
Happy New Year to all y'all |
12-31-2011
( Reply#: 7834 ) |
Little Stevie |
VERY IRONIC story here tied to Larry's above post:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/cops-drunk-clubgoer-from-munster-killed-lansing-grandfather-in-wreck/article_1714cd78-44c5-503e-a137-ac9a946b0e34.html
LS |
01-01-2012
( Reply#: 7835 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
WELL, the new Rapchak/Downtown Hammond Club is off to a flying start....
Nice way to ring in the New Year.
If the drunk dude in the photo is a patron of the club, I'd be interested to see the bouncer.
And on and on.....
Very sorry for the family of the victim.
In any case, wishing a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of youse' Sheptalk folks.
There's more fun posts on the way!
Larry r |
01-04-2012
( Reply#: 7849 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Back on Page 5 of this thread, "Lil'" Stevie posted a link to a site which lists historic, pre-Depression homes
in the Woodmar area. I made the following comment on one of the Magoun Avenue houses:
Pics #4 and 6 in the article
were on the next block south of us. I always liked #4 ("International style of design"), with its balconies
and brick-glass windows.
And here's a recent shot of the home, on the 7200 block of Magoun. I always thought it would be fun to live there.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP00082.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
01-04-2012
( Reply#: 7850 ) |
S C Jones |
Interesting house--my first thought was that it looks like a dentist's office.
SC |
01-05-2012
( Reply#: 7851 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
RE: they old-toys-on-the-piano pic posted above.....
Here's a better look at the "Seasons" puzzle that my sister got
sometime shortly after Christmas, in early 1958---which was probably
the absolute greatest period from my Magoun years. I was in first grade at OLPH,
and everything just seemed to "come together" for me
at this point. It seemed like there was always something new,
fascinating and fun coming into the house during this time, and this
puzzle was one of the coolest:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SeasonsPuzz.jpg[/IMG]
It was made by the Built-Rite company sometime in the mid-50's, though some of the artwork (like the kid
playing marbles in the SPRING panel) looks older in style. But we were absolutely fascinated by this thing.
You can see that it was divided into four sections, and each one had a special "icon" puzzle piece:
Winter - Snowman
Spring - Butterfly
Summer - Ice Cream Cone
Fall - Apple w/ Worm
Each season also had a piece in the shape of a thermometer, a very clever idea; we especially liked the
Fall one wearing a fedora and roasting a weenie.
Our original was trashed decades ago, but I found one in a pile of old puzzles out in a St. Charles, Il
toy convention/sale about 20 years ago; since then, Nancy and I have snagged two more off of E-Bay.
I also have a similar puzzle by Built-Rite and the same artist that's designed as a CALENDAR
with all 12 months, each one with its own icon piece.
Simple pleasures from a much simpler time.
LR |
01-05-2012
( Reply#: 7852 ) |
Tom J |
I like that puzzle a LOT, Lar. It is cool! I can see why you liked it so much.
Tosmter |
01-09-2012
( Reply#: 7872 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
However just last week, during a conversation with an old family friend, I found out that Ray is apparently related
by marriage. He is the SON of the SECOND WIFE of my COUSIN Randy who is the son of my late UNCLE BOB....
RE: my recent comments on the new Rapchak-operated night club in Hammond---
Here's a cool pic of my Uncle Bob (not a cop as of yet when this was taken at the 4th of July parade
in Whiting, 1960. He's holding his daughter Patti, and his son Randy is seated on the right.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/UncleBob600001.jpg[/IMG]
That would be Randy whose second wife's son is the RAY Rapchak of current Hammond lore (the cops are now
investigating his nightclub regarding the drunk-driving death reported above). When the new club was originally
announced, I got the impression it was to be a smoking/lounge/bar joint---fireplace, cigars, fine wine, big leather
chairs, etc...which made some sense. Apparently not---it's a "hip", cutting-edge, glitzy Vegas/L.A.-style hangout....
in downtown Hammond, fer' Pete's sake?! With a drunk-driving death already connected to it on its first night in operation?
My Uncle Bob is STILL fondly, warmly remembered by everyone in town who knew him--40 years after his death.
Is CLUB AQUAVOR going to be his family's legacy in the Region, I wonder?
LR
|
01-09-2012
( Reply#: 7876 ) |
Little Stevie |
Let's hope not Lar,
Is it me or do I see a remarkable resemblance between you and your cousin Randy?
LS |
01-09-2012
( Reply#: 7877 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Let's hope not Lar,
Is it me or do I see a remarkable resemblance between you and your cousin Randy?
LS
I agree with your observation, Stevie. Same shape head, same hair cut---and those
cooooool shades. I thought for sure the description would say that was our own
symphonic conductor, Mr. Rapchak.
SC |
01-09-2012
( Reply#: 7878 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
And what resemblance do youse' guys see in THIS pic?
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MikeR19290001.jpg[/IMG]
Larry |
01-09-2012
( Reply#: 7879 ) |
S C Jones |
A most serious young man and handsome, too. Oh, and he resembles the Rapchaks. |
01-10-2012
( Reply#: 7883 ) |
Little Stevie |
By the looks of it and age of the photo, I'm guessing that it is either Mike Rapchak Sr. or his bro' Bob!
LS |
01-11-2012
( Reply#: 7894 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
YEP---It's Big Mike Sr. himself in 1929 (age 9).
Here he is some years later (Feb, 1955)
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MikeINPERSON.jpg[/IMG]
Larry |
01-11-2012
( Reply#: 7897 ) |
Little Stevie |
MAN! Larry! Youse are a spittin' image of your dad!
Hey! Looking at the above publicity photo, I realized something!
Depending on when it was taken in Febuary, (I'm guessing on the 3rd, before his broadcast),
his SMiLE is enchanced by the news, his neighbor, Mrs. Kush, had just given birth to a son, Little Stevie, at 11:11 A.M. that morning!
LS |
01-11-2012
( Reply#: 7898 ) |
S C Jones |
"There is no mistaking a Rapchak man"
[:)]SC
|
01-11-2012
( Reply#: 7900 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
THAT'S _____ING AMAZING!!
At first, I was just going to give an approximate year for this pic.
But I googled "Feb 1955 Calendar" to see if, in fact, Feb 3rd of '55 was a Thursday...
which it was....and which confirms the year this pic was taken.
I'd guess that the photo WAS taken the first of the two days mentioned on the poster.
More astounding historical "cross-currents" discovered here on Sheptalk.
Larry
PS--- RE: my resemblance to my father----here's an image from a
certain You-Tube Christmas video...channeling the spirit of Mike, Sr.
as the typical mid-'50's dad---ALONGSIDE my famous dad.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58MikeCommunion0001-1-1-1.jpg[/IMG] |
01-11-2012
( Reply#: 7902 ) |
Little Stevie |
Yeah! the video that started it all for me here at sheptalk!
Your dad couldn't have played the part any better!
LS |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7911 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
IN HONOR of today's FIRST REAL SNOWFALL OF THE 2011-12 WINTER SEASON:
Here's a couple of classic Magoun Avenue dudes from early, wintry 1955---
'49 Chevy, shades, and Teddy Bears.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Winter.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7912 ) |
wvcogs |
And on the chimney across the street is a TV antenna to pick up channels 2, 5, 7, and 9.
Ken |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7913 ) |
S C Jones |
Corduroy slacks and shiny shoes. |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7914 ) |
tom w |
The Blues Brothers for sure. Tom W |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7915 ) |
Little Stevie |
Sure looks like
it was a real "white-out", wind-driven snowstorm youse had back then!
Must be at least one inch of the white stuff!
LS |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7916 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
And on the chimney across the street is a TV antenna to pick up channels 2, 5, 7, and 9.
Ken
Ok, I think we might have discussed this in another thread, but let's see if I get the network affiliations right.
2 = CBS
5 = NBC
7 = ABC
9 = WGN Independent
Do I have it right? Is it still like that today? |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7917 ) |
S C Jones |
Tom, the only one I remember for sure is WGN Channel 9
Didn't we have a channel 7, also? something like WTTW????
|
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7918 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
And on the chimney across the street is a TV antenna to pick up channels 2, 5, 7, and 9.
Ken
Ok, I think we might have discussed this in another thread, but let's see if I get the network affiliations right.
2 = CBS
5 = NBC
7 = ABC
9 = WGN Independent
Do I have it right? Is it still like that today?
Yeah Tom, that's right! WTTW was the public station paid for by viewers like you!
Channel 11 in Chicago!
Here's a question for all youse who drove around Pow-Wow, The Serenade & Kelly's:
Was this the song on the radio back then?
(TURN UP THE VOLUMNE!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWesxME9Cto&feature=related
LS |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7919 ) |
Little Stevie |
Or was it this song?
Great music for a cold NWI day/night!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXOfYw22A8U&feature=related
LS |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7920 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
IN HONOR of today's FIRST REAL SNOWFALL OF THE 2011-12 WINTER SEASON:
Here's a couple of classic Magoun Avenue dudes from early, wintry 1955---
'49 Chevy, shades, and Teddy Bears.
LR
Two Cool Dudes, Man!
Two Cool Dudes!
LS |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7921 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Here's a question for all youse who drove around Pow-Wow, The Serenade & Kelly's:
Was this the song on the radio back then?
(TURN UP THE VOLUMNE!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWesxME9Cto&feature=related
LS
This Beach Boys hits, "I Get Around," and the one mentioned in the next post, "Fun, Fun, Fun," were for youse younger guys. Both were released in 1964.
Also, WTTW (Window to the World) went on the air on September 6, 1955.
Ken |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7922 ) |
Bill Bucko |
WTTW = "Window to the World"
the CBS station was WBBM
On both channels I watched science shows by Dr. Dan Q. Posin, "noted author, lecturer, and professor of physics at DePaul University," who hosted slightly wacky kid-oriented programs such as "Out of This World," "Dr. Posin's Universe," and "Dr. Posin's Giants." Slightly wacky, because he made his own funny sound effects (such as "Varroooom-whoooshh!") and allowed his black cat, Minerva Q. Posin, to stroll across the set or settle down among the planets on the big solar system model any time she wanted to.
Another great kids' TV icon I mentioned in another thread, long ago, but don't think I got any response: Uncle Johnny Coons, who hosted a noon show for kids. He'd hold up a glass of milk, say "Here's how," take a sip, and show cartoons.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-13-2012
( Reply#: 7923 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Sure looks like
it was a real "white-out", wind-driven snowstorm youse had back then!
Must be at least one inch of the white stuff!
LS
Steve-- That's because Mother Nature was waitin' for you to blow into town on Feb 3, '55.
Tom W--- Yeah, I never thought of the Blues Brothers:
"It's 100 miles to Woodmar;
We got Teddy Bears,
It's winter,
And we're wearin' sun-glasses.
HIT IT."
RE: TV STATIONS --
I think the Chicago local letters were:
Channel 2 - WBBM
Channel 5 - WMAQ
Channel 7 - WBKB
LR |
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7924 ) |
Little Stevie |
Since it's Saturday,
I thought I'd share a very fond "Magoun Ave. Memory" of mine that was very personal:
Here's a photo taken in July of '59, I believe.
John Surowiec Sr., my mother's father, was the only Grandpa I ever knew.
My Dad's father, Michael Kush, died before I was born.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Grandpame.jpg[/IMG]
Grandpa Surowiec had 14 grandchildren, 12 of which were boys.
Yep . . . Little Stevie was the only grandson with sisters, older sisters at that.
I dunno if he knew the "abuse" I was taking from . . .ohhh. . . the older sisters. . . uhhh. . . the Rapchak Hooligans or if I was just his favorite.
Why do I mention this? Let me tell ya:
As long as I can remember, every Saturday morning, Grandpa would come to our house at 6920 Magoun, with a two layered chocolate cake
with chocolate icing from Golan's Bakery in East Chicago. . . just for Little Stevie!
This was MY cake! Only to be shared if Little Stevie gave permission!
Well, needless to say, I'm sure pieces were given out when Little Stevie was outside playing or at the neighbors getting a shovelful of dirt or water squirted in his face.
But I'm pretty sure no one could have a piece until Little Stevie had a couple pieces or had said it was ok for the sisters to take a piece.
But they got back at me for this. You see, I love chocolate chip cookies, so when the girls baked them they made sure to add one ingredent they knew I did not like. . .MINT!
"Oh well. . . guess you don't have to eat them if you don't want to!"
Was the "Washing of the Hands" line they'd give me!
But, every Saturday morning, there was that great moment of expectation, around ten or so, for Grandpa's Plymouth to pull up, watch him get out of the car, carrying the white box with my cake in it!
LS |
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7925 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Nice story; I'm sure your grandfather was a great guy; your own chocolate cake every
Saturday---jeez----what a treat! I might have to run out now and buy me
one of those Entemann Chocolate Fudge Cakes, which I'm finding harder
to resist these days.
Cool picture, too; THAT'S how I remember you from the good old days.
If it was July, '59, that would be about a month after the shovelful
of dirt incident...and a few months before the water-spraying Christmas tree...that is,
smack-dab in the middle of our Reign of Terror. Maybe you should have had your grandfather
stop by and kick our butts.
And I'm sure I remember the t-shirt you're wearing; looks like a pic of Bambi or some other 4-legged critter.
Looks like it says "For a Little Deer" or something like that.
Larry |
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7926 ) |
bobrude |
When I was a little tyke there was also a channel 4 [WBKB]. I think it was from Milwaukee.It may have been replaced by one of the other channels. |
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7927 ) |
BobK |
http://chicagotelevision.com/WBKB.htm
Bob
|
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7929 ) |
wvcogs |
Steve,
That's a very special story. I really appreciate you guys sharing your experiences from 50+ years ago with the rest of us.
Ken |
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7930 ) |
S C Jones |
Lil Stevie,
Thank you for that story of you and your grandfather—a memory to treasure and share. What was his line of work?
You two look alike in the eyes and nose area--at least in that photo.
mmmmm chocolate cake. Gotta get that thought out of my head!
SC
|
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7931 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
Nice story; I'm sure your grandfather was a great guy; your own chocolate cake every
Saturday---jeez----what a treat! I might have to run out now and buy me
one of those Entemann Chocolate Fudge Cakes, which I'm finding harder
to resist these days.
Cool picture, too; THAT'S how I remember you from the good old days.
If it was July, '59, that would be about a month after the shovelful
of dirt incident...and a few months before the water-spraying Christmas tree...that is,
smack-dab in the middle of our Reign of Terror. Maybe you should have had your grandfather
stop by and kick our butts.
And I'm sure I remember the t-shirt you're wearing; looks like a pic of Bambi or some other 4-legged critter.
Looks like it says "For a Little Deer" or something like that.
Larry
Right you are, Larry!
About the tee-shirt!
Here's another photo taken the same day with my younger cousin Bob.
I'm sure we were celebrating my Uncle John's & Grandpa's birthdays. They were both in July.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/LittleStevieCousinBob.jpg[/IMG]
Problem is, I don't know who went to the "Cave of the Mountain" or where ever the shirt came from.
I'll hafta ask the older sisters.
Probably from a vacation they went on w/o Little Stevie!
Sc, he, like all who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900's, LOVED the new country!
He was an orphan from Poland, his father being "taken away", sent to Siberia by the Communists.
All I remember is that he worked as a janitor at Carrie Gosh School in East Chicago, when I was very young.
My mother and I would go pick him up once and a while from work. He'd always bring out a carton of chocolate milk for me to drink on the way home.
LS |
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7933 ) |
S C Jones |
Steve,
Your grandfather, an honest working man who knew what it means to be without a job, a home, and a father. What a legacy he left your family--the most special kind. Oh, and he obviously had a taste for chocolate...
thanks again for your sharing.
SC |
01-14-2012
( Reply#: 7934 ) |
duane |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Or was it this song?
Great music for a cold NWI day/night!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXOfYw22A8U&feature=related
LS
No, it was this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT5e4pua9LI
And while it is not related to Magoun Avenue, here is the great back-story to that single. http://members.fortunecity.com/mindzwarped/links.htm
It shows that back then, the music business was truly a grass-roots type enterprise where your next door neighbor could become a recording star - even if only a one-hit wonder (or is that o-nee-der for you Tom Hanks/That Thing You Do fans?) |
01-15-2012
( Reply#: 7935 ) |
Little Stevie |
Just in case anyone was wondering,
because of the poor quality of the photo above with my cousin, Bob,
that's my Grandpa in the background sitting on a chair.
Ya just can't see his head in this photo!
LS |
01-15-2012
( Reply#: 7936 ) |
S C Jones |
I did wonder. I had not seen him until I zoomed in on the photo. |
01-22-2012
( Reply#: 7972 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I WAS SITTING AROUND TODAY thinking about Woodmar's fabulous HOUSE OF PIZZA (as I often do)....
home of the tastiest pie known to man, and one of the only two private businesses along Indy Blvd from the early days that
is still in operation today (the iconic OLD GLORY TAP is the other, and is listed in the 1948 City Directory [posted above]).
Lil' Stevie and I are going to be doing some research into some of
the businesses on Indy from the glory days of the '50's; we may have
stumbled onto a pretty authentic source for some of this stuff; more
on this as it becomes available.
HOUSE OF PIZZA (or HOP) opened at 7008 Indy sometime in 1954, occupying a single little storefront in one of the new
business-strip complexes about a block south of the legendary SERENADE Drive-In. Gradually, HOP expanded its business
and took over the adjoining storefronts, and now includes spacious dining areas and a bar.
Here's HOP as it looks today, occupying the entire building:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP00312.jpg[/IMG]
AND HERE'S THE SAME BUILDING--from the Purdue Archives---as it looked around 1953, taken from across the street
(east side of Indy), which was still dirt n' weeds:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd5.jpg[/IMG]
At this point, HOP hadn't yet opened in this strip; the businesses in this pic are (L to R): WOODMAR GIFT SHOP,
WOODMAR BAKERY, LLOYD'S FURNITURE, WOODMAR MEN'S SHOP and MILLER REALTY, all original tenants.
If you check my PRESENT-DAY photo above and start from the right edge of the building, you can see where each
of the original five business-spaces starts and ends. I think the current day double-doors of HOP are located where
Woodmar Bakery's south (left) door was.
ANYWAY---House of Pizza's Official address was (and has always been) 7008 Indy; in the original
pic this was the mysterious Lloyd's Furniture of Woodmar.
More to come.
LR |
01-22-2012
( Reply#: 7973 ) |
Tom J |
Lar, this is gonna be GOOD. I didn't even grow up in Hessville, but I still find this stuff interesting. You don't have to be from Hessville to appreciate HOP. I think everyone in Da Region is familiar with that place.
I will also be interested in the other businesses along Indy just for the pure history.
Why don't you start a new thread for this subject? I think it is very worthy of its own thread.
Tom |
01-22-2012
( Reply#: 7974 ) |
duane |
I know this is probably sacriligious, but I've got a question about another pizza shop that opened up across the street in the late 1960's or early 1970's.
First let me redeem myself by saying that House of Pizza was the best. But for a short time many teenagers became enamoured of another pizza place (I think it was called Barton's). I remember they used wine bottles as candle holders. They were those wine bottles with rounded bottoms wrapped in a basket-type fiber. I also think there was a Barton's in Calumet City and perhaps one or two other places. Anybody remember or have any experiences at Barton's? Or any pictures of the building?
Many years later, I think this place became Rosa's pizza, or maybe just Rosa's, but I never ate there after Rosa took over.
And while we are at it, does anyone remember Casandra's coffee house in Hammond? It was somewhere near the downtown library and it was a place to go and listen to folk music performers and hang out. |
01-22-2012
( Reply#: 7975 ) |
Little Stevie |
Well, being the only lifetime Magoun Ave. resident on this here board,
Let me see if I can clear up some of the info from above.
Larry is right about HOP being 7008 since inception. I don't remember Lloyd's but I do remember HOP being strictly a carry-out pizza place in the beginning.
And I do remember that the store front was the Lloyd's location, having to open the door on the north side and watching the pizza makers behind the counter to the south.
HOP opened their first dining room area to the south.
Duane,you are right, Barton's opened on the east side of Indy, north of 169th st.
What year, I'm not sure but it did become the hangout for most of the Gavit students, especially Friday nights after football games.
Barton's first pizza location I knew of was one on Ridge Road in Lansing.
LS |
01-22-2012
( Reply#: 7976 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
This here's Woodmar businesses, so I'm now invoking my Woodmar citizenship, as opposed to my Hessville, which I indulge
in on those other threads.
DUANE---
BARTON's opened in the old TED's Food Store, north of 169th at 6817 Indy (I posted my early Magoun memories about an elephant
in their parking lot somewhere else on this thread). Barton's later became La Rosa's Pizza, which apparently did not attract
a particularly upstanding type of citizen; read about its recent fate (Jan 4, 2012) via this TIMES link:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/la-rosa-restaurant-operator-calls-it-quits-after-shooting/article_871329aa-0a94-5363-990e-2c7dd91e42e0.html
So another great old Woodmar business building gets trashed.
INCIDENTALLY---it's amazing to think that, in the late 50's, there were FIVE FULL-SERVICE GROCERY STORES
in the space of about five city blocks along Indianapolis Blvd in Woodmar:
1.) NATIONAL FOODS at 6650 Indy-south end of Woodmar Shopping Center
2.) TED'S - 6817 Indy
3.) JEWEL - 6933 Indy
4.) VAN TIL's - 7030 Indy
5.) KROGER - 7212 Indy (opened in '59)
Today, in the same stretch--there are none.
LR |
01-23-2012
( Reply#: 7977 ) |
duane |
It could be worse...it could be Detroit, which, from about 2007 until just recently, had NO chain grocery stores...
Detroit will be left without a single national chain supermarket, much less a Wal-Mart or Meijer superstore or a Costco-style warehouse store.
Analysts say no other major city in America is such a supermarket desert. And it's not likely to change anytime soon.
|
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7978 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
INTERESTINGLY......
whoever the person was who went out with a camera one day c. 1953 and took pics of the new stores on Indy Blvd....
he/she happened to do it during the very short period when LLOYD's Furniture of Woodmar was located in the
7008 Indy storefront, PRIOR to the 1954 arrival of HOUSE O' PIZZA in the same space ~
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd8.jpg[/IMG]
A real rarity, courtesy of the Purdue Archives. Without this photo, nobody would know the place ever existed.
LR |
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7979 ) |
seejay2 |
quote]Originally posted by duane
It could be worse...it could be Detroit, which, from about 2007 until just recently, had NO chain grocery stores...
Detroit will be left without a single national chain supermarket, much less a Wal-Mart or Meijer superstore or a Costco-style warehouse store.
Analysts say no other major city in America is such a supermarket desert. And it's not likely to change anytime soon.
[/quote]
Have you ever been to that Godforsaken city? No one in their right mind would even attempt to open a productive business there. It wouldn't last. It would be robbed, plundered or destroyed in some way, but it would not last at all...Cj[ |
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7980 ) |
Little Stevie |
A really interesting
marketing concept there in the Lloyd's photo!
"Let's just throw everything in the front window, kinda hodge-podge like,
stick up a few "Open for Business" signs and see what happens!"
LS |
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7981 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
A really interesting
marketing concept there in the Lloyd's photo!
"Let's just throw everything in the front window, kinda hodge-podge like,
stick up a few "Open for Business" signs and see what happens!"
LS
May have been on of the first, if not the first TV-in-the-kid's-room concept! |
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7982 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AND I HAD TO SEARCH FAR-AND-WIDE FOR ANY REFERENCE (other than the Purdue photos)
to confirm that LLOYD'S FURNITURE actually existed and occupied the 7008 Indy Blvd space;
NONE of the Hammond City Directories that I checked from the period or the white pages listed it.
But I DID find a single listing in the Yellow Pages of the 1954 Hammond phone book:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/LloydsListing0001.jpg[/IMG]
---even though HOUSE OF PIZZA would be listed at the same address--
7008 Indy Blvd----by the end of that year.
I don't even recall that "RUSSELL" phone exchange; only TILDEN and
WESTMORE.
yes..that's a cool little TV displayed in Lloyd's window; we had one
something like it in our basement at 6912 Magoun.
AND CHECK THE REFLECTIONS in LLOYD'S WINDOW---BEFORE the Jewel Food Store
was built across the street. Looks like that big apartment
building that's one block EAST of Indy on 169th and Olcott.
LR |
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7983 ) |
BobK |
You can make out Lloyd's next to the bakery in the previous photo.
My late uncle's business on Calumet was Russell 5353.
Bob
|
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7984 ) |
tom w |
Larry Bartons pizza had quite a past as well. The owner was so paranoid about his secret recipe that he made every employee get out of the kitchen when he made it. If you peeked in, you were fired. He carried 5 phones and beepers at all times. The Bartons in Cal City was owned by his parents. as well as Bartons on Calumet Avenue. Before Urban Renewal took all of the houses on Truman and Trankle Court and that area between Michigan and the tracks, we used to go to the house behind Bartons and buy our Christmas tree. That was the old mans too. Tom W |
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7985 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by tom w
Larry Bartons pizza had quite a past as well. The owner was so paranoid about his secret recipe that he made every employee get out of the kitchen when he made it. If you peeked in, you were fired. He carried 5 phones and beepers at all times. He was allegedly charged with murder and his lawyer got him off. That may have been a rumor. The Bartons in Cal City was owned by his parents. as well as Bartons on Calumet Avenue. Before Urban Renewal took all of the houses on Truman and Trankle Court and that area between Michigan and the tracks, we used to go to the house behind Bartons and buy our Christmas tree. That was the old mans too. Tom W
Talk about "paranoid"
The Dyer store was one of my stops in the 80's & early 90's.
The guy who ran it was as "hyper" or "paranoid" as anyone could get! Bill was his name. I think he was a Barton also. Might of been a cop somewheres too at one time.
LS |
01-24-2012
( Reply#: 7986 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Larry,
me thinks we need to do a little more "investigating" on the building reflection in Lloyd's window.
Although I think you're right about it being the apartment building on Olcott, something tells me the angle isn't correct.
Plus, the image looks too close to be a block away.
If the 2 window panes were angled from each end, outward towards the center brace,
then the apartment building would be in the right position.
Thing is, I can't remember how the windows were situated.
Also, it may not be the orginal in the new photo, but the utility pole behind HOP is in the exact spot in both photos!
Maybe we could cut it down & count the rings to see if it is the orginal!
We might just have to snoop around the "hood" again and discuss our findings over "you-know-what" in the near future!
LS |
01-25-2012
( Reply#: 7987 ) |
tom w |
Tom J Thanks again.
Steve Yup, That would be Barry. The son. Tom W |
01-25-2012
( Reply#: 7988 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Plus, the image looks too close to be a block away.
If the 2 window panes were angled from each end, outward towards the center brace, then the apartment building would be in the right position.
LS
LS -- On the Google maps street view, these windows appear to be the ones on the west side of the apartment building.
Ken |
01-25-2012
( Reply#: 7989 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE ARE THE Purdue Archive pics of the other two main businesses in the Lloyd's/House of Pizza strip:
WOODMAR BAKERY (7010 Indy) -
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd7.jpg[/IMG]
AND MILLER REALTY (7002 Indy) -
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd6.jpg[/IMG]
THE REFLECTION/ANGLE OF THE BUILDINGS ACROSS THE STREET BECOME EVE MORE CONFUSING!
(Note the same apartment complex AND the big CHAPMAN Cleaner's sign visible in the Miller Window).
LR |
01-25-2012
( Reply#: 7990 ) |
BobK |
I think the building reflected in the window now houses Sabor A Mexico II.
Bob
|
01-25-2012
( Reply#: 7991 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
I think the building reflected in the window now houses Sabor A Mexico II.
Bob
You're right Bob. The reflection in the window shows the same upstairs windows that appear in the Google street view. That's the building that appeared in the Indy Blvd. photo on page 6 of this thread that was taken for the 1959 Morton yearbook. |
01-26-2012
( Reply#: 7993 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
GUYS,
Check the Purdue shot of the girl's crossing Indy Blvd on page FIVE of this thread, and you'll see
the two-story CHAPMAN building just over the top of the cars in the foreground.
I'll have to check out the scene again sometime, and maybe take a photo from the House of Pizza side
of the street looking across Indy. I think Bobs' right about Sabor de Mexico being in the old CHAPMAN Cleaner's building.
ALSO--check out the extreme right edge of the MILLER REALTY pic above---looks like another tantalizing glimpse
of the SERENADE DRIVE-IN's property...
-------------------------------------------------------
ONCE AGAIN, here's the pic of the entire strip, PRIOR ot House 'O Pizza's arrival:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd5.jpg[/IMG]
7012 Indy - WOODMAR GIFT SHOP
7010 Indy - WOODMAR BAKERY(soon to be re-named "Patty-Cake Bakery")
7008 Indy - LLOYD'S FURNITURE(soon to be "House of Pizza")
7006 Indy - WOODMAR MEN'S STORE*
7002 Indy - MILLER REALTY
* 7006 Indy changed hands frequently; in this pic ('53?) it was
Woodmar Men's Store; in 1958, it was Jacques' Beauty Salon, and in
1961, Miller Realty took it over.
LR |
01-26-2012
( Reply#: 7994 ) |
Little Stevie |
The extreme right edge in the Miller photo looks to be the garage door of Carstensen's which sold lawnmowers and other outdoor power equipment.
It may not have been Carstensen's at the time though.
LS |
01-26-2012
( Reply#: 7996 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
You're right; there was a whole half-block between Serenade and Miller Realty. In fact, the '54 Directory lists Carstensen's Auto
Sales and Repair at 6950 Indy (plus another business listed as "Melody confr" (?) at 6934, which would be listed as "vacant" by
'58).
Larry |
02-02-2012
( Reply#: 8001 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HEY, LOOKIE' HERE.....
It's a Yellow Pages ad from the "Pizza" section from 1960-61 (WRONG!!--see posts on next page[:(!]) with HOP and
a few other notable Region establishments.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/YellowPagesHouseoPizza0001.jpg[/IMG]
How many different ways can you draw an EYE-talian chef?
LR |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8002 ) |
Tom J |
That Cande's ad shows their address as 6310 Kennedy Avenue. When did they move to 165th?
Was there a fire or an explosion at either of those locations?
Tom |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8003 ) |
seejay2 |
I don't remember exactly when they moved, but I'll guess somewhere mid-60's. I never knew the place when it was on Kennedy.
Yes, it was destroyed by an explosion and fire some time in the early 70's at the 165th address...Cj |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8004 ) |
wvcogs |
LR, Cj, and Tom -- If that ad was in the 1960-61 Yellow Pages, someone forgot to change Cande's address. Cande's moved to 2844 165th Street in 1958. In 1961, Sawyer's Bar-B-Q Restaurant was at the 6310 Kennedy Avenue address.
Ken |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8005 ) |
S C Jones |
And, in early 60s the 165th location was bought by one of the Ventrellas and still
had the great Italian Beef sandwich. I am not sure the name changed that early, though--I don't remember a name change on the sign or building when I last visited and found that a Ventrella owned it.
|
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8006 ) |
seejay2 |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
LR, Cj, and Tom -- If that ad was in the 1960-61 Yellow Pages, someone forgot to change Cande's address. Cande's moved to 2844 165th Street in 1958. In 1961, Sawyer's Bar-B-Q Restaurant was at the 6310 Kennedy Avenue address.
Ken
Wow, that's a lot earlier than I thought.
I don't even remember Sawyer's either. Geez, where have I been??...Cj |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8007 ) |
Tom J |
All I can say for sure is that my family used to get the world's greatest Italian beef sandwiches at Cande's and the restaurant was located on 165th St. I can also say for sure that this was during the 1960s, but how far back into the 60s it was I'm not sure. I think I can safely say that as far back as 1962, when I was 13, Candes was on 165th.
Tom |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8008 ) |
wvcogs |
Yep, those are the dates.
Ken... |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8009 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
And, in early 60s the 165th location was bought by one of the Ventrellas and still had the great Italian Beef sandwich. I am not sure the name changed that early, though--I don't remember a name change on the sign or building when I last visited and found that a Ventrella owned it.
In the Top Hat yearbook ads, it was still Cande's in 1967, the latest book I have. An advertising picture of the restaurant showing a Ventrella's sign was posted on the Planet Hammond page of Facebook. No date was included with that picture.
Ken... |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8010 ) |
S C Jones |
Ken,
You know, as I think more about it, and with your input from the Top Hat, my last visit may have been several years later than I have been stating.
My Dad moved from Hammond sometime around 1967--but I was back a couple times getting my niece and nephews for vacation in the south.
As usual, your research and input is valuable.
SC
|
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8011 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
LET'S NOT FORGET OUR SCHOLARLY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT da' REGION's PIZZA PARLORS on the "Hessville Map" thread (near the bottom of page 1; lots of street directories, etc).
In the meantime---in honor of our pal LITTLE STEVIE'S BIRTHDAY [:D], here's MORE
PIZZA-CENTRIC YELLOW PAGE ADS & LISTINGS from the Hammond phone book ~
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/YellowPagesPIZZA0001.jpg[/IMG]
I forgot to mark down the YEAR of this page; it's probably 1959, since CANDE'S has moved to
165th St which, as Ken mentions, was in 1958.
Looks like House'o Pizza also had a LANSING location at this time.
--------------------------------------------------------------
[?]LR, Cj, and Tom -- If that ad was in the 1960-61 Yellow Pages, someone forgot to change Cande's address.
Cande's moved to 2844 165th Street in 1958.
KEN---- you're right! I blew it[xx(]!
The Yellow Pages Pizza section (in my previous post from 2/02/12 above) was from May of 1957,
not 60-61 as I stated. So, you are correct--Candes was still at 6310 Kennedy. So much for careful research.
ALSO-- You might recall (from the Hessville Map discussions) my raving about the BEST PIZZA of all time...
RICCARDI's, which ultimately moved into the old CANDE's location at 6310 Kennedy In the mid '60's;
HERE IT IS (above) in an earlier location at 7028 Kennedy (near Bocken Funeral Home).
I am so damned hungry now, just thinking about all of this....[:p]
LR |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8012 ) |
S C Jones |
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday DEAR Stevie
Happy Birthday to you.
AND MANY MOOOOOOOOORE!
|
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8013 ) |
Tom J |
Yeah, Happy Birthday, Stevie! |
02-03-2012
( Reply#: 8014 ) |
Little Stevie |
THANK YOU, THANK YOU All!
for the birthday wishes! It's been a great 57 revolutions around the sun!
We celebrated by dining not on pizza, but rib eye steak at the "Lighthouse" in Cedar Lake. By far, the best steak I've had!
Garlic mashed potatoes and a cup of french onion soup as sides!
I highly recommend the place!
Again, thank you to my "sheptalk" pals for remembering!
And a special "Thank You" to that former Magoun Ave. Hooligan, Larry! Had he not created his "I'm gettin' nuthin' for Christmas" video a year ago, it's likely I would have never met such a great group of people! |
02-04-2012
( Reply#: 8015 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AND HERE'S A YELLOW PAGES AD for the PATTY CAKE BAKERY, located next door to House of Pizza
(taken from the 1960-61 phone book).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/YellowPagesPATTY-CAKEBakery0001.jpg[/IMG]
I wonder why the girl has her thumb up her nose; odd choice by the artist.
LR |
02-04-2012
( Reply#: 8016 ) |
S C Jones |
I wonder why the girl has her thumb up her nose; odd choice by the artist.
LR
Do you remember the Seinfeld episode? She has her thumb beside her nose, scratching an itch, I am sure. [:)]
SC |
02-04-2012
( Reply#: 8017 ) |
BobK |
I think she's sucking the icing from the cake off of her thumb.
Bob
|
02-04-2012
( Reply#: 8018 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
...I worked at Foster's Music as a sales-dork from late August-to early December, 1967... right when I started my junior year at Morton at the newly opened school.
The guy on the right was one of the old-time salesmen from the store;
the other two "customers"---pressed into service for the photo--- were
one of the saleswomen from the first floor and...can you guess the identity of the freaky-fruity guy on the left? [:p]
LR
YEAH, The old-time salesman's name was Bill, I believe. My friend and I used to go into the guitar department on the South side of the store and drool over those "old" Gibsons. He even bought a few guitar cases so that he could slip a guitar into them and walk out with a receipt and Bill's smiling wave. I never had the guts to steal anything myself.
Tommy |
02-05-2012
( Reply#: 8019 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by tommy51
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
...I worked at Foster's Music as a sales-dork from late August-to early December, 1967... right when I started my junior year at Morton at the newly opened school.
The guy on the right was one of the old-time salesmen from the store;
the other two "customers"---pressed into service for the photo--- were
one of the saleswomen from the first floor and...can you guess the identity of the freaky-fruity guy on the left? [:p]
LR
YEAH, The old-time salesman's name was Bill, I believe. My friend and I used to go into the guitar department on the South side of the store and drool over those "old" Gibsons. He even bought a few guitar cases so that he could slip a guitar into them and walk out with a receipt and Bill's smiling wave. I never had the guts to steal anything myself.
Tommy
My guess is that it was the presence of morals rather than the absence of courage that kept you from stealing, Tommy. |
02-05-2012
( Reply#: 8020 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
RE: FOSTER'S MUSIC OF WOODMAR (photo on page 6 of this thread)
Tommy--
I think the salesman in that picture was named ED (maybe?); typical little book-wormy guy who sold pianos in the 2nd floor
showroom. I rarely spoke with him.
The salesman you're thinking of was BILL DUFFY, a big, kindly old guy whose office was on the south end of the building
in the front, which I think was the guitar department. Bill reminded me a lot of NED LOCKE (Ringmaster Ned on Bozo'z Circus);
I'd go in and talk with him often, and he always seemed weary, as if he couldn't wait to retire. Another friend
of Bill's (and mine) was a younger salesman (with brown hair and a moustache) named John Shotliff. The three of us were
chatting in Bill's office when I told them I had decided to quit the joint, to which John replied "Good; there's still hope for you
to become a real musician...". They both congratulated me, since they saw the place as a total dead-end.
Larry |
02-06-2012
( Reply#: 8021 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
A FAVORITE PIC OF MINE-- taken on Halloween Day, 1954. Mike, our mom, and me in the black '50 Chevy.
Mike definitely looks happier than I do.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Car.jpg[/IMG]
NOTE: One of my few public appearances wearing the omni-present leather hat with flaps in their "up" position.
LR |
02-06-2012
( Reply#: 8022 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
THE YEAR WAS 1954.....
and the fashion-conscious Rapchaks were certainly au courant in terms of winter-wear:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/CommieSoldier-2-1.jpg[/IMG]
|
02-06-2012
( Reply#: 8023 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hate to say. . . . but . . .
kinda got that "Adolf" styled haircut there, don't cha? |
02-07-2012
( Reply#: 8024 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE---
Yeah, somethin' weird was going on, but I was too young to do anything about the way I was dressed (or "coiffed").
Considering the post-WWII and ANTI-COMMIE sentiments in 1954, I think my parents were asking fer' trouble.
Larry |
02-08-2012
( Reply#: 8025 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
ANOTHER ONE FROM THE ARCHIVES....
Technically not a "Magoun Avenue" item, since it was taken at our former home on Hoffman Ave in North Hammond,
Christmas of '52. But I think it's worth a look.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/52Christmas0001.jpg[/IMG]
Mike and I are engrossed in our new toys, while my dad is filling the joint with second-hand smoke (you can see it swirling around
his chin). On the table at the extreme right edge you can see part of his silver plastic ashtray, and two figures from our
Christmas stable---the VERY SAME figures that I display every Christmas to this day.
The chalk figure on the blackboard was drawn by my dad.
LR |
02-08-2012
( Reply#: 8026 ) |
Little Stevie |
In honor of
our lack of snow this winter, here are a couple of photos from February '56.
Carolyn & Bev posing in the snow
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/CB2-56.jpg[/IMG]
This is looking northeast from our front porch.
I believe the Rapchak's car is in the upper left of Carolyn.
And in the extreme upper right . . .nope. . . not the Serenade,
but the infamous apartment complex garage discussed earlier in this post!
And here we have Little Stevie either:
A. wishing he could go out and play in the snow too.
or
B. trying to warn his sisters about:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/LS2-56.jpg[/IMG]
Those two "Magoun Ave. Hooligans" lurking across the street,
hunched down, with snowballs in hand!
Another note: sometime in my early days, somewhere between the ages of 3 and 6, I'd guess,
I re-created the view from the nine-span bridge crossing the Gibson RR yards by taking a ruler with a steel edge and carving the "RR tracks" into the window ledge you see in this picture.
The folks were not too happy about it but seems I was too young to be punished, not knowing what I had done.
LS
|
02-08-2012
( Reply#: 8027 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Are you tryin' to tell me that you can see Mike and me in pic #2 across the street? You mean that dark area by the car,
to the right of the tree?
It's like one of them' Rorschach tests--- you're seeing Mike and me wherever you look!
Larry |
02-08-2012
( Reply#: 8028 ) |
Tom J |
What did you and Mike do to that poor kid? :) |
02-08-2012
( Reply#: 8029 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
Are you tryin' to tell me that you can see Mike and me in pic #2 across the street? You mean that dark area by the car,
to the right of the tree?
It's like one of them' Rorschach tests--- you're seeing Mike and me wherever you look!
Larry
Well Lar,
you know what they say about "the shoe"!
Besides, after looking at the figure your dad drew on the chalkboard, a very nice drawing BTW,
I noticed another figure to it's left.
With Mike holding a piece of chalk!
Could it be that. . . the devilish expression on that "creetchure" (as Ernest T would say)revealed the dark forces that would lead
Mike down his mischievous path of terrorizing all who lived on the Magoun/Baring block at that time? (Warziniack's excluded. Linda Blair couldn't scare them guys!)
And seduced his little brother into participating in those escapades?
Maybe it was Little Stevie's warning of the "snowball attack" that lead Mike into conjuring up the "Let's Pretend It's Christmas" episode later in life.
When Little Stevie found out that "Paybacks are a . . .
Then again, maybe it was Randy Hlad and a friend.
LS |
02-09-2012
( Reply#: 8030 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Dear Sheptalk Friends,
Don't worry, I'm still trying to decipher Little Steve's stream-of-consciousness in that last post!
I did get the reference to the Warziniak's, our neighbors across the alley; boy, these two
made Mike and me look like saints.
Here's a pic of the four of us in fall of '55 takin' in the scenery on glorious Magoun Avenue -
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JuniorThugs0001.jpg[/IMG]
Now take a good look at the two Warziniak brothers in the front: have you seen their mugs anywhere recently?...
hanging in the Post Office, maybe? I hate to seem judgemental, but these guys seemed to be thugs-in-the-making.
Of course, who knows?..maybe they're both social workers or sensitivity trainers today. Actually, they were
pretty nice kids...except for their tendency to beat on anything that moved.
You can see that Mike and I are saying: "can we just forget all of this 'make nice for the camera' crap so we can
get the hell OUTTA HERE!?"
Actually, we rarely hung around with these guys...which is why I'm still around to talk about it today.
LR
STEVE-- Loved the pic of you looking out the window; it almost looks like a rear-projected scene with you superimposed on it. |
02-10-2012
( Reply#: 8031 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
So here we are,
safe and sound back inside 6912 Magoun, in our pristine new bathroom--
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Spring0001.jpg[/IMG]
That's the SAME TILE FLOOR that's still intact in your (Steve's) house at 6920, if I recall correctly
from our walk-through last summer.
So Mike and I are safe...for the time being.
LR |
02-11-2012
( Reply#: 8043 ) |
Little Stevie |
Lar,
was the tile the same color in your house as is at 6920? Taylor's builder must have bought it in bulk!
Looking at your picture with the Warziniacks,
I noticed the one on the right must have inspired Fonzie! "AAAYY"
(I never can remember their names and who was who)
Mike seems to be thinking "That one could be trouble! "
LS |
02-11-2012
( Reply#: 8044 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
They were Mssrs. Joey (left) and Mark Warziniak.
Larry |
02-11-2012
( Reply#: 8046 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry has asked
me to post a certain picture from another album of ours, which I will once I scan it.
In the meantime, here are a few that I'm going to say were taken in'64 or so.
There are not any dates on the pictures or in the album to give me a definite date.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/6401.jpg[/IMG]
Uncle George's '59 DeSoto
Looking east, across the street, the house Larry's grandparents lived in. Above the roof, the Serenade sign is still visible.
Directly behind the DeSoto, in line with our sidewalk, you can see a car in a stall and the roof of the Serenade.
Maybe that would help determine the year this was taken.
On the left, a better picture of the "Meteor Garage"
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/6402.jpg[/IMG]
My grandfather's Plymouth
Looking southeast, a late 50's model, I believe.
This is thee car that delivered the Golan's chocolate cake every Saturday morning!
Above the roof of Larry's grandparent's on the left, the Jewel sign Larry's Merry-go-round post refers to!
The Hlad's house and to the right, the Sandor's
LS |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8047 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Thanks for posting these. If these were pre '63, my grandparents would still be living in the
brown house across the street.
So there's the Serenade's car-port thing extending out on its north
end; I had forgotten that it was even there.
Here we are, 50 years later, scanning every old photo we can find, searching for any evidence of the
Serenade Drive-In that was such a big part of our Magoun Avenue childhood(s). Someday we may turn up
a complete picture of the place.
Incidentally, a certain Mrs. Betty Fisher told me that Foster's
Music store, which replaced the Serenade, was built and opened in 1965.
Still hoping to catch a glimpse of an alien near that apartment garage.
Larry. |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8048 ) |
Tom J |
LS:
I'm pretty sure your grandfather's Plymouth is a 1955 model.
Tomster |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8049 ) |
Roger D |
Is this the Betty Fisher who is the widow of Karl Fisher one of the owners of the Seranade? I believe that the last name is spelled Fischer. |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8050 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Roger D
Is this the Betty Fisher who is the widow of Karl Fisher one of the owners of the Seranade? I believe that the last name is spelled Fischer.
Yes it is Roger,
Not sure about the spelling but that's what Larry was told.
Tom,
Good chance that it is a '55.
My father drove in the war and decided he didn't want to drive anymore.
My mother learned and they bought a used '55 Dodge. Two tone Green and light green with a white roof.
I might be able to find a picture of it somewhere.
LS |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8051 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
WHILE WE'RE DOIN' MAGOUN AVENUE STREET VIEWS with parked cars out front, here's our black '50 Chevy in a hail-storm,
taken in March of 1955. The apartments across the street are underway. There's the back of Kelly's Drive-In at 6914 Indy
(right behind the dirt pile), and behind it, the big apartment building east of Indy.
The garage on the right edge of the pic belongs to the same house you see on the LEFT side of Steve's '59 DeSoto photo above.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Hailstorm.jpg[/IMG]
AND HERE'S THE SAME VIEW (the same car, but with sunshine, apartments, and brothers added) taken on
August 13, 1955.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Summer.jpg[/IMG]
Hey, I bet those apartment windows across the street were blown out by the Standard Oil explosion in Whiting.
Oh, no..wait...---that happened two weeks after this pic was taken.
Also, I was just thinkin'..that March '55 hailstorm (above) happened when our pal Lil' Stevie was just one month old. It might have been very traumatic
for him and would explain why--to this day---he sees Rapchak boys, Beach Boys, and Pepsi logos lurking everywhere he looks.
Just a theory (for more on this, check the recent posts on the "Hessville Map" thread).
ROGER--- can you tell us anything about Karl and Betty Fischer?
Larry |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8052 ) |
Little Stevie |
A hailstorm,eh?
Could be, could be. Ummm . . .
Ok, let's jump forward a few years. Earlier on this here thread, the subject of the "Magoun Ave. Bunco Club" was brought up.
Here's 2 photos I found from. . . I'm guessing '70-'73.
It's the Christmas gathering of the club.
Not sure, but I think it was at Mrs. Klish's home.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Bunco.jpg[/IMG]
1st photo L to R Virginia Hlad, Eve Beda, My mother Genevieve Kush, Lorraine Sandor & Gene Koval 2nd photo L to R Georgia Stewart (barely in pic), Jane Ellen Molchan, Josephine Klish & Lilly Fleming
Looking at the second photo, I believe it's the Klish kitchen.
Lilly Fleming is the mother of Richard Fleming, who is in a photo on the "Hessville Map" thread, looking at a magazine in a drug store, I believe. Lilly & Virginia worked at Woodmar Jewelers on Indianapolis Blvd.
LS |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8056 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE---
WHAT A CREW! Jeez, reminds me of my mother's Bunco Squad, which tore up the place a couple of times a year at our house
on Wednesday nights; I can still hear the ding-a-ling of that damned bell followed by the ear-splitting shrieks echoing deep
into the night. I always had to sleep through school the next day.
AND THERE SHE IS-- OUR PAL MRS. KLISH! It's good to see her in one of these shots, along with all
of the other Magoun Avenue Mamas (my family was long-gone from the neighborhood when these were taken).
As you know, Mrs. Klish's kitchen is still in beautiful, pristine condition (we've walked through it a few times during
our recent visits). The vintage 50's pink tiles on the walls and the cabinets look like they must have
when the place was brand-new.
Larry
BTW--- I was just napping on the living room floor, and Celeste had the Grammy Awards on da' TV;
I could've swore I heard/saw the BEACH BOYS as I woke up........ |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8057 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE---
WHAT A CREW! Jeez, reminds me of my mother's Bunco Squad, which tore up the place a couple of times a year at our house
on Wednesday nights; I can still hear the ding-a-ling of that damned bell followed by the ear-splitting shrieks echoing deep
into the night. I always had to sleep through school the next day.
BTW--- I was just napping on the living room floor, and Celeste had the Grammy Awards on da' TV;
I could've swore I heard/saw the BEACH BOYS as I woke up........
Oh Yeah!!!! that was a HISTORIC event! Once they're in your head, you can't help SMiLIN' when you hear their music!
The Beach Boys never toured with David Marks, the guitar player to the right of Mike Love. DM was an original member till Al Jardine returned. Murry Wilson told David "You're out!"
The whoops and hollers echoed across the entire 6900 block of Magoun Ave. when these women got together!
Mostly Lorriane Sandor! The heartiest laugh I remember from these girls!
I used to play in the basement or go anywhere to get away once I could drive.
More to come!
LS |
02-13-2012
( Reply#: 8061 ) |
Roger D |
I went to work at the Serenade in '61 as a cook. Allen Wright and Karl Fischer were the owners. They also owened the dry cleaners on the south. They closed the cleanersn had the building torn down and built a single story small business building. Karl and betty hadn't been married but about a year the best I remember. They were on their honeymoon somewhere in Tennesse when they were involved in and accident that almost killed them both. Mrs. Fischer was severly injured with wounds to her face and head, she was almost scalped. They were driving Mr. Fischer's show car a '56 T'Bird. He replaced it with a Corvair Monza Spider. Several years later they closed the Serenade, tore it down and built another single story building. Some of the business's located there were the state unemployment office, Allstate Ins.and the state license bureau. The last time I saw Karl Fischer he was doing maintance on the buildings. If I remember correctly when they bought the land there the only business from 165th to 173rd. was Keyes Fiber, two service stations and then the Serenade. They named the business The Serenade because they serenaded the customers through speakers located on the roof.
They incorporated the partnership as AlKar Inc. |
02-13-2012
( Reply#: 8062 ) |
Roger D |
I almost forgot,The Fischers lived on Baring Parkway in Woodmar and the Wrights lived in Munster. |
02-14-2012
( Reply#: 8063 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
ROGER---
THANKS FOR THE INFO; quite a story.
Steve and I have been in contact with Mrs Fischer and we're hoping to have a chance to meet
and speak with her about the Serenade and her other ventures in the early days of Woodmar/Indy businesses.
I don't want to say too much at this point and possibly jinx the deal; Mrs Fischer is somewhat pre-occupied with finding
a tenant for the former Foster Music/Unemployment office building, which has just been vacated by a medical group.
She's a vital link (and one of the few that remain) to the era that we're all interested in....and which we're trying to
preserve here on Sheptalk.
Thanks again for the info.
Larry
PS--You don't happen to have any pictures of the Serenade hanging around, do you? |
02-14-2012
( Reply#: 8075 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
THE MAGOUN AVENUE "PIONEERS"
Here they are, the original residents of Magoun Avenue in Woodmar, as listed in the Hammond 1954 Directory....
which documents the status of things right after the Rapchaks and Kush's had moved in (during September, '54).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Magoun540001.jpg[/IMG]
I see that our next-door neighbors, the Feeneys (at 6908) did not respond. Also, I see the name GARMAN at 6928,
but I'm sure their name was GORMAN; sometime I'll post the story about my antics re: their backyard sandbox.
There's the Klish's, the Hlads, Bedas, Kurteffs....all the colorful characters that populated the
neighborhood back then (and this thread today).
HERE's A MINI-PHOTO GALLERY, taken from the OLPH Parish family book from 1970.
Our next-door neighbors on the north, the FEENEYS (6908 Magoun).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/OLPHFeeneys0001.jpg[/IMG]
They were essentially Mr and Mrs Wilson to my brother Mike's Dennis the Menace. They were quiet and never bothered us,
but Mike would occasionally annoy them by throwing stones at their bird-house or calling Mrs. Feeney "near-sighted"
(I'm not sure why). Definitely strained our relationship with them. Their son was a cop who lived at home for a while
(which didn't seem to deter Mike). I always remember their green and yellow '57 Dodge parked out front.
-------------------------
Next, our next-door neighbors to the south, the TAYLORS (6916)
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/OLPHTaylors0001.jpg[/IMG]
There's plenty about them on this thread; Mr Taylor was in real estate and sold both the Rapchaks and Kushs'
their new homes in '54; and he had the courage to stay and live right between us. They moved to Hessville in '59;
I don't recognize all these kids---I only remember the two oldest, Mark and Scott (see above posts).
---------------------------
Here's the SANDORS, the girls from across the street (I wonder why they're not listed in the '54 directory?)
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/OLPHSandors0001.jpg[/IMG]
Mrs Sandors is in Steve's "Bunco Squad" pictures above, apparently the life of the party at the time.
Steve can fill us in on the two sisters.....yes, by all means do, Steve. Remind me again, which of the ladies
did you see recently when she came to town?
Larry |
02-15-2012
( Reply#: 8076 ) |
Little Stevie |
It's AMAZING what you . . .
dig up, Lar!
The Feeneys.
I remember them well. I think they threw the first big hoopla for the neighborhood that I can remember . . .some time in. . . ahh. . .'62?
I ahh. . . forgot what the occasion was but I know I wasn't happy about it at all!
The Taylors.
I really don't remember much about them. Mostly what I've read here from your accounts.
The Sandors.
Yes, many memories of the Sandors.
Lorraine, as I stated in the "Bunco" post, was the most cheerful, happiest, optimistic person on the block.
She always, always was friendly, caring and downright good natured to anyone she came in contact with, in my eyes anyway.
Charlie was a surveyor for the Hammond Water dept. I believe. I think I stated earlier on here that he had his transit set up one
Saturday afternoon and showed Rod Hlad and myself the moon.
That lit a spark in me for astronomy.
Claudia was the oldest daughter. She is on the left. A beautiful girl, as a young "Little Stevie" noticed as he ah . . . "aged".
She still lives on Magoun.
Lynn is the daughter I see when she comes into town to visit her dad.
She also caught "Little Stevie's" attention as he was ah. . . "growing up". However, she seemed more interested in Ronny Hatcher or Randy Hlad at the time,
than "Little Stevie" and friends of his age group. She rents a car from my part-time place of employment, Enterprise.
I've told her about "Sheptalk" and the many threads on it to which she and Claudia could relate to. I hope she looks in now and then.
The last name on the above list: "Persic, Jos T" was related to the Sandors.
"Nickolas Guzzino" is listed at 6931 Magoun. So maybe the Sandors bought the house from him.
LS |
02-15-2012
( Reply#: 8078 ) |
S C Jones |
Larry,
The first name on the list is Evelyn Schurr—she was the girls phys. ed. (Gym, back in the day) teacher at Morton.
|
02-15-2012
( Reply#: 8081 ) |
Roger D |
No, I don't have any pictures of the Serenade. Wish I did. |
02-16-2012
( Reply#: 8082 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Wasn't there something interesting about one of the across-the-street neighbors---something that happened
in the mid-late '60's (after I had left the 'hood)...which involved trying to get a car out of a heavy snow
(was it the guy at 6935 Magoun?) I think it might be worth recounting here.
Larry |
02-16-2012
( Reply#: 8083 ) |
Roger D |
Did you ever stop to think that the reason that a neighbor is not listed in the 'phone book is because they didn't have one? Back then many people did not have one. Just a thought.. |
02-16-2012
( Reply#: 8084 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
Wasn't there something interesting about one of the across-the-street neighbors---something that happened
in the mid-late '60's (after I had left the 'hood)...which involved trying to get a car out of a heavy snow
(was it the guy at 6935 Magoun?) I think it might be worth recounting here.
Larry
Yeah there is Larry![:D]
January 1967. The Big Snow!
I know there's a thread about this elsewhere on Sheptalk but I'm going to post about it here.
This first photo was taken from our backdoor.The drift was almost 4 ft. high!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/6702.jpg[/IMG]
The main reason for posting this photo is to show the 2 trees in the alley on the right.
(Larry, you didn't remember them on our "Walk thru Da "Hood".)
Next we have a north view of the alley
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/6703.jpg[/IMG]
The former Rapchak garage is the second one on the right
Here is a view of the apartments across the street from Rapchak's former home
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/6705.jpg[/IMG]
And now. . . looking south on Magoun
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/6701.jpg[/IMG]
We see a man shoveling out a parking space
That man was none other than Delbert Evans. He and his wife, Francis, lived at 6935 Magoun.
They didn't have any children but were friendly. Francis seemed to be "high society" to Little Stevie back then
since she always had on make-up and was what seemed to be "dressed up".
Del worked at Inland I believe.
Anyway, After Del dug out the parking spot you see him working on, he somehow moved his car that's in the street, into the cleared space.
A few hours later, a pay loader, one of those big bucket jobbies, came down the street to clear a path.
As they did this, they piled snow up on the yards.
Well, they made a pile behind Del's car, basically pinning it in its spot.
Delbert would have none of this since he had spent so much time freeing his auto. He got in the car and started to rock it back and forth,
trying to work his way out of the snow beside and in back of him.
The more the car slipped and stuck, the madder he got. His back window was frosted over so he had the driver's door open to look out of, over his shoulder.
The car was facing south and when he gunned it backwards for what he thought would be the final push to free it, he forgot how close he was to the pile of snow next to him.
It sounded like a gunshot when the driver's door snapped off the car, stuck in the snow-pile.
No one dared laugh, 'cept Jeff Dembowski, he laughed at any and everything.
LS |
02-17-2012
( Reply#: 8085 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
HAR, HAR, HAR! NOW THAT'S FUNNY![:D]
AND VERY WELL-TOLD, TOO.
I feel bad, in a way, laughing about it, but I'm sure the statute of limitations
(so-to-speak) has run out. I'm sure poor Delbert tried to forget about that day for the rest of his life.
Great "visual documentation" also, especially the pic of ol' Delbert himself slaving away with his shovel,
while his car patiently awaits a nice, freshly-cleared parking space.
Larry
PS- Speaking of 1967 and detached car doors....I had a great '67 Buick Special (V-6 stick) that got
totalled in early 1979, after which we kept the passenger door (which had survived)
in my dad's basement in Whiting. Never knew when it might have come in handy. |
02-17-2012
( Reply#: 8086 ) |
Tom J |
That's FUNNY! How could you keep from laughing?
Thanks for sharing that story, LS.
Tomster |
02-17-2012
( Reply#: 8087 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
That's FUNNY! How could you keep from laughing?
Thanks for sharing that story, LS.
Tomster
Tom,
at less that a week from my 12th BD,
I was in as much shock at this incident
as I was when Stash, the apartment owner, put his car through the garage wall earlier in life on Magoun.
Plus the fact, Del was melting snow and ice around him with his uhh. . . "comments" about the situation!
Larry, the backseat of a Chevy Blazer I once owned is still in the garage on Magoun. I'll tell you that story later.
LS |
02-21-2012
( Reply#: 8132 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
ABOUT AN HOUR AGO.....
I decided to start work on a project that I've meaning to get to for some time. As I'm looking through
my desk, I find a yellowed newspaper--from the entertainment section of the old Chicago's American.
First thing I looked at was the DATE on the paper (it's on the left panel):
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JoeKearns-1.jpg[/IMG]
I almost dropped; FIFTY YEARS TO THE DAY! February 21, 1962. And the main story
was something I remembered very well from that month, since I was upset when I read of the death of actor
Joseph Kearns, who played Mr Wilson on the TV "Dennis the Menace" show. [V] He had died the previous weekend,
and here's the article on his speedy replacement by actor Gale Gordon.
HOWEVER---the reason that I had this old paper in my desk was the fact that I found it
a few years ago in my dad's belongings; he had apparently saved it for THIS AD, which was printed right
below the Gale Gordon story:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/ChicagoAmerican620002.jpg[/IMG]
From my dad's hey-day on WCFL with his pal Dan Sorkin (see the Sheptalk thread "What's So Funny"
for a Sorkin/Rapchak/Bob Newhart story from July of '62).
IN FEBRUARY of '62, when this ad appeared, we were only a few weeks away from our big move
from 6912 Magoun to Hessville.
LR |
02-21-2012
( Reply#: 8133 ) |
Little Stevie |
[/quote]
IN FEBRUARY of '62, when this ad appeared, we were only a few weeks away from our big move
from 6912 Magoun to Hessville.
LR
[/quote]
that's when the sun
shined a little less brightly on Magoun [:(] [V] |
02-21-2012
( Reply#: 8134 ) |
Bill Bucko |
"Miss Brooks' Principal," the clipping says!?!!!
That's OZGOOD CONKLIN, by god!
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
02-23-2012
( Reply#: 8156 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
SHORTLY AFTER CHRISTMAS of '61, we started to see this very cool commerical on afternoon TV for
"WARRIORS OF THE WORLD", a set of plastic figures made by the MARX Toy Company. I was immediately
fascinated--MUST HAVE THEM!!
There were 72 figures in the series, with pirates, vikings, Roman legionnaires, cowboys, indians, civil war troops, etc..
"Each beautifully painted by hand..." as the chanting chorus of men told us in the commerical.
Does anyone remember them? I went nuts and collected them all, starting in Feb. 1962.
YOU COULD BUY THEM IN BOXED SETS like this (I got my first set at STORK TOWN in Woodmar Shopping Center---
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Warriors.jpg[/IMG]
...or you could buy them separately in individual boxes. Mike and I bought some in Walgreen's in Woodmar later
that spring; as a display, they were all piled into one of those metal wire baskets used for garbage burning.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/WarriorsEricRed-1.jpg[/IMG]
Maybe that's one of the reasons that moving from Woodmar to Hessville was really no big deal for us in March of '62---
we were too wrapped up in fun stuff like this to realize what we would soon be missing.
LR |
02-24-2012
( Reply#: 8157 ) |
Bill Bucko |
I used to attend Medieval/Renaissance events held by the nationwide group, the Society for Creative Anachronism.
I would dress sensibly, in 1400s tabard and tights. But your Eric the Red reminds me of one reenactor in a tunic who had to put up with hearing this, from children:
"Mommy ... why is that man wearing a dress?"
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
03-02-2012
( Reply#: 8179 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TO ANYONE WHO REMEMBERS WATCHING this classic Twilight Zone episode ("TO SERVE MAN") on its
very first network broadcast----it was exactly FIFTY YEARS AGO TONIGHT ~ Friday, March 2nd, 1962.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/TZtoServeMan.jpg[/IMG]
Mike, Nancy, our mother and me were gathered in front of the living room tv, and were blown away by the big
"twist" ending of this show. It's the last thing I remember from our 7 & 1/2 years on Magoun Avenue, since our
move from Woodmar to Hessville took place two days later.
LR |
03-02-2012
( Reply#: 8180 ) |
Tom J |
Wow! I remember that episode!
People were being taken by some aliens, supposedly to visit their planet or something, and they never came back.
Translators told everyone that the aliens were safe because they figured out that the title of a book they had brought with them was "To Serve Man."
Later, when they got into the book itself, it turned out to be a cook book!
Right?
Tomster |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8185 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
YEP...THAT'S THE ONE!
I'm going to go watch it right now, as a 50th-anniversary observence.
Larry |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8187 ) |
duane |
Always enjoyed that one.
Is that Jaws (Richard Keil) as the alien? |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8195 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Always enjoyed that one.
Is that Jaws (Richard Keil) as the alien?
Sure looks like him Duane
but I think Jaws was just a minnow back in those days.
LS |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8196 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
GUYS--
Yep, that's Richard Kiel, the guy who got all of the casting calls for gigantic brutes back in
early 60's Hollywood. In fact, in the final scene of "To Serve Man" with the earthlings boarding the
alien saucer, you see TWO different aliens (called "Kanamits")--but BOTH are played by Keil,
one with a goatee, the other clean-shaven.
Reminds me of my father's joke about the actor George Raft (who was notoriously drab and
wooden onscreen).
"George Raft had two basic expressions: one with his hat ON....."
(you fill in the rest).
LR |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8197 ) |
Little Stevie |
WOW! how old do you think he was back then?
Seems he wasn't too old in the JB movie. But that was a while ago too, wasn't it?
LS |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8201 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
FIFTY YEARS AGO this weekend-----
My father took this photo of my sister Nancy, sitting in her bedroom (the southwest room of the house)
as a sort of official "LAST PICTURE TAKEN AT 6912 MAGOUN AVENUE".
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/62LastMagounPic0002.jpg[/IMG]
So there it is. I posted it today to mark the 50th Anniversary of our move from Woodmar to Hessville,
NOT to mark the end of my contributions to this thread; there's more to come.
SO ON THAT SUNDAY, March 4, 1962, we left 6912 for the last time; I have no memory of how the
move was accomplished; this pic clearly shows that the furnishings were all still in place.
I wonder what we slept in that night in our new digs?
But before driving to Hessville, we first stopped across the street at my grandmother's house on Magoun
for a big "going-away" dinner. I remember the TV was on and we switched to Channel 9 to check out
the weekly installment of "FLASH GORDON"; they were in the middle of the first (1936) serial, the rather racy
one with all of the skimpy costumes that had managed to avoid the new censorship rules in Hollywood back
then. I remember watching the scenes where the lovely Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) is being harassed by
big old King Vulcan (Bill Bucko will know the scene I'm talking about--the one with the bear with
the white stripes painted on it).
But what really caught my eye was Dale Arden herself. Here's a still from that scene--- enough to cause
any red-blooded 11-year old American boy to take notice:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/DaleArden.jpg[/IMG]
SO while the family was getting ready for the big dinner, I was checking out Dale and marvelling at
the evidence that seemed to suggest a tight costume budget for the film.
All a part of growing up, I suppose: moving out of the childhood home ([V]) and ogling Flash Gordon's babe ([:p]),
all on the same day.
LR |
03-04-2012
( Reply#: 8202 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Jean Rogers, the actress who played Dale Arden in the first two serials, was a splendid person. I have a number of autographed photos she sent me, before she passed away.
She commented in a magazine interview that, yes, her costumes in the first serial were somewhat scant. Buster Crabbe once said that in the serials, he (as the hero) was not allowed to look at the girl the way he'd like to, on camera.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
03-04-2012
( Reply#: 8203 ) |
Little Stevie |
A sad weekend indeed for the rest of us on Magoun. ('Cept maybe The Feeneys)
I don't like saying this but I really don't remember when you left Larry. We've talked about it before but the people who bought your house?
The Krupas, I think? No relation to the Krupas I knew from church in E.C.
Is it possible we might have come to the new home in Hessville?
My mother was driving by then, I think we went to visit somebody who moved away. Might have been the Hlads later on.
Seems the area we went to was in the N.E. section of Hessville. Back in the Cline Ave. & Grand Ave. area. North of that intersection.
LS |
03-04-2012
( Reply#: 8204 ) |
Tom J |
Larry, you amaze me with your ability to place specific dates on many of the events in your life. I wish I knew the dates of things that happened in my life like that.
Tom |
03-04-2012
( Reply#: 8205 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
Larry, you amaze me with your ability to place specific dates on many of the events in your life. I wish I knew the dates of things that happened in my life like that.
Tom
Ain't that the truth, Tom!
I have enough trouble remembering what I did an hour ago, let alone 50 + years!
LS |
03-04-2012
( Reply#: 8206 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I have enough trouble remembering what I did an hour ago, let alone 50 + years!
GUYS--
SO DO I; I still keep a diary, and when I let it go for three or four days and try to fill in
the info, I cannot for the life of me remember most of what happened---often times the day before!
The last 25 years are largely a jumble to me; the only way I remember things is by what operas
or concerts I was working on in any particular year.
But childhood was different; my mind seem to be like wet cement--- once events were imprinted, they
seemed to be set in my memory for good. Part of it is due to the MANY family photos and films we took,
which have all survived (believe me, I've got boxes of stuff!)But another big part of it was my
close relationship with Mike; we shared everything we did, and for years afterward would frequently discuss
and analyze our memories.
One of our greatest memories was the summer of 1961, during which we played a particular record called
"Jet Flight" almost every single day; that record served as a great aid in keeping our memories for that
summer fresh in our minds. But a about a year before he died (and Mike had been increasingly disinterested
in discussing the good old days as time passed), he asked me "What year was that we listened to "Jet Flight"
all the time---was that '60 or '61?"---and I said to myself "oh, man...the old boy is
really starting to lose it if he doesn't remember it was '61!"
But that's just the way we were; we were actually able to keep our entire lives pretty much in chronological
order through our memories, something which I really treasure today.
Larry
PS-- I used portions of "Jet Flight" on my summer of '61 home movie I posted on You-Tube;
the link is near the bottom of page 1 of "Magoun Ave Memories". |
03-04-2012
( Reply#: 8207 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
RE: our move to Hessville and possibility that you guys visited us there--- it might have happened, but
I wouldn't remember. Cline and Grand Ave run parallel, so maybe you mean Grand and 165th (?)
We lived south of Hessville park on California, just a few blocks east of Kennedy (south of 173rd).
HOWEVER--- THE TAYLORS-- our old pals who lived right between us on Magoun, had themselves moved
to Hessville, (in '59?) and lived directly one block east of us on Colorado Ave.
So maybe you came to visit both of us in one afternoon.
larry |
03-06-2012
( Reply#: 8211 ) |
Little Stevie |
That could be Larry. Yep, I meant Grand & 169th st. I think we did come visit you guys once.
Seems I remember going to that neighborhood to visit someone. I think it would have been the Rapchaks, not the Taylors.
Maybe Nancy would remember.
LS |
03-06-2012
( Reply#: 8212 ) |
Little Stevie |
I missed this Monday, could have gone on my lunch break!
http://www.nwitimes.com/video-photo-galleries-audio-interactives/video/video-wienermoble-stops-in-highland/vmix_604d25f6-3fe6-580e-a74e-aae8eb4e3eb2.html
LS |
03-06-2012
( Reply#: 8213 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HEY, WHAT IS THIS??
The video shows a RED STRAP across the doorway/entrance of the Weinermobile; the very last few seconds
of the video show a kid standing at the entrance to the mobile, but being held back by the red strap.
Apparently, that's all you can do--stand at the doorway and look in.
And where's "Little Oscar"? -- I know the 1956 version that I met in VanTil's parking lot on Indy and 171st
is long-gone (maybe he's been pickled and preserved in the Oscar Mayer museum), but COME ON---
NO Little Oscar and NO walk-through the Big Weenie itself?!
What's this world coming to?
LR
|
03-06-2012
( Reply#: 8214 ) |
Little Stevie |
Probably can't
afford the liability insurance if a kid
trips, in his excitement, and falls on the steps!
Might knock out a tooth or two!
LS |
03-07-2012
( Reply#: 8215 ) |
tom w |
Guys; I can't remember his name but the original Little Oscar passed away a few years ago. He lived in Hobart. TOM W |
03-07-2012
( Reply#: 8216 ) |
BobK |
George A. "Little Oscar" Molchan
http://legacy.post-trib.com/obituaries/posttribune/obituary.aspx?n=george-a-molchan-little-oscar&pid=3430804
Oscar G. Mayer, Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_G._Mayer,_Jr.
Bob
|
03-07-2012
( Reply#: 8217 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hmmm. . .
seeing that "Little Oscar" was a Molchan, it's a coincidence that one of Magoun's inhabitants were Molchans.
Tony & Jane Ellen, who's pictured in the "Bunco Squad" photo earlier, and their son, Alan, who has been mentioned here a few times.
After reading the OB, I'm going to make the deduction that "LO" might have been a cousin or relative but not an uncle to Alan.
One discrepancy I found in his OB:
That he worked for Pepsi Cola in Gary in the 50's.
Not true.
The local Pepsi plant was in East Chicago on Chicago Ave. It started in a building on Baring first, then moved to the Chicago Ave. location.
If he worked at Pepsi, I would have known about it.
Warehouses were in Michigan City, IN & Kankakee, IL.
Trust me, I know it is fact.
I'm going to check with a few compadres who worked there in that time period. I think "LO" might have worked for that "other" drink.
They were located in Gary until operations were moved to Alsip, IL. |
03-07-2012
( Reply#: 8225 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
WHOA!! ---Steve----
Just goes to show you: never mix up yer' soft drink facts when yer' talking to a PEPSI man.
They'll show mercy---not even to the surviving family of a little weenie-of-a-man like "LO".
LR |
03-08-2012
( Reply#: 8227 ) |
BobK |
Another
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002244674_oscarobit18.html
Bob
|
03-08-2012
( Reply#: 8231 ) |
Little Stevie |
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
LS |
03-09-2012
( Reply#: 8233 ) |
Jay |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
.... I think "LO" might have worked for that "other" drink.
They were located in Gary until operations were moved to Alsip, IL.
Are you referring to Coca-Cola? And are you sure they moved?
Recently, when I was traveling east on the Borman Expressway, I saw a large Coca-Cola warehouse just south of the expressway somewhere east of Gary near Portage. |
03-09-2012
( Reply#: 8234 ) |
Tom J |
Oooooooooh, Stevie! Jay said the "C" word! [:D]
|
03-09-2012
( Reply#: 8235 ) |
BobK |
My neighbor delivers out of the Coke facility in Portage. I still like him although I'd rather Pepsi.
Bob
|
03-09-2012
( Reply#: 8236 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Jay
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
.... I think "LO" might have worked for that "other" drink.
They were located in Gary until operations were moved to Alsip, IL.
Are you referring to Coca-Cola? And are you sure they moved?
Recently, when I was traveling east on the Borman Expressway, I saw a large Coca-Cola warehouse just south of the expressway somewhere east of Gary near Portage.
Yes, when "they" moved from Gary, they first went to Alsip, along the tollroad. Then they built the facility in Portage and brought back many of the workers at lower union wages than they were making in Gary. I believe.
LS |
03-10-2012
( Reply#: 8237 ) |
Little Stevie |
Well . . .every now and then we all gotta "eat a little crow".
I found out today that. . .yes . . .George Molchan aka "little Oscar" did in fact
work at Pepsi-Cola. Not in Gary, I was right about that, but in East Chicago, in the late 40's till '51.
Yer never too old to learn something.
Please accept my apologies.
LS |
03-11-2012
( Reply#: 8238 ) |
tom w |
I can't help but wonder what he did!!!!! |
03-11-2012
( Reply#: 8239 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Whatever the location, we can all agree that LO's work at Pepsi was part of his pre-wiener phase.
LR |
03-11-2012
( Reply#: 8240 ) |
tom w |
"Chortle, Chortle" I was thinking like mebbie a dispatcher like Danny DiVito mebbie. |
03-11-2012
( Reply#: 8242 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by tom w
I can't help but wonder what he did!!!!!
I found out George worked in the office as a bookkeeper.
I'm trying to get more information about his days at Pepsi.
LS |
03-11-2012
( Reply#: 8243 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
LS
ONCE UPON A TIME IN WOODMAR......
A very enterprising couple of guys built the most unique eatery da' Region has ever seen. It was
1947, I believe, when these two pioneers bought a plot of overgrown land on the west side of
Indy Blvd, just south of 169th St, and began to realize their California-inspired dream.
For Lil' Stevie and me (and probably thousands of others), this long-forgotten establishment was
THE MAJOR landmark of the neighborhood as we were growing up in the fabulous 50's;
it seemed to symbolize everything that was great about life back then.
Those of you who have followed this thread have noticed how often the
SERENADE DRIVE-IN has been mentioned; I find myself searching in vain for
any photographic or written evidence of it----hoping to catch a glimpse of its distinctive
tower/facade peaking over the rooftops of our Magoun Avenue homes.
WELL.....
Here is an extremely rare flyer announcing the opening of this iconic
establishment, probably from 1947.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADEAnnouncement.jpg[/IMG]
Steve--do we have a date here? Was the opening in Feb. of '48?
Larry |
03-11-2012
( Reply#: 8244 ) |
BobK |
Molchan was a bookkeeper for Pepsi Cola when "Wizard of Oz" munchkin actor Meinhardt Raabe persuaded him to try out for the role of Little Oscar, said Molchan's brother, Elmer.
The character was created in the 1930s by company founder Oscar Mayer to help market its products. Molchan played Little Oscar with relish for 36 years.
Bob
|
03-11-2012
( Reply#: 8245 ) |
S C Jones |
Just an observation of something i find interesting: The stone on the Serenade buildingwas from Cumberland Mountain which could be either Tennessee or Kentucky. And the
Tennessee State Capitol building is Indiana Limestone.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN WOODMAR......
A very enterprising couple of guys built the most unique eatery da' Region has ever seen. It was
1947, I believe, when these two pioneers bought a plot of overgrown land on the west side of
Indy Blvd, just south of 169th St, and began to realize their California-inspired dream.
For Lil' Stevie and me (and probably thousands of others), this long-forgotten establishment was
THE MAJOR landmark of the neighborhood as we were growing up in the fabulous 50's;
it seemed to symbolize everything that was great about life back then.
Those of you who have followed this thread have noticed how often the
SERENADE DRIVE-IN has been mentioned; I find myself searching in vain for
any photographic or written evidence of it----hoping to catch a glimpse of its distinctive
tower/facade peaking over the rooftops of our Magoun Avenue homes.
WELL.....
Here is an extremely rare flyer announcing the opening of this iconic
establishment, probably from 1947.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADEAnnouncement.jpg[/IMG]
Steve--do we have a date here? Was the opening in Feb. of '48?
Larry
[/quote] |
03-12-2012
( Reply#: 8246 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
Molchan was a bookkeeper for Pepsi Cola when "Wizard of Oz" munchkin actor Meinhardt Raabe persuaded him to try out for the role of Little Oscar, said Molchan's brother, Elmer.
The character was created in the 1930s by company founder Oscar Mayer to help market its products. Molchan played Little Oscar with relish for 36 years.
Bob
You are correct Sir!
That's the story I got last week when I did some fact checking. Thanx Bob! And please accept me apologies for "Thumping my chest" about knowing "everything" that went on at Pepsi in EC!
(Damn! I can't believe I never heard this story before though!)
LS |
03-12-2012
( Reply#: 8247 ) |
Little Stevie |
Steve--do we have a date here? Was the opening in Feb. of '48?
Larry
Yes Larry, there is a date given for the opening of the Serenade.
But before we go there, let's turn the clock back to
when the Serenade was still "On The Drawing Board"
1947
Here's a south view of the 6900 block of Indianapolis Blvd.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/001SouthViewIndyBlvd1947.jpg[/IMG]
A southwest view, notice the two trees almost in line with each other.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/002SWViewIndyBlvd1947.jpg[/IMG]
And a NW view. Now the trees can be seen.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/003NWViewIndyBlvd1947.jpg[/IMG]
Larry, I think you should describe the area, what was and wasn't built yet. And the houses in view.
|
03-13-2012
( Reply#: 8248 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
This is amazing (and RARE) stuff.
PIC #1---if you can believe it----is the west side of INDY BLVD just south of 169th, which
by the mid 50's would be a thriving area. When we talked with Mrs. Klish, how many times did she say
"There was nothing out here; it was almost like wilderness". And here is the proof. I'm surprised
there was even a sidewalk, which was obviously old at the time, since it's pretty beat up.
The dark, two-story house just right of center is the house that would be owned by Mr and Mrs Canal
in the 50's; they were old and they were mean (or was it just because Mike and I were always
tearin' up their end of the block?) The address is 7031 Magoun.
PIC #2 shows a couple of houses that had sprung up on Magoun in the 40's; the square
two-story building (7005 Magoun) is the one you and your dad used to cut through as you walked
to House of Pizza, right?
Across the street (on the west side of Magoun) are two houses: the one on the right
is that two-story one with the gabled windows on the 2nd floor (7014 Magoun); we never knew
who lived there, and as result found the house to be a bit spooky. The house on the left is 7024,
which in the 50's would be owned by Irene Miles, my brother Mike's 1st-Grade teacher at Porter School
(he always referred to her as "Mrs. Miles-Away".)
PIC #3 shows some of the houses along 169th (on the left) and maybe on Ridgeland or
Baring--north of 169th. I'm not sure about the buildings in the middle between the trees; they might
be those old apartments, but they also might be buildings that were torn down in the 50's; we will
encounter at least one of those in future pictures of the site.
On the right you can see the smokestack and tower of the Swift Factory (I believe) that was just
west of where Woodmar Shopping Center would be built in '54.
And which one of our enterprising Region "pioneers" is that standing in Pic#3?
And where will all of this lead.....?
Stay Tuned.....
LR
|
03-13-2012
( Reply#: 8249 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
Somethin's comin'. . Uh Huh!
LS
Uh Huh??????
HMMMM!!! |
03-13-2012
( Reply#: 8250 ) |
Roger D |
Allen Wright told me that when he and Karl Fisher bought the land where the Serenade was to be built that the only buildings along the blvd. from 165th south was Keys Fiber and a service station. |
03-13-2012
( Reply#: 8251 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Roger D
Allen Wright told me that when he and Karl Fisher bought the land where the Serenade was to be built that the only buildings along the blvd. from 165th south was Keys Fiber and a service station.
Rodger, Maybe this has been asked before?
Is Allen still alive?
LS |
03-13-2012
( Reply#: 8252 ) |
Little Stevie |
Ya know, looking at the first pic, I get the feeling that the Blvd. was originally planned as a residential street. It looks to have
a parkway with trees between the sidewalk and street. Much as the streets east & west of it developed in to.
LS |
03-13-2012
( Reply#: 8253 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Allen Wright told me that when he and Karl Fisher bought the land where the Serenade was to
be built that the only buildings along the blvd. from 165th south was Keys Fiber and a service station.
ROGER--
And here's the 1948 Hammond Directory listing that helps give an idea of the Indy Blvd/Woodmar
"wilderness" at the time:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HammondDir48Indy0001.jpg[/IMG]
Only blip on the radar screen as far as the eye can see is Stanley Zych's OLD GLORY TAVERN!
But we're finding out that these listings were never entirely accurate, since businesses could spring up at
a new address at any time during the year.
Roger---I think your first-hand experience and memories of the SERENADE will be
very valuable as we continue to unearth more material about it.
Larry |
03-13-2012
( Reply#: 8254 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, I noticed the last listing on the above is that Southeastern Ave. intersected the Blvd.
Do you or anyone out there have/or know where we could get a aerial photo of that section?
Before the Borman was built?
BTW, when was the Borman built? Know anyone who's home was torn down for its construction?
LS |
03-14-2012
( Reply#: 8255 ) |
Jay |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
...
BTW, when was the Borman built? Know anyone who's home was torn down for its construction?
LS
...
Below is what I learned from the internet.
The Borman Expressway was built interchange by interchange as an eastern extension from the Kingery Expressway in Illinois.
1949 - began at the state line as a paved four lane divided highway known as Indiana SR (State Road) 420
1951 - extended to the Calumet Avenue interchange in Hammond
1954 - extended to the Indianapolis Boulevard interchange
1956 - extended to the Burr Street interchange in Gary
1961 - renamed as the Tri-State expressway
1964 - extended to the Indiana Toll Road
1968 - widened to six lanes
1969 - renamed as the Frank Borman Expressway.
Gary native Frank Borman was one of three astronauts aboard Apollo 8, the first manned NASA mission to fly to the moon and back (they circled the moon but did not land).
As for your second question, although I don't know of anyone who had to be relocated for the Borman construction, my family had a similar connection. A couple of years before the Indiana Toll Road was built through the Roxanna section of East Chicago, my parents almost purchased a home in the toll road's path. I don't know if someone else purchased it just before it had to be demolished. |
03-14-2012
( Reply#: 8256 ) |
BobK |
1952 from Columbia to Indianapolis Blvd. Calumet interchange is open westbound only.
[img]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab70/BobK1942/Misc/borman1952b.jpg[/img]
with streets
[img]http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab70/BobK1942/Misc/borman1952a.jpg[/img]
Bob
|
03-14-2012
( Reply#: 8257 ) |
Little Stevie |
Thanx Bob!
I like the pics! It's interesting to see these photos of the neighborhood.
LS |
03-15-2012
( Reply#: 8258 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I'm assuming that SR-152 on the aerial map above is Indy Blvd--right? So in 1952
Southeastern Ave did not intersect, as the 1948 Directory above says. Southeastern looks like
it ends about where it does today.
LR |
03-15-2012
( Reply#: 8259 ) |
BobK |
The road layout is the current road overlay.
Bob
|
03-15-2012
( Reply#: 8260 ) |
Roger D |
We moved from north Hammond on May 31, 1957 to Hessville (the 7600 block of New Hampshire. The interstate was being completed but not open from Kennedy east. We lived two blocks from Cline Ave. and would go to the cloverleaf and ride our bikes on it. |
03-15-2012
( Reply#: 8261 ) |
BobK |
Larry, yes, SR 152 is Indy but there is no later aerial than 1973 but it sure looks like it intersected Indy before the xway.
Bob
|
03-20-2012
( Reply#: 8265 ) |
Little Stevie |
In the Beginning,
God said: "Let there be an oasis for weary travelers on the High Tolleston Beach of Ancient Lake Michigan."
And so it was the beginning:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/004WorkBegins.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/005Construction47.jpg[/IMG]
LS |
03-21-2012
( Reply#: 8279 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
In the Beginning,
God said: "Let there be an oasis for weary travelers on the High Tolleston Beach of Ancient Lake Michigan."
And so it was the beginning:
LS
Very interesting foundation, and right on the High Tolleston Beach!
Ken |
03-25-2012
( Reply#: 8309 ) |
Little Stevie |
And as the Oasis was without form, God said:
"Let thy fountaton be laid"
And so it was:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/006Construction47.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE21.jpg[/IMG]
And God saw that it was good.
LS |
03-26-2012
( Reply#: 8310 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Interesting to see these two pics taken from almost the exact same angle; the row of houses in the background
are along the north side of 169th St, heading west and intersected by Baring and Ridgeland. In the color shot,
you can see smoke over the trees---probably from the Swift Factory on 167th.
The overgrown fields in the left background are the very location where one day the 6900 block of Magoun Avenue
would spring up.
STEVE---do we have any dates on these pics?
larry |
03-26-2012
( Reply#: 8314 ) |
Little Stevie |
No Larry,
The only dates were on the back of the first photo posted. June of '47.
Figure the photos progressed that summer.
Although . . . seems to have taken a long time for construction.
Longer than it took Noah to build his ark!
LS |
03-29-2012
( Reply#: 8315 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Since the weather has practically felt like summertime in da' region lately....
I thought I would post this cool picture that I came across in the Library's historical room; wow!
What a surprise to find a vintage photo of my very favorite old mom-and-pop toy store, McCAULEY'S,
on 173rd just west of Calumet Ave, which we usually visited in the summer:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/McCAULEYS2.jpg[/IMG]
Check out the mid-50's cars, the kids on bikes, the Pepsi logo etc...that's exactly the way I remember it
from those golden years on Magoun Avenue.
And, of course...things wouldn't seem complete without a shot of the same scene today,
taken on March 27, 2012.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/StreetStuff0431.jpg[/IMG]
The building now houses a Balkan food store. Does anyone remember the legendary McCauley's?
Special thanks to Steve Kush for his help brightening up this pics, especially the Pepsi logo in the top one.
LR |
03-29-2012
( Reply#: 8316 ) |
Tom J |
Larry:
That first car on the left in the old picture sure looks like a 1956 Dodge. The other cars in the picture are older than that.
Tomster |
03-29-2012
( Reply#: 8318 ) |
tom w |
Looks like a Dodge Coronet to me. The next one is a Studebaker made in South Bend, any one of those beauties would fetch enough at auction today to take a few days off, huh? Tom |
03-29-2012
( Reply#: 8323 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
And there's a '56 Ford with its rear end facing us on the left (south) side of the street; so this pic is
probably summer of '57, the height of summer greatness in my memory.
TOM J--do you remember McCauley's? You lived fairly close by, right?
Larry
PS-- the blue Saturn parked on the right side of the "Now" photo is mine. |
03-29-2012
( Reply#: 8325 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
And there's a '56 Ford with its rear end facing us on the left (south) side of the street; so this pic is
probably summer of '57, the height of summer greatness in my memory.
TOM J--do you remember McCauley's? You lived fairly close by, right?
Larry
PS-- the blue Saturn parked on the right side of the "Now" photo is mine.
Sure don't, Lar, but it sounds like I missed out on something pretty cool. [:(] |
03-29-2012
( Reply#: 8326 ) |
Little Stevie |
I don't remember ever going
to McCauley's Larry. My grandparents lived on Howard just north of 173rd st.
We went to Pete's Grocery on the corner of 173rd & Columbia for the Sunday paper on Saturday night.
When we went there so's my mom could do my grandmother's hair for church the next morning.
Wasn't there a hobby shop of sorts on Calumet just south of 173rd, on the west side of the street?
Did you take the "Now" pic in front of Terry's Aquarium?
LS |
03-29-2012
( Reply#: 8327 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S A LISTING FROM THE HAMMOND YELLOW PAGES ('57, I think) for TOYS.
Many of the great old mom-and-pop toy stores of the era are listed on this page, including McCauley's,
Pla-Time, Pint-Size, Pee-Wee's (Highland), Gentry's and Dildine's (I wonder why MAKA'S on Columbia
across from St John Bosco Church, isn't listed).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/McCauleyListing0001.jpg[/IMG]
INCIDENTALLY----
The video documentary I did on Hammond's mom-and-pop toy stores is on You Tube; here's the
LINK to part 1(which includes McCauley's).
http://youtu.be/ZFjMpZqgiS0
The video is in 7 parts and includes many of the stores listed in the yellow pages above.
If you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do for 45 minutes, you might enjoy watching it.
STEVE--YES (#1), the place on Calumet just south of 173rd was HOBBY TIME; it's also on my video.
YES (#2), Terry's Aquarium is just out of view on the right side of the "Now" pic of McCauley's above.
Larry |
03-30-2012
( Reply#: 8328 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HEY---
Check the Yellow Page ad above for Pee-Wee's in Highland (lower left side); they had FREE TOY COUNSELING (!?).
LR |
04-04-2012
( Reply#: 8347 ) |
Little Stevie |
And God was pleased
"Let thy Oasis rise towards Heaven with structure upon thy foundation"
And it was so
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE111.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/007Construction47.jpg[/IMG]
Last Saturday, Larry & I met Mrs. Klish and another Magoun Ave. resident, Georgia Stewart at the HOP to reminisce and show them the recently "unearthed" pics.
Georgia's son, Jim, also was there, along with my wife, Dawn and sister Carolyn.
After pizza, the room noise was a little too loud to converse so we headed over to the Stewart home to view the pics and listen to stories about the 'hood from the two remaining residents.
Jim says that he's sure they have photos from their earliest days on Magoun that he eventually post here for all to see.
LS |
04-07-2012
( Reply#: 8348 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AND HERE'S A PHONE-PIC taken one week ago tonight, which captures the event Steve described above.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SerenadeatStewarts.jpg[/IMG]
A lovely evening (after consuming a TON of pizza across the street at House o' Pizza), sitting in Georgia Stewart's
home on Magoun, which she has lived in since 1955 (Georgia is on the right, Mrs Klish on the left; Steve's sister
Carol is up close). And of course, that's ol' L.S. himself on the left, in charge of the laptop as we view
our recently unearthed SERENADE photos.
Two things were especially cool: 1.) we were sitting in an original old '50's Magoun home that is an exact
duplicate of my Grandparent's house 4 doors to the north; the last time I was in that house was in 1963.
Standing in Georgia's house was like being back at Grandma's.
2.) These two wonderful old gals were absolutely thrilled to be looking at photographic evidence of
their own youth---the iconic SERENADE Drive-In that symbolized everything that was new and
exciting about living on Magoun Avenue back in its glory days.
A very special evening.
Wishing everyone a peaceful and blessed Easter.
Larry
|
04-10-2012
( Reply#: 8351 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
EVEN THOUGH THIS PHOTO is not from the Woodmar area, it's definitely a Magoun Avenue memory for me, since my family
drove along this street so often in the mid-late '50's, on the way home from my grandmother's. Anyone recognize it?
I bet Tom J will ~
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/173rdandTAPPERnew.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
04-10-2012
( Reply#: 8352 ) |
Tom J |
Not 173rd, is it? |
04-10-2012
( Reply#: 8353 ) |
Little Stevie |
Eastbound
on 173rd St. with Tapper Ave. intersection approaching. Not a 4 way "Stop" yet!
My grandparents lived 2 streets east on Howard, Uncle John lived 2 streets west on Woodlawn.
Great memories from this area of Hammond! Pete's Grocery was east 5 streets on Columbia, on the southwest corner.
LS |
04-10-2012
( Reply#: 8354 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
GENTLEMEN--
You've nailed it. Before my mother's parents moved across the street from us on Magoun (in 1959),
we visited them often on Van Buren in south Hammond. The pic above shows the 173rd/Tapper
intersection exactly as I remember it as we drove home.
Check the fabulous little ma-and-pa grocery store on the left, with the striped canvas awning. In the 70's
and 80's, it was Maria's Beauty Salon. Not sure what it is today...but here's the same shot:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/StreetStuff017.jpg[/IMG]
At least the area still looks nice. McCauley's Toy/variety store (posted above) was a few blocks to the
west of this intersection.
LR |
04-10-2012
( Reply#: 8356 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's an isolated shot I took recently of the north side of the 173rd/Tapper intersection
(compared with the original view....c. 56 years difference)
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/173rdandTAPPERnew-2.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/StreetStuff022-2.jpg[/IMG] |
04-10-2012
( Reply#: 8357 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
And here's the south side---
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/173rdandTAPPERnew-1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/StreetStuff021-1.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
04-11-2012
( Reply#: 8358 ) |
BobK |
56 years and it looks like the same awning over the doorway.
Bob
|
04-11-2012
( Reply#: 8359 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's another photo
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE11.jpg[/IMG]
of the foundation being poured.
With the sign of things to come!
LS
|
04-12-2012
( Reply#: 8360 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
You've taken us from 173rd and Tapper back to 169th and Indy Blvd in Woodmar, in the summer of 1948.
Yes, something big is taking shape!
Larry |
04-12-2012
( Reply#: 8361 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
You've taken us from 173rd and Tapper back to 169th and Indy Blvd in Woodmar, in the summer of 1948.
Yes, something big is taking shape!
Larry
Here's a question
I've wanted to ask before, just kept forgetting.
Now seems like a good time, since I transported us back to the "Woodmar" area again.
What were the dividing boundries for the different neighborhoods?
What streets, RR tracks or other divisions defined "Hessville"? "Woodmar"?
And what is the area that the 173rd st. & Tapper intersection is in called?
LS |
04-12-2012
( Reply#: 8362 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
What streets, RR tracks or other divisions defined "Hessville"? "Woodmar"?
And what is the area that the 173rd st. & Tapper intersection is in called?
LS
The western border of Hessville has to be the railroad tracks behind McCook Avenue. The other borders probably are IHB tracks on the north, Little Cal on the south, and city limits on the east. Whether or not Woodmar comes all the way to the "other side of the tracks" is not for me to say.
Ken... |
04-12-2012
( Reply#: 8363 ) |
Little Stevie |
Ken,
wouldn't the north border be the city line with EC? If not, then what's the area north of IHB tracks called?
My guess on the Woodmar boundries:
North: 167th street
East: the RR tracks you mentioned behind McCook.
South: Little Calumet River
West: Northcote Ave. from the river to 175th street then the Erie-Lakawana RR right-of way, now a bike/walking path to 167th street.
West of Northcote was called "Schliker Addition"? If I'm not mistaken. Might have misspelled it though.
LS |
04-13-2012
( Reply#: 8364 ) |
S C Jones |
Stevie
here is a list of neighborhood names--not with boundaries, but it might help in
any investigating you may want to do.
Central Hammond
East Hammond
Glendale Park
Harrison Park
Hyde Park
Jacob's Square
Sohl
Hessville
North Hammond
Robertsdale
The Whiting post office (46394) serves not only the City of Whiting but also this adjacent Hammond neighborhood of Robertsdale, immediately to the west of Whiting. Addresses in this Hammond neighborhood show “Whiting, Indiana.” While not legally a part of the City of Whiting, locally the area has long been informally considered to be a culturally integrated part of Whiting. References to Whiting businesses or residents often include those technically from Hammond's Robertsdale.[4][5][6]
South Hammond
Forest-Ivanhoe
Indi-Illi Park
Columbia Center
Meadows
Sleicher (Slacker)
Woodmar
[edit] |
04-13-2012
( Reply#: 8365 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Ken,
wouldn't the north border be the city line with EC? If not, then what's the area north of IHB tracks called?
LS
I would call that area a "no man's land," not part of Hessville. It looks to me like the borders now are railroad tracks on north and west, Cline Avenue on east, and 80/94 or Little Calumet River on south, take your choice.
Ken |
04-13-2012
( Reply#: 8366 ) |
S C Jones |
[PDF]
FEMA Flood Zones, USGS Stream Gages and Proposed Levees
www.hammond.lib.in.us/PDF/.../HammondMHMP_FEMA_USGS.pd...File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
Woodmar. Neighborhood. Robertsdale. Neighborhood. Central Hammond ..... Road Centerlines, Streams, Railroads, Municipal Boundaries provided by ...
Check out the above site for a map of neighborhoods that shows streets.
|
04-13-2012
( Reply#: 8367 ) |
wvcogs |
Try this page. I think it's where S C wanted to send us.
Ken
[url="http://www.hammond.lib.in.us/PDF/PublicAccess/HammondMHMP_FEMA_USGS.pdf"]Hammond Neighborhoods[/url] |
04-13-2012
( Reply#: 8368 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
Try this page. I think it's where S C wanted to send us.
Ken
[url="http://www.hammond.lib.in.us/PDF/PublicAccess/HammondMHMP_FEMA_USGS.pdf"]Hammond Neighborhoods[/url]
|
04-13-2012
( Reply#: 8369 ) |
S C Jones |
Yep, that is the site, Ken. Thanks, Ken. |
04-13-2012
( Reply#: 8370 ) |
Little Stevie |
Pretty cool map SC!
And the list of neighborhoods!
We'll have to decipher the city into it's 'hoods!
Thanx
LS |
04-19-2012
( Reply#: 8375 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
IN SUMMER OF 2011, Lil' Stevie, his sister Carol, and I were able to do a walk-through
of the great old Rapchak house at 6912 Magoun; sad to say, I barely recognized any of it.
So I've been working to locate every available photo of the inside of the house from the
great era from 1954-1962, when we lived there.
Here's good one from 1958 of cow-girl Nancy, standing against the living room drapes, with her
trusty ol'monkey pal that Mike and I named "GRUNT CRUNCH" (please don't ask me why).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/NancyPlusMonkey0001-1-1.jpg[/IMG]
Mike and I were just goofy.
LR |
04-21-2012
( Reply#: 8382 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Nancy in the 6912 Magoun living room on Easter, 1959; it was the last Sunday in March,
and was a cold and chilly one. Note the little dufus in the kitchen doorway.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/59Easter0001.jpg[/IMG]
Looks like another projectile hit Nancy (as we saw on the "Jefferson School" thread),
this time on her cheek. Actually, a little photo-shopping would have solved this.
LR |
04-21-2012
( Reply#: 8383 ) |
Little Stevie |
Love it!
I just love it! Great photo!
Like the plastic on the couch too!
Here's one of Little Stevie with his first bank!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg711.jpg[/IMG]
Bev, Dad & Carol with Little Stevie holding his "Mr. Dough Dumper" bank in the summer 0f 1958!
Thanx Larry for knowing the name of the bank!
LS |
04-22-2012
( Reply#: 8384 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve----
Yeah, "MR. DOUGH-DUMPER" was the name of your plastic bank. You'd stick a penny into the
top rung of the ladder; the penny would somersault down the ladder steps and plop into the bank
compartment at the bottom---but as it dropped in, The Dumper's plastic umbrella (which he held in
his left hand, and which looks like is MISSING in the pic) would bounce up and down, striking
the surface of the bank box.
-----
But wait, there's more:
Sometime in the late '80's, I was scouring the old re-sale shops along Halsted St. in Chicago and I
found a mint-condition "Dough-Dumper" in the original box for sale. I had totally forgotten about it
(Nancy had one back around '59), but seeing it on the shelf jogged my memory. So I bought it, wrapped it,
and gave it to Nancy for Christmas.
On Christmas eve, I handed Nancy the wrapped package, saying "you'll NEVER guess what this is." As she
turned the package a bit, the little plastic umbrella inside bounced once, just barely audible through the
wrapping paper.
"Dough-Dumper" she said without missing a beat, which almost knocked me out;
I couldn't believe that she immediately recognized that sound after 30 years.
Larry
PS. Another great pic of Bev; what a sweetheart. Obviously I was too young at the time to notice or care. |
04-24-2012
( Reply#: 8389 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
From early 1960, another cool shot from 6912 Magoun, with my dad, Nancy and Phillip playing some board game
or other. Our beautiful little '50's kitchen is partially visible through the door. When we walked through
the house this past July, the new owner told me that he had just replaced all of the original cabinet doors
within the past few months. DAMN...I wish I had known; I would have taken them and preserved them;
for what purpose, I'm not sure.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/60January0001.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
04-25-2012
( Reply#: 8390 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
"OFFICE DUDES"----
Fall of 1957 in the 6912 Magoun kitchen, a view from the other side of the kitchen door seen in the photo above.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57OfficeDudes0001.jpg[/IMG]
I had just started 1st Grade at OLPH, so I was either practicing my penmanship or drawing dinosaur pics.
LR |
04-25-2012
( Reply#: 8391 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
"OFFICE DUDES"----
It looks like Mike, Jr. is doing a fine job keeping those fingers on the home keys -- a s d f j k l ; -- on that 1950's word processor.
Ken |
04-29-2012
( Reply#: 8408 ) |
Little Stevie |
Well, we're gonna jump a few years here,
Little Stevie begins his musical career with a set of (toy) drums he receives for his 10th birthday, February 3rd.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg101.jpg[/IMG]
The two wire legs that were supposed to hold the set in place never did fit so
my Dad found a couple of pieces of wood we jammed under both sides of the bass drum.
I was in all my glory until April of that year. Yep, Beda's birthday was in April and you'll never guess what his 10th BD present was.
Not just a set of drums, but a full blown set made by some company named "Ludwig".
Ever here of them?
LS |
04-29-2012
( Reply#: 8409 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Yeah, but I bet Cy Beda's bass drum didn't have a Jamaican Beach scene with toucans, etc painted on it.
Larry |
04-29-2012
( Reply#: 8410 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Yeah, but I bet Cy Beda's bass drum didn't have a Jamaican Beach scene with toucans, etc painted on it.
Larry
This is true, Larry.
But the scripted "Ludwig" was all that was needed to make Little Stevie feel inferior.
Somehow, "they" talked me into joining the band in sixth grade.
A photo of that soon to come on the Jefferson thread.
LS |
05-03-2012
( Reply#: 8419 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's SOMETHING TO COMMEMORATE THE FIRST WEEKEND IN MAY----
from the great old days at 6912 Magoun.
On Sunday, May 4, 1958, Mike made his First Communion at OLPH; his present was a new wristwatch:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58MikeCommunion0001.jpg[/IMG]
Check out the calendar on the wall in the background; it was provided to OLPH parishioners by the
Huber Funeral Home of Hessville. I really appreciated the '58 version, which featured excellent paintings
of the major figures of Catholicism. May was the month of Mary.
HERE is a recent scan of the same page you see in the photo---NOT another copy from E-Bay, etc...
but the VERY SAME calendar, which I still have hanging on my studio wall.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58MAYcalendar0001.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
05-04-2012
( Reply#: 8420 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S Mike on that morning, Sunday, May 4th, 1958, at OLPH Church---a terrific picture, I think.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Mike58Communion0001.jpg[/IMG]
So after the Mass and First Communion festvities that morning, the plans called for a family trip to downtown
Chicago to see Disney's SNOW WHITE, which had just been re-released for its big summer run
(it came to the Paramount that summer). A great way to celebrate Mike's 1st Communion.
But when we got near the theater (maybe the Oriental or Woods?..one of those big Chicago joints around
State and Randolph), the place was JAMMED---the crowds were lined up around the block!
I remember driving around the block a few times as the realization began to set it...we were NEVER going
to get in to see the show that day (I also remember the big color ad-artwork of the Snow White characters
displayed around the ticket booth area, which made the disappointment that much more intense). But we'd
never get near the place on foot.
So we headed back to da' Region, had a nice fancy dinner at the Steak House that used to be at 5 Points
in Hammond/Whiting (by Phil Schmidt's, across from Lever Brothers), and then---so it wouldn't be a total loss,
decided to take in a double-bill that was playing at the local palace....
And here's the Hammond Times ad from that weekend (Friday, May 2, 1958).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/VikingWomen580002.jpg[/IMG]
The whole thing was SO bad,
that even Mike and I couldn't wait for it to end. So our big-time, downtown Chicago movie outing ended up
back home in the good old Paramount theater, sitting through some of the schlock-iest crud you've ever seen.
But it was still cool---part of the fun of the late '50's!
LR |
05-04-2012
( Reply#: 8421 ) |
tom w |
Hey Mike. Would the steak house be GEORGE DIAMONDS? Tom W. |
05-04-2012
( Reply#: 8422 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Tom--
Yeah, I think that was it. Later (in the 60's) I think it became JUSTER's; but the afternoon we ate
there in May '58, I'm sure it was George Diamond's. Pretty darn' good food, as I recall.
Larry |
05-04-2012
( Reply#: 8423 ) |
tom w |
Yep and nice people too. A historic note; right across the street on the other side of Indianapolis, there used to be a little roadhouse. A Mister Capone took a liking to it as a kind of home away from home.
In the time period to which you refer, the building, which was last used as a gas station, still stood. Tom W |
05-05-2012
( Reply#: 8424 ) |
Little Stevie |
Betcha thought we forgot about
that oasis on the High Tolleston Shoreline, didn't you?
Well, as you can see below, the work continues in the sand.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE31.jpg[/IMG]
Karl & Al checking things out.(This time in color!)
LS |
05-05-2012
( Reply#: 8425 ) |
wvcogs |
LS,
Can you tell what street that is in the background?
Thanks. Ken |
05-06-2012
( Reply#: 8427 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
LS,
Can you tell what street that is in the background?
Thanks. Ken
After looking at this for a while Ken, I guessing it's Indianapolis Blvd. running north to south (left to right). The houses in the right background would be on 170th st. east of Indy. Also, Larry told me the two men standing were just workers not Al & Karl. more photos to come later in the week.
LS |
05-06-2012
( Reply#: 8428 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Huh, What....?
That's Indy Blvd in back of those three smiling workers, and the back of the house is over on Olcott Ave,
one block east. We'll be seeing Karl and Al in some of the forthcoming photos; I'm sure one of them was BEHIND
the camera for this shot, but not in front.
------------------------------------------------------------
INCIDENTALLY....to wrap up my little chronicle of the first week in May, 1958------
Three days after Mike's 1st Communion and our movie-going adventures,---Wednesday, May 7th, a certain
L.Rapchak celebrated his 7th birthday....probably the best of them all.
Here's Nancy, Mike and me on that evening. I am reading my new book entitled THE WORLD WE LIVE IN,
a compilation of photos, paintings and articles on nature from LIFE Magazine. The highlight was the big chapter
on Dinosaurs, which featured a panorama of incredibly cool DINO pics that LIFE had published in 1953.
I STILL HAVE THE BOOK on my shelf, minus the dust-jacket.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58birthday0001.jpg[/IMG]
AND HERE IS MY MOTHER's INSCRIPTION to me from the inside cover of "The World We Live In",
which I am holding in the photo above.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/WorldInscription0001.jpg[/IMG]
Yep, it's still there.
----------------------------------------------------
ALSO--Notice the sword and scabard Mike is wearing. That was the greatest part of the whole day, because
my BIG present that birthday was an amazing SUIT OF KNIGHT ARMOR made by the Marx Toy Company.
It included a beautifully detailed helmet with visor made of heavy plastc, metal breast and back plates,
shin guards, a shield, and the plastic sword and tin scabard. WHAT A GREAT THING TO OWN!
Of course, as was the custom, Mike got the SAME present that I did--even though it was MY birthday.
"Well, we want you two guys to be able to play together...etc, etc"...yeah, yeah,,OK...I get it... It ALWAYS
happened on my birthday, but never on Mike's; I NEVER got the same thing he did on his birthday.
For some strange reason, we didn't take a single photo of us wearing those great Knight suits....nothing.
The sword in the pic above (plus another similar shot) is the ONLY evidence in the family album that we
ever owned the suits.
Here's a recent pic from a Toy Auction site of the helmet alone, plus the complete set of armor
(though I see a plastic scimitar and knife in the pic; the original sword/scabard is lying in the front).
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THIS GREAT TOY from Marx??
The visor on the helmet actually worked, and the crest on the top was
modeled in the shape of a horse-head.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MarxKnightArmor-1.jpg[/IMG]
What a week it was...May, 1958; my head was reeling!
LR |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8429 ) |
Bill Bucko |
The World We Live In is also a favorite of mine. When I was a Montessori teacher, I bought several copies so I could cut out and mount some of the pictures -- especially the great Rudolph Zallinger murals, "The Age of Reptiles" and "The Age of Mammals."
The versions in the book are actually superior to his murals on the walls of the Peabody Museum at Yale, because they go from left to right, time-wise.
Both adult and chilren's versions of the book should still be available from used book dealers. Highly recommeneded.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8430 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Bill...
After reading your post, I couldn't resist.
For those who have never seen 'em, here's a sample of Zallinger's Dinosaur murals that are included in "The World We Live In' book that
I received for my 7th birthday (photo above).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/WorldWeLiveIn0001.jpg[/IMG]
Now you see why I was astounded. This was just scanned from the SAME COPY of the book that I am holding in the pic above.
Larry
PS-- you mean to say that the original murals at the Peabody are laid out in reverse---right to left?? |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8441 ) |
Roger D |
HAPPY 61st.[:0] BIRTHDAY LARRY !!!! and MANY more![:D] |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8442 ) |
wvcogs |
Larry,
Best wishes for a Happy Birthday.
If you don't slow down, you'll catch up with me in a few years.
Ken |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8443 ) |
Tom J |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY!
(If you got a dinosaur book for this birthday, your picture might be in it!) |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8444 ) |
Little Stevie |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. RAPCHAK!
Larry, Here's hoping today was one of your bestest Birthdays! (CLINK!)
LS |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8445 ) |
Little Stevie |
Another week. . .
Another 1,000 "reads" here on "Magoun Ave. Memories"!
Thanx to one and All! Whomever youse all might be!
Why not "sign in" and tell us who you are and why you enjoy the "MAM" thread!
Or, drop Larry & me, Little Stevie, a line @ sdmm@netzero.net
Looking forward to hearing from youse all soon!
LS |
05-07-2012
( Reply#: 8446 ) |
Tom J |
Well, I read it so much because I can identify so easily with the things that you guys tell us about. It's a glimpse of life as it was when we were growing up, a trip back to our childhoods.
Keep up the good work!
Tom |
05-08-2012
( Reply#: 8447 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Bill...
...
PS-- you mean to say that the original murals at the Peabody are laid out in reverse---right to left??
Yes, the Peabody versions are in reverse, chronologically--making them not as good for classroom use, where you're getting young children used to left to right sequence.
The Peabody Museum http://peabody.yale.edu/ sells small guidebooks to the murals; small reproductions; and larger reproductions. The guidebooks identify each species. There are a few differences (besides the left/right issue) between the versions Zallinger did for The World We Live In and his big murals at Yale--mostly in "The Age of Mammals." Some of the colors in the Yale murals look faded ... not like the bright, strong colors we can see in your scan.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
05-08-2012
( Reply#: 8448 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Oh, by the way--a magazine article I once read about the Miller Company's 1950s waxy-plastic dinosaurs pointed out that several of Miller's figures were clearly patterned after the Zallinger murals.
That's especially evident in the Stegosaurus (with the delicate rose coloring on the plates), the Megatherium (giant ground sloth), and Brontops.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
05-08-2012
( Reply#: 8449 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY!
(If you got a dinosaur book for this birthday, your picture might be in it!)
No come back on that one, Lar? :)
Just messin' with ya. Hope I didn't hurt your feelings.
Tomster |
05-09-2012
( Reply#: 8450 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Tom,
I'm a little slow on the retorts these days but,
Man, you are one CRUEL, unforgiving dude![:)]
larry
PS--Thanks for all the kind birthday wishes, guys; it was pretty uneventful (thankfully). |
05-09-2012
( Reply#: 8451 ) |
Little Stevie |
At this time,
just two days after Larry's 61st Birthday . . .
I'd like to wish my sister Beverly
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/bjk-611.jpg[/IMG]
A HAPPY 61st BIRTHDAY!!!
Me thinks she checks in here once and a while but I'm not for certain about it.
Here's a photo of her taken in or around 1990/91.
I'm guessing it was the Saturday before Easter getting ready to get the baskets blessed with Mom on the porch of 6920 Magoun.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/bjk-48.jpg[/IMG]
Her daughter Ellen, in back, is studying in NY for her law degree.
Katie, on the right, is in Taipei, Taiwan teaching English to the Chinese, I believe.
Robbie, in her lap, is graduating from Purdue this Friday with an Engineering Degree.
If'n I got some of the "facts" wrong, maybe she'll sign in and correct me!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!!
LS |
05-10-2012
( Reply#: 8454 ) |
Roger D |
Happy Birthday BEV! Congrats for surviving on Magoun around all those guys. |
05-11-2012
( Reply#: 8455 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
I would NEVER recognize Bev from this pic; but it's her, alright, next to your mom on the porch that I remember
so well from the good old days. Bev was born on May 5th, right? --two days before me.
Larry
PS--Congratulations to Bev and her kids; obviously, the family has been doing something right! |
05-11-2012
( Reply#: 8456 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK, FOLKS--- Here we go....
In the continuing photo-saga of a certain iconic Woodmar Drive-In of yore, here's a color shot of the framework~
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE4.jpg[/IMG]
Summer, 1948.
LR |
05-11-2012
( Reply#: 8457 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
I would NEVER recognize Bev from this pic; but it's her, alright, next to your mom on the porch that I remember
so well from the good old days. Bev was born on May 5th, right? --two days before me.
Larry
PS--Congratulations to Bev and her kids; obviously, the family has been doing something right!
Nope! Two days after you Larry! May 9th.
LS |
05-12-2012
( Reply#: 8458 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Oh, I get it now....
That's why you posted the birthday message above on the 9th...(duh...).
Incidentally, seeing your mother in the pic above reminded me of one of the last times I saw her. It was right before
Christmas in 1981, and things were not going well for me in many respects; I was in between jobs, and was
living at my dad's place at the moment and, for some reason, I called your mom out-of-the blue and asked
if I could stop over to visit her. She was VERY cordial and welcomed me over.
I stopped in that evening (Dec 21, 1981) and we sat and talked for FIVE HOURS straight; the time flew by.
It was pretty amazing for me to be sitting there in a house that was EXACTLY THE SAME as 6912 where I grew up, since
your mom's place was almost totally un-changed from the old days. She brought out your family photo albums for me,
and I came face-to-face with those 1958 Wisconsin Dells Dinosaur photos that you guys had shown to me
when they were brand new that summer (posted on page TWO of this thread) as well as everything else that's in your
albums (much of which is also posted here).
That visit was very special for me; it was like stepping back into time and spending five hours with the
kindest, gentlest, most good-humored friend imaginable---even though, of course, I still considered her to
be my elder, while I was still the neighborhood goof-ball who used to annoy her and heap abuse on her kid, back
in our glory days.
I know the date of our visit because I remember what was on TV that evening as we sat and talked; it was
a new production of a famous American play entitled "All The Way Home", which I checked out
on IMDB to find the date.
Pretty interesting connection, I'd say.
Larry |
05-12-2012
( Reply#: 8460 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
That visit was very special for me; it was like stepping back into time and spending five hours with the
kindest, gentlest, most good-humored friend imaginable
Larry
Larry,
seeing how tomorrow is Mother's Day, I cannot think of a better tribute to my mother than you words of praise.
Thank you.
LS
& "The Girls" |
05-13-2012
( Reply#: 8461 ) |
wvcogs |
Larry -- Here is some information I've been trying to get through to you, but my email has been giving me some problems.
It looks like they lived a couple blocks south of you, at 7134 per the 1970 directory. Would that house in the background be on Baring?
Ken |
05-14-2012
( Reply#: 8476 ) |
Little Stevie |
Not the Monolith from "2001, A Space Odyssey"
but more of a 1948 version. . .
rising into the Woodmar heavens.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE51.jpg[/IMG]
LS |
05-19-2012
( Reply#: 8487 ) |
Little Stevie |
THE WORK CONTINUES. . .
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE61.jpg[/IMG]
LS |
05-20-2012
( Reply#: 8488 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Once again, we're looking at a scene from summer, 1948. In the background (looking north) is the intersection
of Indy Blvd and 169th; looks like there's an establishment of some sort on the east side of Indy, even though
the Hammond Directory from that year lists NOTHING in the area other than the Old Glory Tap, a block north
of the intersection.
LR |
05-21-2012
( Reply#: 8500 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
could that little brown oval sign on the right, under the 1st & 2nd utility poles, be a "Jewel" sign?
Announcing a Jewel store was going to be built on that site?
Looks like it could be in the right spot.
LS |
05-21-2012
( Reply#: 8501 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
I've been staring at the photo for the past 10 minutes, and STILL don't see any brown oval.
BUT----
The Jewel store didn't open 'til late October, 1954, so there's no way it was in the works at this point.
In fact, it wouldn't be for another 4 years or so that the strip of businesses (with House of Pizza,
Lloyd's furniture, the bakery, etc) a block or two south of the Serenade would be built. It was practically
wilderness.
Larry |
05-24-2012
( Reply#: 8506 ) |
Little Stevie |
Actually Larry,
it's a white sign with a brown oval on it. Just below and in between the first two utility poles on the lower right portion of the photo.
LS |
05-24-2012
( Reply#: 8507 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Oh, yeah....now I see it; how could I have possibly missed it?
It looks like it's on the WEST (Serenade) side of Indy.
Anyway, the Jewel store wouldn't open for another six years; so here's another ancient relic from 1948,
showing the SERENADE's exterior essentially complete, including the nifty stone-work
around the bottom, the dark-green cedar shingles, and the wooden slats that orginally covered the tower/facade.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE10.jpg[/IMG]
The view is to the NORTHWEST; the white house on the right is that "mystery house" that's prominent in
many of these 1948-49 pics, but which was apparently demolished sometime in the 50's...I don't remember it at all.
Larry |
05-24-2012
( Reply#: 8508 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's why I asked about the sign:
I remember the "Jewel" signs looking like this:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/jewel.jpg[/IMG]
With the color combo of white lettering on a brown background like this "Osco" sign:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/Osco1980.jpg[/IMG]
Maybe Jewel had already purchased the land. The sign is in the approximate location of the future store.
Strack & Van Til had a sign in St. John for years, proclaiming the future site. Turned out to be the now closed "K-Mart".
And Strack's built across the street from their original planned site.
Just Sayin'
LS |
05-25-2012
( Reply#: 8509 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Hmmmmmmmmmm........ could be.
larry |
05-25-2012
( Reply#: 8520 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
RE: The SERENADE PHOTO above (right above the OSCO Logo post)
You see what I refer to as the "Mystery House"--the white house on the right side of the pic.
It clearly was a residential home, and looks fairly new. It would have been located on the north side of
169th Street directly west of the intersection with Indy Blvd..but I have no memory of it from my
days back on Magou Ave.
The only clue is THIS pic from the Purdue Archives (which has been posted before) of the Intersection of
169th and Indy, probably taken during the 1953-58 period, when most of the other Purdue pics were taken:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IndyBlvd4-1.jpg[/IMG]
AND THERE, on the Left Side of the frame, is a house--which I ALSO don't remember,
located right in back of the Standard Station, which would be the exact same spot where the "mystery house"
is seen in the 1948 Serenade pic. It's got to be the same house, but here it looks like it's covered in siding or
shingles that give it a "log cabin" look.
I wonder if anyone has ANY memory of this house/building---what it was, and what became of it.
LR |
05-25-2012
( Reply#: 8521 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
I'm thinkin' we'll have to consult our two "Magoun Ave. Experts" for the dope on the "Mystery House".
I'm bettin' we'll need to entice them with. . . you guessed it. . . a night at HOP!
Wadda ya think?
LS |
05-26-2012
( Reply#: 8522 ) |
Roger D |
Okay all you Hammondites, past & present, have a safe holiday weekend. As you celebrate remember the vets who have given you this time.
My wife and I will be traveling to White House Tennesse to our youngest grandson's graduation party. He graduated from White House Heritage High School last Saturday as valedictorian, member of the National Honor Soceity, Beta Club, a Tennesse Academics Scholarship,Middle Tennesse Coachs Ass. Scholarship ( played defensive & offensive tackle on his football team). He has been awarded several other scholarships and will attend the University of Tennesse - Knoxville this fall to study Nuclear Engineering. HEY he is my grandson, I gotta brag on him.
Once again HAVE A SAFE & HAPPY WEEKEND!! |
05-26-2012
( Reply#: 8523 ) |
S C Jones |
Roger,
You definitely have bragging rights! What a championship record!
Travel safely, hope the weather holds good for you.
SC |
05-27-2012
( Reply#: 8525 ) |
Little Stevie |
Looking Southwest
the finishing touches are being completed on the
"Serenade".
Here, the parking lot is being prepared.
Also, one of the two trees is now gone.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE151.jpg[/IMG]
Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day!
Remember to thank a Veteran.
LS |
05-30-2012
( Reply#: 8528 ) |
Little Stevie |
Looking at the photo in the above post,
I'd guess that it was late 1948, December, maybe.
Or even January of '49.
The tree in the photo is bare of leaves, plus, this full page announcement ran on
February 3rd of '49.
(Six years before Little Stevie came into being!)
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/LAGrandOpeningAd2-3-49.jpg[/IMG]
Here's the backpage of the announcement:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/LABackside.jpg[/IMG]
LS |
06-01-2012
( Reply#: 8529 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
A great piece of Region lore---probably the only copy of the Serenade ad that's still in existence.
Great artwork, fascinating info on menu and the companies and suppliers that were part of the creation of
Woodmar's iconic drive-in.
Also, thanks for the back-side of the ad. The "pleasant little game" known as the Wishing Well was still being
printed every day sometime into the 80's, I think. ALSO--check the bottom-right panel of the comic strip
"Dotty"; interesting that a comic strip could get away with showing the babe (Dotty) and
the dork (Horace) sleeping in the same bed (in 1949!); [:p] it took another 20 years for TV sit-coms to drop
this taboo.
Larry |
06-04-2012
( Reply#: 8538 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Hey, what's this about a birthday? Guess I missed something. Hope it was a happy one.
MEANWHILE---check out THIS ultra-rare treasure:
The SERENADE DRIVE-IN shortly before it opened in February, 1949, looking northwest.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE-C.jpg[/IMG]
The houses on the left are on the north side of 169th; the ones on the right run north along Baring Ave. The
"mystery house" is on the far right.
Looks pretty cozy...though I wonder why Karl and Al decided to open their beautiful drive-in in the dead of winter [?]
Check out the announcement ad right above this pic.
LR |
06-04-2012
( Reply#: 8539 ) |
BobK |
Larry and Steve, I can't seem to email you so would you email me? I have a question to ask the both of you.
Bob
|
06-11-2012
( Reply#: 8560 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's the next photo
of the now completed "Serenade"
This looks like it was in the spring of '49.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE18.jpg[/IMG]
Check out the cars! Can anyone ID them?
LS |
06-11-2012
( Reply#: 8561 ) |
Little Stevie |
Getting back to the original theme of this thread,
I thought I'd share another "Little Stevie" experience from those days on Magoun.
In this photo, taken at Thanksgiving, 1958, we see Mom's cousin, Zig Surowiec, in a tussle/gunfight with cousin Paul
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg581.jpg[/IMG]
Who won is not important. What is. . . is the chair they're tussling on.
Ya can't see it clearly, but this chair was a big comfy gray chair with a huge cushion for your back. What was great was, the cushion was separate from the chair itself.
For Little Stevie this cushion became the target of his frustrations brought on by. . ooh. . .neighbors. . . older sisters and whomever got his ire up.
Little Stevie used to "judo" throw that thing around the basement to the tune of John Sousa's "Stars & Stripes Forever", getting a good workout and feeling "pumped" afterwards.
In fact, I'd invite friends over to toss it around once and a while.
One Friday, after school, none other than my buddy Jeff Dembowski and another school chum from Jefferson, George Forgich, came over to wrestle with the cushion.
We were throwing on the floor, drop kicking it, landing on it with both knees, just beating the hell out of it.
Then, to add more excitement to the brawl, we decided to start hitting each other with it. In the back. . . swinging it full force into each other's gut and also trying to knock each other's legs out from under them.
During one of these exchanges, George got knocked down on his stomach. As he was lifting himself up, either Jeff or myself hit him across the back, sending him face first into the floor again.
He let out quite a yell. . . then started screaming "My tooth! My tooth!"
As he rose and turned around we could see that one of his front teeth had been chipped when he hit the floor.
Where my mother was, I can't remember but I know she wasn't home.
Naturally, Jeff started to laugh about the missing portion of George's tooth.
Little Stevie was already thinking of the "reprimand" he was going get for this incident.
We found the missing portion and told George to take it with him, that dentists could glue it back in place nowadays.
George left, Jeff laughed even harder as I sent him home, contemplating my situation.
Well. . . somehow. . .some way. . . telling his parents about the incident just slipped Little Stevie's mind.
A couple of days later, George was at school with a silver cap on the tooth. Everything was going to be fine.
Fine that was until my mother came home from the National Grocery store in the Woodmar Shopping Center, later that week.
She sat me down and asked "What happened to George's tooth?"
"EYYYEEE, I don't know!" I stammered.
"You sure?"
"Well. . . he kinda broke it in our basement the other day, I guess."
"You GUESS?"
Then she told my father and myself the story how she had just seen Mrs. Forgich in the store were Mrs. Forgich told her not to worry about George's tooth.
"I have never been soo embarrassed in my life" She told us.
She went on:
"I said, Why? What happened to George's tooth?"
"You didn't know? He broke it in your basement the other day when George was over.
The boys were throwing around a pillow or something and George's tooth broke on your floor.
It's all taken care of. So don't worry about it."
"Well, I'm shocked. This is the first I've heard about it" Mom told her.
"Steve didn't tell us about it."
I can't remember the punishment, but I know this was when I realized that for whatever reason, I wasn't going to "get away" with much in my youth. Someone always was there.
"I'm telling on you!"
Be it an older sister, a girl down the street, the kid next door, anyone.
Little Stevie was tagged for crimes he didn't commit.
LS |
06-11-2012
( Reply#: 8564 ) |
wvcogs |
Here's something that may make Little Stevie, our perennial Pepsi purveyor, feel somewhat better after bringing us the story about George's tooth.
[url="http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/Hammond/ShepTalkMisc/Pepsi-3.jpg"]"CLICK HERE"[/url] to see what I'm talking about. It's actually a magnet that's a little over 9 inches tall.
Ken |
06-11-2012
( Reply#: 8565 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
Here's something that may make Little Stevie, our perennial Pepsi purveyor, feel somewhat better after bringing us the story about George's tooth.
[url="http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/Hammond/ShepTalkMisc/Pepsi-3.jpg"]"CLICK HERE"[/url] to see what I'm talking about. It's actually a magnet that's a little over 9 inches tall.
Ken
Thanx Ken!
Nothing beats 12 cold ounces of Pepsi-Cola aka
"Nectar of the gods" |
06-14-2012
( Reply#: 8572 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
More new material than I can comment on in one sitting.
The B&W Serenade pic is too cool; and to think that, six months ago, we thought we'd NEVER see
the Serenade again! What a great time...especially with the dudes in their cars, the clear blue sky, etc.
What's also interesting is FORSYTHE'S FRUIT MARKET on the southwest corner of Indy and 169th; obviously the
first building on that site, of which I have NO memory. By the mid-late 50's, Kelly's Drive-In would replace it.
Also, neither Mrs. Klish or Georgia Stewart had any memory of Forsythe's. But there it sits, preserved for
all time in this photo.
Larry |
06-14-2012
( Reply#: 8577 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
I'm wondering when the apartments on the north side of 169th st. were built?
They seem to be in every picture of the early days.
Seems strange that apartments would have been built when "Suburbia" was just taking off with the G.I.'s returning home, marrying and starting the "Baby Boom" years!
Serenade:
Yep. It's a miracle! We need to set up another "visit". I gots another idea percolatin' in my LS brain!
LS |
06-14-2012
( Reply#: 8582 ) |
TestPattern |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Here's the next photo of the now completed "Serenade" This looks like it was in the spring of '49.
Check out the cars! Can anyone ID them?
LS
I think the middle one in the group of three on the right is a DeSoto. This photo is for a 1949.
[IMG]http://i45.tinypic.com/egoexg.jpg[/IMG]
The tail lights are a bit different, so maybe another model then shown or earlier year. But the bumper sure looks similar.
ADDED: Photo Hosting site ate my photo. I have now reloaded it. |
06-14-2012
( Reply#: 8583 ) |
Little Stevie |
Man!
How sharp is that car! I'll bet the sheet metal was 1/8 inches thick!
LS |
06-15-2012
( Reply#: 8584 ) |
BobK |
I think the one in the Serenade photo is a Plymouth. The reason I think it's a Plymouth is the brake light on the trunk lid. The bumper bars, I believe, was an option. I had an early 49 DeSoto. The one TestPattern has posted is a late 49 style.
Bob
|
06-15-2012
( Reply#: 8585 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Notice how difficult it is to tell one car from another during the 40's--mid 50's (and probably long before that, too)?
When I google a particular car in an old photo, it's practically impossible to tell one year from another....
through about 1955. Then, suddenly car designers went nuts, and we were treated to about 10 years of phenomenal,
inventive designs where every company was trying to outdo the other in terms of wild tail fins, grills,
that "space-age" sleek look, etc. My all-time favorite was the '59 Buick; never been topped in terms of its outlandish design.
LR |
06-16-2012
( Reply#: 8586 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
CHECK THIS OUT......
The interior of the legendary SERENADE Drive-In, with a few of the lovely late-40's carhops of da' Region!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE21.jpg[/IMG]
So that's what the place looked like inside; I only remember being in there once....
LR
|
06-16-2012
( Reply#: 8587 ) |
Roger D |
That is where the car hops picked up their orders. There were stools to the right and left for inside customers with one or two small tables in the back on the south side. |
06-16-2012
( Reply#: 8588 ) |
TestPattern |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
I think the one in the Serenade photo is a Plymouth. The reason I think it's a Plymouth is the brake light on the trunk lid. The bumper bars, I believe, was an option. I had an early 49 DeSoto. The one TestPattern has posted is a late 49 style.
Bob
KUDOS to BobK - a man who knows his cars. I was basing my suggestion on body style and bumper. After further research with Bob's lead to a Plymouth, it does appear the car is actually a Plymouth Special Deluxe. I have seen the optional bumper bars on other Plymouths. This photo is for a 1948.
[IMG]http://i50.tinypic.com/15ovtyv.jpg[/IMG]
The details are all there: chrome trim on side, gas cap location, brake light on trunk, license plate location, and trunk lever.
The previous photo for the 1949 DeSoto was a Custom model. |
06-16-2012
( Reply#: 8589 ) |
TestPattern |
I think the left vehicle (missing one fender) in the group of the three on the right of the Serenade photo is a Ford Coupe.
[IMG]http://i48.tinypic.com/35lyq79.jpg[/IMG]
This photo is for a 1946, however, the photo borrowed did not say what model, but likely a Deluxe or Super Deluxe. I assume the license plate mount on the trunk, versus bumper mount, was an option.
|
06-16-2012
( Reply#: 8590 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
CHECK THIS OUT......
The interior of the legendary SERENADE Drive-In, with a few of the lovely late-40's carhops of da' Region!
So that's what the place looked like inside; I only remember being in there once....
LR
And girl number 4 decided she didn't want to be in the picture. |
06-16-2012
( Reply#: 8591 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
CHECK THIS OUT......
The interior of the legendary SERENADE Drive-In, with a few of the lovely late-40's carhops of da' Region!
So that's what the place looked like inside; I only remember being in there once....
LR
And girl number 4 decided she didn't want to be in the picture.
HA!--I think a bit of reflection on that thought is in order, Ken.
SCJ |
06-22-2012
( Reply#: 8594 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
More Prime MAGOUN-era stuff:
My birthday (May 7), 1957....back in the days when we kids could dress up like Tonto and not get sued
by the ACLU. ONCE AGAIN--Mike got the same damn' thing as I DID for my birthday--so we had
TWO "Tontos" running around the house like fools.
Here we are about to do a war dance on my cake if somebody doesn't cut it soon (the little candle holders
were yellow plastic cowboy and Indian figures).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57Birthday0001.jpg[/IMG]
Notice the shiny, leather-covered BAR STOOL visible under the
snack bar; there was a set of THREE of them.....
And here's a publicity pic of my dad from his heyday on Chicago's radio station WAAF,
probably 1955; this scan is of a postcard the station had printed:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MikeR0002.jpg[/IMG]
There's a connection with the birthday/"Tonto" photo above: when the WAAF photographer came
to our house one hot summer day to take PR pics of my dad, he posed for this shot while seated on
one of those same bar-stools seen above; the "up in the air" background was obviously then
added in the studio.
I assume "Big MIke" is up there somewhere now. [;)]
LR |
06-22-2012
( Reply#: 8595 ) |
Little Stevie |
Darn Tootin'
he is! And Mike Jr.
Amazing that the three light switches are in the same spot as the Kush home two doors down!
L to R
Kitchen light, Hall light and backdoor outside light!
LS |
06-30-2012
( Reply#: 8596 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry & I hope
everyone is enjoying this collection of rare pictures we were able to obtain telling the story of the Serenade.
Part of our agreement with our source was to post them on "Sheptalk" only and not any other websites or social networks.
We ask that this agreement will be honored by all who come here to view them.
However, we do feel the need to "watermark" them, for our protection, from this point on.
Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.
Now, back to the next photo.
Not sure when this was taken
but it looks like the cars were just back from a "Demolition Derby" perhaps?
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE242.jpg[/IMG]
Again, can anybody out there I.D. these cars?
LS |
07-06-2012
( Reply#: 8603 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's another window to Woodmar's past--the Serenade in all of its glory on a gorgeous summer day.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE283.jpg[/IMG]
Looking southeast, with lots of open land and weeds on the east side of Indy Blvd. In another few years, Karl and
Al would build their NEXT eatery, Melody Ice Cream, directly south of the Serenade.
STEVE-- that garage-like business to the south...I can't figure out why I have absolutely no memory of it,
but you clearly remember it. Was it there in our first Serenade pics (when Karl was scouting the site?)
larry |
07-07-2012
( Reply#: 8604 ) |
Little Stevie |
No, I don't think so Larry,
It was the building the housed "Carstensen's". They sold power mowers there.
Not sure what it was after that though.
LS |
07-08-2012
( Reply#: 8605 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Looks like a pretty big building fer' just selling mowers (and repairing them, I'd guess).
Did Carstensen's also do mechanical work on cars?
Larry |
07-10-2012
( Reply#: 8607 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
Looks like a pretty big building fer' just selling mowers (and repairing them, I'd guess).
Did Carstensen's also do mechanical work on cars?
Larry
I do't think they did, Larry.
I just remember them selling and servicing all types of lawn mowers/tractors.
LS |
07-10-2012
( Reply#: 8608 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's a photo
that was taken Halloween night '56
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg801.jpg[/IMG]
After the terrorizing experience Little Stevie had
with the Taylor's from next door. That photo is further up the MAM thread, around page 2/3.
Turn the crank on the uke, and the Mickey Mouse Club theme song played.
LS |
07-12-2012
( Reply#: 8609 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve,
Nice ears there, kid.
Mickey Mouse Club is the one TV show that really recalls those great old summer days.
In 1957 summer--when Mike and I were nuts about dinosaurs--and were hanging out with
your sisters, it was MM Club every day before supper, while waiting for our dad to come home
from Chicago.
No air-conditioning, so the front door was wide open; the late afternoon sun would be hitting those
big trees next to the Serenade, and thousands of happy birdies would be singing away. All of the
great Western stuff that was featured on MM Club at the time made a huge impression on us; remember
"Spin & Marty"?
The only thing that detracted a bit from the fabulous-ness of it all was the opening theme song and visuals
from the "Hardy Boys" serial with the House of Applegate; it scared the crap out of me![:0]
Here it is----bring back memories??
http://youtu.be/phWGcOOEPZY
Since you were even younger than me, I imagine it must have freaked you out somethin' terrible!
(That's Thurl Ravenscroft doing the singing, whom we all knew as the voice of loveable Tony the Tiger.
But those were the glory days on Magoun Ave, as these three tykes would all agree![^]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57Summer0001.jpg[/IMG]
Larry |
07-12-2012
( Reply#: 8611 ) |
Little Stevie |
Jeez! Larry!
Thank God I don't remember it! Great way to start a kid's show!
Watch a guy get knifed in the back!
Actually, I don't remember much of the MMC until it went into reruns later in the 60's.
Here's a photo of my
"Black Bart" Days
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg851.jpg[/IMG]
Taken on/near my 2nd Birthday.
Must've seen dem dere Rapchak Fellers or dat Rascally Taylor Gang and was a lookin' ta join up wit 'em!
LS |
07-13-2012
( Reply#: 8612 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Amazing to look back and realize how powerful the WESTERN influence was on all of us kids
in the good ol' late '50's.
Larry |
07-18-2012
( Reply#: 8616 ) |
Little Stevie |
Taken in either in '51 or '52
this is looking southwest from Indianapolis Blvd.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE303.jpg[/IMG]
The brick two-story house is in the background along with some of the newer homes on the east side of Magoun.
One of those homes, just outta sight to the right, behind the Serenade, belongs to Georgia Stewart, who still lives there.
Georgia and her son, Jim, has joined Larry & I for pizza @ HOP.
Jim is going to "dig up" some old photos from when his parents moved in to add to this here thread!
I know he's "lurkin'" around this site! Jim. . . sign in please!
We need your stories of MAM in the sixties & seventies!
Looks like the owners should have painted a few lines to establish parking spots.
The guy in the forefront seems as though he's trying to "Wedge it in" between the other cars!
LS
|
07-18-2012
( Reply#: 8617 ) |
Tom J |
Yes, Jim, please join the fun!
Tom |
07-19-2012
( Reply#: 8619 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Dat's right, Lil' Stevie.....
Those spiffy new autos were early '50's---always hard to tell the year, since the design
didn't change much during this time.
NOTICE the brick building (with the open doorway) in the background; that's the beginnings of
MELODY ICE CREAM, a new shop that Al and Karl also designed and built, just south
of the Serenade! More on it later. The records we uncovered showed
that it was built in the early '50's, as a "twin sister" of the Serenade.
Yeah...I hope that Jim Stewart will be weighin' in here pretty soon; he and his mother Georgia are
authentic Magoun Avenue folk from the good old days...and they have many tales to tell.
Larry |
07-19-2012
( Reply#: 8620 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve,
Mickey Mouse Club is the one TV show that really recalls those great old summer days.
In 1957 summer--when Mike and I were nuts about dinosaurs--and were hanging out with
your sisters, it was MM Club every day before supper, while waiting for our dad to come home
from Chicago.
No air-conditioning, so the front door was wide open; the late afternoon sun would be hitting those
big trees next to the Serenade, and thousands of happy birdies would be singing away. All of the
great Western stuff that was featured on MM Club at the time made a huge impression on us; remember
"Spin & Marty"?
The only thing that detracted a bit from the fabulous-ness of it all was the opening theme song and visuals
from the "Hardy Boys" serial with the House of Applegate; it scared the crap out of me![:0]
Here it is----bring back memories??
http://youtu.be/phWGcOOEPZY
Since you were even younger than me, I imagine it must have freaked you out somethin' terrible!
(That's Thurl Ravenscroft doing the singing, whom we all knew as the voice of loveable Tony the Tiger.
But those were the glory days on Magoun Ave, as these three tykes would all agree![^]
Larry
YES! I discovered that clip from the Hardy Boys a few months ago, and have since watched it dozens of times! I didn't remember the visuals (probably because I kept my eyes closed, as a kid) but I remembered the song all these years ... "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!"
In addition to Spin and Marty, don't forget Corky and White Shadow! With the Durango Dude! I haven't been able to find it on tape or DVD, but I do have a comic book of it.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
07-19-2012
( Reply#: 8621 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Bill--
That Hardy Boys intro was WAY beyond what Disney should have been showing to little kiddies in the late '50's;
the skeletal hands, the mouldy-sounding voice, the cobwebs in the empty treasure chest, and the skeleton
on the ground really freaked me.
Next time I saw it was as a rerun in the mid-60's; I was in high-school and it STILL gave me the creeps. [:0]
Larry |
07-24-2012
( Reply#: 8623 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
So I'm driving down Magoun Avenue earlier this summer, and I see Mrs. Klish out in front of her house.
I stopped to chat, and noticed the vintage lawn sprinkler she was using. I hadn't seen one of these babies
in decades---in working order, no less.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Untitled-2.jpg[/IMG]
"I've had it ever since I moved into this house" (which would be 1954), she told me.
LR |
07-24-2012
( Reply#: 8624 ) |
Little Stevie |
The Classic
"Rain King" revolving sprinkler! Who didn't have one of these back in the day?
How many summer afternoons were spent running through this shower?
Set the dial on top for a circular diameter from 5 to 50 feet!
I believe models of this classic can still be bought.
LS |
07-24-2012
( Reply#: 8625 ) |
Tom J |
Cool! I had not seen one of those for AGES! Thanks for sharing with the rest of us.
Tom |
07-31-2012
( Reply#: 8633 ) |
Little Stevie |
Jumping back again,
Here's a photo of a few of the construction workers that built the "Serenade".
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE311.jpg[/IMG]
Taken in the summer/fall of '48, I believe the gentleman on the far right might be Karl Fisher, one of the owners.
Check out all the sand left behind from 4,700 years or so ago, when Lake Michigan lapped upon the shoreline on this spot!
LS |
08-02-2012
( Reply#: 8637 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Yeah, how about the 4,700-year old White Castle bag that was photoshopped out of the lower-left corner
of the pic? (kidding, of course...).
Steve-- you may be right about Karl being the guy on the right...mainly because
I'm sure that his pal and business partner Al Wright is the second guy from the right. We'll see Al
in a few later pics looking noticeably heavier, after a couple years of those Serenade cheesburgers and malts.
Larry |
08-04-2012
( Reply#: 8638 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Re: the Hardy Boys serial
I was searching for information on an actress I liked. It turned out she was a former Mouseketeer, and I just stumbled on this:
http://www.originalmmc.com/serials.html
Here's the page on the Mystery of the Applegate Treasure:
http://www.originalmmc.com/hardy1.html
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
08-05-2012
( Reply#: 8639 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Bill--
This site looks very cool; lots of info that anyone who remembers MMC will enjoy.
Thanks
Larry
PS - Who was the actress? |
08-06-2012
( Reply#: 8640 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Bill--
This site looks very cool; lots of info that anyone who remembers MMC will enjoy.
Thanks
Larry
PS - Who was the actress?
No, youse guys, not the one who posed for Hugh Hefner! It was sweet, innocent Sherry Alberoni, whom I liked as Glumdalclitch in the 1960 movie "The Three Worlds of Gulliver."
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
08-06-2012
( Reply#: 8641 ) |
seejay2 |
Bill, I sent you a personal email about 2 weeks ago. Did you get it?...Cj |
08-06-2012
( Reply#: 8642 ) |
wvcogs |
The good old prices from the good old days! ...The Hammond Times, Friday, September 13, 1957.
[img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/Hammond/ShepTalkMisc/SerenadePrices1957.jpg[/img] |
08-09-2012
( Reply#: 8643 ) |
Tom J |
The Consumer Price Index for June of 1955 was 26.7 vs. 229.478 for June 2012.
That $1.20 for five cheeseburgers would be the same as $10.31 in today's dollars.
Tomster |
08-09-2012
( Reply#: 8644 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
The Consumer Price Index for June of 1955 was 26.7 vs. 229.478 for June 2012.
That $1.20 for five cheeseburgers would be the same as $10.31 in today's dollars.
Tomster
That's still one heck of a deal!!!
LS |
08-10-2012
( Reply#: 8645 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Those tasty, inexpensive cheezeburgers were made by THESE lovely ladies, standing outside on the
south side of the Serenade. (The back of this pic says "May 29, 1950", the date it was developed).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE331.jpg[/IMG]
There's a little family intrigue in this photo; I would SWEAR that the woman standing on the left is
my Aunt Flo (who was married to my Uncle Bob...see page 8 of this thread).
I saw my Aunt Flo this past Memorial Day and asked if she ever worked at the Serenade c. 1950,
and she said no, she hadn't. Her daughter Cyndi also feels there's a strong resemblance between this
pic and her mother.
But there's another twist here; my Aunt Flo told me that there was another woman who lived in
East Chicago who looked exactly like her (they were often mistaken for one another)
and also had the EXACT SAME NAME (Florence Krupinski!!?) Sounds crazy enough
to be true.
So maybe it's Florence Krupinski #2--the mysterious look-alike twin--that we see in the photo above.
LR |
08-14-2012
( Reply#: 8649 ) |
Little Stevie |
32,530 reads & one year later,
This MAM string is still going strong!
Larry & I want to thank all of youse who check in to see how life was on Magoun back in the late 50's & 60's.
It's been a fun, fast year since Larry started MAM on August 13, 2011.
We've shared many memories with each other, our siblings and many former neighbors who still reside on the 6900 block of Magoun.
Getting the chance to see old photos of our youthful, fun filled days has, we hope, inspired many out there to slow life down a notch and relive their own youth, where ever it was.
Our get togethers at the HOP have given us the opportunity to reminisce with many of those who were a large part of our past.
There's plenty more to come . . . the continuing story of that lost treasure, The Serenade.
And hopefully, input from some others who spent their youth on Magoun in the later years.
Thanx again for all your interest in
"MAGOUN AVENUE MEMORIES"
LS |
08-14-2012
( Reply#: 8650 ) |
wvcogs |
Happy Birthday MAM!!!
Ken |
08-14-2012
( Reply#: 8651 ) |
Tom J |
Yeah, Happy Birthday, MAM and MANY more to come! |
08-15-2012
( Reply#: 8652 ) |
Little Stevie |
here's a website
That I think some of you will enjoy!
http://cruzintheavenue.com/CarsWeDrove.htm
I think many of these made their way to the Serenade way back when.
LS |
08-15-2012
( Reply#: 8653 ) |
duane |
Thanks. Interesting site.
Personally, I like to see the old cars restored stock.
When people customize them, by chopping and changing the sheet metal, I actually think it ruins them.
I know to each his own, but for me the most beautiful cars are the ones that look just like they drove off the showroom. |
08-16-2012
( Reply#: 8654 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Thanks to everyone who has been following this thread; it's a real pleasure to be able to keep the
great old memories alive here, and share some of the family photos and stories with youse' guys;
the more time that passes, the more distant all of this stuff becomes..so it's nice to have it
out in cyberspace.
And since I see we've just turned over PAGE 15 of this thread, here's a series of pics
that my dad took in the summer of 1958, when my parents decided that
6912 Magoun was no longer big enough for the Rapchak clan. My brother Philip would be born in October,
so it was time to expand the joint back by adding a new bedroom and kitchen in the back.
Here's the "Before" shot; the workman on the left was my Aunt Flo's brother (see the previous "Serenade"
pic), "Chick" Krupinski, who almost single-handedly built the entire addition with my dad.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58NewKitchen0002-1.jpg[/IMG]
Here's the job about midway through (well...I guess Chick and my dad probably had some extra help).
My mom is doin' the Better Homes 'n Garden routine by posing in the window opening.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58NewKitchen10001.jpg[/IMG]
There's a story about that board that's serving as a "gangplank" through the back door. Sometime after
this pic was taken, the board was moved over to the window where my mom is sitting in the photo, with
one end up in the window and the other on the ground. So Mike had a brilliant idea: he entered the
structure, climbed through the window opening and sat on the board, thinking he could use it like a slide.
So he's inching himself down the board on his butt when the thing split in two, sending him crashing
down onto the sand, a big puff of dirt rising around him. I was sure he was maimed, but he just lay there
laughing like a goon, so I joined in. I think my dad came tearin' out the kitchen door to see what had
happened, and once he found that Mike was ok, probably went right back in, shaking his head as if to ask
"why me?"
LR |
08-16-2012
( Reply#: 8655 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Thanks. Interesting site.
Personally, I like to see the old cars restored stock.
When people customize them, by chopping and changing the sheet metal, I actually think it ruins them.
I know to each his own, but for me the most beautiful cars are the ones that look just like they drove off the showroom.
AMEN!
The closer to stock the better. Original interior, original exterior color, original engines and transmissions, original everything.
Tomster |
08-16-2012
( Reply#: 8656 ) |
Tom J |
Lar:
Thanks for sharing the latest pics.
It looks like the back door is still functional in those pictures but the floor level of the addition is about halfway up that door. At some point the door would have to be removed and a new one installed, right?
Tom |
08-17-2012
( Reply#: 8657 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
Yes, the original back door was removed; in fact, the entire original BACK WALL was demolished,
to open things up into the new kitchen/bedroom space. So you entered the new back door, walked across
the new kitchen floor, which led you directly to the basement stairs. Pretty clever design.
Anyway, here's the "AFTER" picture of the series, with the job completed; the addition of the
happy kiddies creates the perfect image of the late '50's suburban dream home....
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/58NewKitchen0001.jpg[/IMG]
EXCEPT THAT------
if you look closely, you see that
Mike (standing on the porch on the left) was engaged in his typical monkey-shines just as the
shutter clicked.[:p] (I tried to crop and enlarge his image, but it blurred too much).
Nice goin', man...way to ruin a good picture. [xx(]
Below is a photo of the same corner of the room addition (as seen above), taken in August, 2011.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/6912BackYard.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
08-17-2012
( Reply#: 8659 ) |
Little Stevie |
Seems to me that
Nancy is doing her best "Annie Oakley" imitation!
She's pointing a gun at the camera, right?
Guess I should have been happy with just a face full of dirt!
LS |
08-17-2012
( Reply#: 8660 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
She might actually be pointing a gun; I only noticed it last night when I posted this pic.
If I send you this photo, do you have any way to crop and enlarge my distinguished brother's face so
that it doesn't "pixilate" too much?
It's a classic that's worth immortalizing.
Larry |
08-20-2012
( Reply#: 8661 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
She might actually be pointing a gun; I only noticed it last night when I posted this pic.
If I send you this photo, do you have any way to crop and enlarge my distinguished brother's face so
that it doesn't "pixilate" too much?
It's a classic that's worth immortalizing.
Larry
You mean like this?
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/newkitchen1.jpg[/IMG]
That's about as good as I can get it Larry.
What's with kids anyway? Ask 'em to "SMiLE" for a picture and they do the above.
LS |
08-20-2012
( Reply#: 8662 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Now it looks like one of those grainy National Enquirer pics...or maybe an FBI file photo:
"Bigfoot, Jr. sighted on Magoun Avenue, July, 1958" (right alongside the "Roswell, New Mexico" files).
And---what's this?-- Bigfoot's got an accomplice.
Larry |
08-22-2012
( Reply#: 8663 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here we have
an indoor photo of that oasis on the Boulevard.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE361.jpg[/IMG]
This looks to be a picture of the north side of the counter.
I've tried to bring back the color of these photos but they are pretty well faded, so I'm posting them in B&W.
LS |
08-23-2012
( Reply#: 8664 ) |
Roger D |
Yes that is the north side counter. Just to the right is the door going outside, straight ahead you go through that door and to the left is the kitchen area. Through the door and just to the right is the rear door and the stairs to the basement where Al Wright had his office desk, a dressing area for the waitresses, the main kitchen and storage areas. |
08-23-2012
( Reply#: 8665 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Roger D
Yes that is the north side counter. Just to the right is the door going outside, straight ahead you go through that door and to the left is the kitchen area. Through the door and just to the right is the rear door and the stairs to the basement where Al Wright had his office desk, a dressing area for the waitresses, the main kitchen and storage areas.
Very Cool Roger, Very Cool!
Thanx for the information! Rod Hlad & I would sit at the counter asking for a glass of ice water after an afternoon of wiffle ball in his backyard!
LS |
08-25-2012
( Reply#: 8666 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Roger--
It's really great to have your input here, since you actually worked at the Serenade and obviously remember
it well. We'll be posting some more pics of the interior, so please fill us in wherever you can with any
details you recall. It really adds a dimension to this whole project that only YOU can provide.
Steve....I think you should also post the color version of this pic (in addition to the b&w, that is). Yeah,
it's faded...but I think the funky 50's color scheme of the interior is something that our readers should see;
it's especially obvious in the next pic we will post.
I was also involved in the "free water" scam; in fact, the only time I can remember actually being INSIDE
the Serenade was (I think) the summer of '59; late morning on a nice HOT summer day. Mike and I walked
into the joint, sat on the bar stools you see in this pic, and asked for two cups of water; they were served in
those white, triangular paper cups in the dull chrome holders. When we had finished, we asked for a
re-fill, to which the waitress replied "Are you two going to buy anything?", which sent Mike and me
flying out the door.
Larry |
08-26-2012
( Reply#: 8667 ) |
Little Stevie |
Another great night @
the HOP last night with Larry, Mrs. Klish, Georgia and Jim Stewart!
Afterwards, we went to the Stewart's to look at old photos they had found in their albums of the 'hood from the 50' & 60's soon to be posted here!
Here's the best color enhanced photo of the interior I could achieve
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE362.jpg[/IMG]
LS |
08-27-2012
( Reply#: 8668 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
It's GOOD! At least we get a good idea of the funky-freaky tropical-inspired 40's design of the Serenade's
interior; that ketchup bottle actually looks red, so that we can gauge the rest of the colors for their accuracy.
Yeah, another excellent evening last night, at the unbeatable House of Pizza. Wonderful, relaxing time
afterwards at Georgia Stewart's home...which still has that great old comfy, secure feeling of Magoun
Avenue in the 50's.
And how about Mrs Klish---sharp as a tack, having just turned 94 last Saturday!
Last time we saw a pic related to Mrs Klish, it was the 7/24 posting
on the previous page that showed her original
RAIN KING lawn sprinkler. So I'm scrolling through Sheptalk last night with Jim Stewart (Georgia's son),
and when he saw the post with the Rain King, he said "we still have OURS from the 1950's!"
So he goes out onto the back porch...and sure enough....here it is, with Mrs. Klish's 7/24 picture
(on page 14 of Magoun Ave Memories) on the laptop in the background.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/RainKingLawnSprinkler.jpg[/IMG]
Larry |
08-28-2012
( Reply#: 8669 ) |
Tom J |
Too cool! I think EVERYONE had one of those things back in the day. I know we did but Lord only knows where it is now.
Tom |
09-03-2012
( Reply#: 8673 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
IN HONOR of LABOR DAY----
Here's one of our lovely Serenade gals, probably on her break, and surrounded by that cool late-40's tropical decor -
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE371.jpg[/IMG]
Roger---I imagine she was "before your time" so she will probably remain unidentified. But here she is,
preserved in time (the original photo was developed in October, 1951).
LR |
09-03-2012
( Reply#: 8676 ) |
Roger D |
I was at the Serenade in '61 & early '62. Then at The Big Wheel from mid '62 until I was laid off in Dec. of '62. The manager had to cut back and it was either me, in high school, or a kid just starting college. The manager figured the college kid needed the job worse than I did. |
09-03-2012
( Reply#: 8677 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
I'm guessing it's before a day's opening in the morning.
Looks like she starts her day with
a cup of coffee & a cake donut with chocolate icing!
And who didn't have that type of salt shaker & sugar container back then?
LS |
09-16-2012
( Reply#: 8693 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's the next photo
from the Serenade collection:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE401.jpg[/IMG]
This looks to be the north side entrance.
Was the term "Carhop" being used in the forties?
Or did it come later when drive-ins became more popular?
Probably the most efficient spot for a garbage
can but not what you think you'd want to see
on your way in to the eatery.
LS |
09-17-2012
( Reply#: 8694 ) |
Roger D |
This was the main entrance, east side facing Indpls. Blvd. |
10-06-2012
( Reply#: 8710 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
My late brother Mike, who introduced me to Sheptalk (under his user name "Pro2am"), was born on October 12, 1949.
So it's natural that I think of him around this time of the year.
Here's a photo taken on Mike's 5th birthday, 10/12/54-- about three weeks after we had moved into 6912 Magoun.
That's me in the plaid pants and suspenders, looking dazed and confused over the box of dominoes
that I received as a booby prize for Mike's big day.
Mike's main present was a junior Tool Box (dark green metal), that came with with a set of mini-tools. You can see
that he is holding the saw:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Birthday0001.jpg[/IMG]
The item that I remember most from this set was the PUTTY KNIFE, which had a pinkish-red wooden handle.
And HERE IT IS---yep, the very same one...still in my possession to this day:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/PuttyKnife.jpg[/IMG]
It's the single tool that I have used the most over the years, and this pic was taken this afternoon (10/6/12),
almost 58 years to the day that Mike received it for his birthday.
LR
|
10-07-2012
( Reply#: 8711 ) |
Tom J |
I wish we still had Mike with us. He and I had just become good cyber friends when he left us. We shared an interest in trains and I know we would have eventually gotten together for some trainspotting.
It's really cool that you still have that putty knife. I know you must think of Mike every time you use it. It's really pretty amazing that you still have that after 58 years!
Tom |
10-07-2012
( Reply#: 8712 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
How is it that you were able to have possession of that knife all these years? With or W/O Mike's knowledge?
Did it "disappear" some time soon after he received it as a gift?
Just wonderin'
LS |
10-07-2012
( Reply#: 8713 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve,
It's just "one of those things" that happened. The rest of the tools in the set were not that useful around the
house, since they were so small. But the putty knife managed to survive, because it was well-made
and practical, ending up on the sacred peg-board out in the garage.
About 25 years ago, it was still at my dad's house in with all of his tools, so I just grabbed it
for my own use, since by then it had become something of a relic from the good old days.
TOM--thanks for your comments about Mike; I know he really enjoyed talking with you and corresponding. |
10-12-2012
( Reply#: 8714 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's a birthday wish to my late brother Mike on what would have been
his 63rd Birthday (Oct 12, '49).
I think I was the only kid in my family that NEVER got a birthday party; not sure why---maybe I was too
much of a pain-in-the-a____. Anyway, here was Mike's big party on Sunday, October 14, 1956.
This is the old basement at 6912, looking north. My mom is on the left, then me sporting my standard
cowboy boots 'n suspenders combo. In the background behind me is my cousin Jeannie Lewis, then our cousin
Gerry Ortman (the tall guy). The other girl seated in the background is Karen King (their family lived on
Woodlawn and 175th, I think); her mother now lives in the same condo complex in Highland as my mother.
Above Karen you can see a framed photo of "Big Mike" Rapchak, the DJ of the family.
Then there's Mike, the birthday boy himself; I can't imagine how he was running, since the east wall
of the basement is about 3 feet behind him; maybe he was just posing for the camera on one foot.
And the two grandmas, of course, on the couch. Yeah, that's a basketball hoop--- not much clearance
for practicing yer' free throws; no wonder Mike and I couldn't shoot baskets to save our lives. In the
far corner, behind grandmas, is an old 40's floor-model radio; the wooden box on top was a handmade
case that contained our phonograph.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/56Birthday20001.jpg[/IMG]
The party moves upstairs. On the left is my dad's brother, my Uncle Bill (the basketball players who's
in the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame), who still lives in Naperville, and his wife, my Aunt Gerri, seated
at the dining room table. Assorted party-brats complete the scene.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/56Birthday10001.jpg[/IMG]
That's me in the lower right-hand corner, holding one of our coolest toys at the time,
the Remco Electronic Space Gun!
I probably received the gun that day as a present; can't remember.
And here's a shot of the SAME SPACE GUN, which I own today, complete with original box---
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SpaceGun.jpg[/IMG]
This is NOT the same one in the '56 birthday photo; I bought this one in the mid 80's at a toy store
in Park Ridge, Il.
LR |
10-12-2012
( Reply#: 8715 ) |
Tom J |
Larry, I join you in wishing Mike a happy 63rd birthday. All of his birthdays are happy ones where he is now. Our loss is Heaven's gain.
Tom |
10-12-2012
( Reply#: 8716 ) |
TestPattern |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
I bought this one in the mid 80's at a toy store in Park Ridge, Il.
LR
If the "vintage" toy store in Park Ridge is called June Moon, I know the store and its' owner.
I know what you feel about your brother, as we have similar circumstance. My brother passed four years on October 1 and his birthday will be one month from today, November 12.
You just have to keep his memory close. |
10-12-2012
( Reply#: 8717 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
Mike was an early "hero" to LS even though the shenanigans were about.
Sure wish I could have talked Astronomy with him!
LS |
10-14-2012
( Reply#: 8718 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Another lovely vision of the past from The SERENADE; the back of the photo says it was
developed on July 14, 1952.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE411.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
10-15-2012
( Reply#: 8719 ) |
Roger D |
The above picture was taken at the front. Upon entering these doors you either turned right or left to be seated. Directly in front of you was the counter where the girls picked up their "curb service orders". Just to the right was the cash register. |
10-17-2012
( Reply#: 8720 ) |
Little Stevie |
And here we have
an inside view with the cash register Roger mentioned.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE431.jpg[/IMG]
Originally in color, this photo's colors have faded over the years to a point where there is a yellow tint over the entire picture.
I was able to enhance the contrast in this image in BW for more detail.
LS |
10-31-2012
( Reply#: 8724 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
EVERY HALLOWEEN.....I can't help but think back to 1958, which was
the greatest Halloween of all for Mike and me. There are plenty of photos and stories about it posted
here on "Magoun Avenue Memories", including the night Mike and I put out the candle in Lil' Stevie's
jack-o-lantern by spittin on it, THEN knocked on the door and said in our weasley way: "Mrs. Kush, your
pumpkin went out", THEN stood and watched as she tried in vain to re-light it using a drinking straw as a lighter.
What a cool time! Mike and I were running rampant in the neighborhood (including torching our
own pumpkin on our porch by stuffing it with dry leaves when
it was lit, the so-called "hot house pumpkin"
effect), while out in back, our dad and his brother-in-law Chick Krupinski were working late into the night,
building our new 2-car garage; this was the final phase of the renovations that started with the
kitchen/room addition earlier that spring (see above posts).
Mike and I would stop into the garage where the men were hammering, downing a few beers (not getting
hammered, though) and generally cuttin' up; Mike and I would listen as we warmed our hands by the 100-watt
bulbs in those hanging holders with the cage on front.
During that great time, the picture below was taken; it's always been my favorite pic of my sister Nancy---
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Nancy58Fall0001.jpg[/IMG]
NANCY -- southeast corner of the new garage at 6912 Magoun, late October, 1958.
Which reminds me, I have to try to reach her again by phone--she lives in Manhattan, and
I'm not sure how much the mega-storm affected her. If I know Nancy, she's out working 'round the clock
with the relief workers to help people.
LR |
11-10-2012
( Reply#: 8743 ) |
Little Stevie |
As we move into November and summer fades away,we'll keep our memories warm by continuing our watch of the developing Serenade.
Here the new roadside sign is being erected.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE461-1.jpg[/IMG]
The sand is all gone as Indianapolis Blvd. is transformed from a two-lane country road into a commercial region for the young "baby boomer" generation.
I'm not sure when this photo was taken however, Larry, I'm hoping you can. LS |
11-16-2012
( Reply#: 8760 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
I'm guessin' about 1951; on the extreme left side you can see a bit of the MELODY ICE CREAM
building that Karl and Al built in '51 (more on it later). What's cool is that you can now see the
rear of the houses on Magoun's EAST side in the background; is one of those the house that
Georgia Stewart (Jim's mother) currently lives in (and which we've visited lately)? Can't tell for sure;
maybe you can ID it.
Anyway, it's about time these two guys finally put up a sign to draw attention to their place.
Larry |
11-16-2012
( Reply#: 8761 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
I think the garage on the left, just to the right of the Melody building, is their garage. Behind the car.
I also think the house in between the truck and signpost is theirs. Seems it might line up that way.
Next up, one of the Serenade's favorite items gets it's due!
LS |
11-19-2012
( Reply#: 8762 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
And to think you and I have recently walked through that same back yard, next to that same garage and
into the Stewart's house, with Mrs Klish, Georgia and Jim.
Might be about time for another House o'Pizza get-together. From what I read on another recent thread,
Tom J and some of the "Region Rat" gang might be coming north for a gathering; wouldn't
THAT be cool if we all could meet at HOP?
Larry |
11-19-2012
( Reply#: 8763 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
And to think you and I have recently walked through that same back yard, next to that same garage and
into the Stewart's house, with Mrs Klish, Georgia and Jim.
Might be about time for another House o'Pizza get-together. From what I read on another recent thread,
Tom J and some of the "Region Rat" gang might be coming north for a gathering; wouldn't
THAT be cool if we all could meet at HOP?
Larry
SOUNDS GREAT! |
11-20-2012
( Reply#: 8764 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
And to think you and I have recently walked through that same back yard, next to that same garage and
into the Stewart's house, with Mrs Klish, Georgia and Jim.
Might be about time for another House o'Pizza get-together. From what I read on another recent thread,
Tom J and some of the "Region Rat" gang might be coming north for a gathering; wouldn't
THAT be cool if we all could meet at HOP?
Larry
SOUNDS GREAT!
I'll second that!
We have "The Place"
Just need "date & "time" (I'm guessin' around 6:30 or so!)
LS |
11-21-2012
( Reply#: 8765 ) |
seejay2 |
How's about a show of hands of all who may be, at least, interested in the idea [8D]...Cj |
11-21-2012
( Reply#: 8766 ) |
seejay2 |
Hey Tomj. This is a little off topic, but I can't access my email right now so I'll do it this way:
This is what is at the US6/49 intersection. This is looking west with 49 roughly 1/4 mile ahead...Cj
[IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/49-1.jpg[/IMG] |
11-21-2012
( Reply#: 8767 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
How's about a show of hands of all who may be, at least, interested in the idea [8D]...Cj
Chris, let me start a thread on the subject of a possible Region Rat Reunion in "da Region." We can see who is up for it.
Tom |
12-10-2012
( Reply#: 8796 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
'BOUT TIME for another "Serenade" pic from those glorious days
of the early 1950's. According to their new sign, something really tasty was being featured....
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE48.jpg[/IMG]
That my be Karl Fisher himself doin' the chores up on the ladder.
LR |
12-15-2012
( Reply#: 8797 ) |
Little Stevie |
Looks like Karl
wasn't afraid of heights!
How tall is that ladder?
I'm guessin' 12'
LS |
12-20-2012
( Reply#: 8798 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
It's That Time of Year Again...
When most of us like to look back at the great old Christmases of our youth. Christmas on Magoun Avenue
was fabulous; it seemed like the perfect time to be a kid and live in the perfect little neighborhood.
I've dug up some really cool stuff about Christmas of 1957, which I will be posting over the next few days;
in the meantime, here are some great old CHRISTMAS TAGS used for wrapping gifts.
I found these in an old re-sale store during the mid '80's, and they are in perfect, un-used condition.
Their design clearly says late '40's to late '50's...that's right, baby---the GOLDEN ERA!
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/ChristmasTags10001.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/ChristmasTags20001.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
12-21-2012
( Reply#: 8801 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's more from that great Christmas of '57,a cool pic of my mother, Mike, and me
decorating the tree (seems like everything little boys wore in the 50's was striped---T-shirts, PJ's...everything).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57ChristmasTree0001.jpg[/IMG]
We had this big-old mirror on the south wall of our living room, and you can see our reflections in it as our dad
snapped the pic with his trusty old Argus camera. Also, notice the Glass Wax stencil decorations on the mirror;
remember those? I think this was the second year my mom used them on the windows and mirror.
What a thrill...and yes, I still have those same ornaments you see in the picture.
LR |
12-21-2012
( Reply#: 8802 ) |
Tom J |
Great pic, Lar! Sure does bring back fond memories.
Tom |
12-22-2012
( Reply#: 8803 ) |
duane |
I actually still have a can of glass wax on display in our laundry room. The stencils for Christmas are (sadly) long gone. We did the glass wax on our front windows every year when I was young. |
12-22-2012
( Reply#: 8804 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AND HERE IS the Mercantile National Bank CHRISTMAS CLUB book that my mother
used in '57 to keep track of all gifts bought and received that year--
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Christmas57Book0001.jpg[/IMG]
FRONT and BACK COVERS
AND THE FIRST INSIDE PAGES---
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Christmas57Book20001.jpg[/IMG]
In the LEFT column are the gifts we received on Christmas Eve from our relatives;
Mike (6th line) got this fabulous set of plastic model WWII soldiers (made by Revell) from our Cousin Rick in
California (more on it later). We each received a rectangular, wooden PENCIL BOX--with a sliding top,
on which a flower was painted, all hand-made by our maternal Grandfather, who had a woodworking shop down
in his basement on Van Buren Ave (near 175th St.)
In the CENTER column are the Christmas morning gifts we received from SANTA;
good thing Mike and I never discovered this book in one of our typical "snoop" sessions. My big gift was
the Marx DINOSAUR PLAY SET, Remco's Industrial/conveyor belt robot "BIG MAX", and a big cardboard "store"
(I don't recall the Ray Guns that are listed for both of us).
In the right column are the 1957 prices; the total spent on Mike was almost TWO BUCKS MORE than was spent on me....
LR |
12-22-2012
( Reply#: 8805 ) |
Tom J |
I can't believe you still have all of this stuff but I'm sure glad you do. Thanks for sharing, Lar.
Tom |
12-22-2012
( Reply#: 8806 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Thanks, Tom....but you'll NEVER believe this one--
It's my ORIGINAL LETTER TO SANTA---asking the old boy for those very same gifts that my mom listed
in the book posted above--from December, 1957 (1st Grade).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57ChristmasLetter0001.jpg[/IMG]
My writing has improved a bit in the past 55 years, but not much. About 10 years ago, my mom gave me a box
that contained a bunch of our Santa letters from the good old days that she had saved; I couldn't believe it.
They went back as far as '57.
Larry
PS -- Note that mom added "USA" at the very bottom right, just to be sure.... |
12-23-2012
( Reply#: 8807 ) |
Tom J |
Super, Lar! Thank God for sentimental moms.
That letter is priceless. It's great to have such a wonderful childhood to look back on, isn't it? I'm sure sorry for those who do not have the fond memories that we do, Larry.
Tom |
12-24-2012
( Reply#: 8808 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Tom--
Yeah, it's great to still have these things around; they have a special significance at Christmas.
HERE'S ANOTHER PAGE from that '57 Christmas Club book. This one lists everybody
that my parents sent Christmas cards to. On Line 5 is John Coughlin, the Channel 2
weatherman for many years, and the voice of "Mr. Pegasus", the talking table on The Susan Show,
a '50's afternoon kiddie show which originated from Chicago's WBBM (does anyone remember THAT one??).
Then comes the Taylors (our next-door neighbors), then we skip a house and see the Beda's and...
lo and behold...there's the name Andy Kush, plain as day.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57ChristmasAddress10001.jpg[/IMG]
Hey, Steve....when you find that Christmas card from '57, how's about forkin' it over?
Larry |
12-24-2012
( Reply#: 8810 ) |
Little Stevie |
Amazing! Again, Larry, you are Amazing!
The letter is just pure gold! And the gift/card book?
Incredible that your mom saved all of that!
I'll have the girls look through the cards we took when Mom passed in '92.
She saved cards from the beginning of time!
Hey!
I crazy thought just occurred to me!
With your "talents" why don't you put your MAM to music and lyrics? I'm sure you could come up with the next Christmas carol!
I know all here at Sheptalk would love to say they know the composer of next years new Christmas carol!!
We all enjoyed the videos on Youtube.
And I'm sure all here know the story of me viewing your last one which led to this very successful thread about our days on Magoun.
Who out there agrees with me? How about it Larry?
A Christmas carol reminiscing about the young, innocent, carefree days of a Magoun Ave. Christmas!
LS |
12-24-2012
( Reply#: 8812 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
What an idea! But I think I would fail miserably; the potential for hoaky-ness is way too high. Maybe
if you would come up with a good set of lyrics, I could try to write the music....
MEANWHILE---
Here's how SANTA CAME THROUGH on that '57 Christmas letter; I
REALLY cleaned up that year!
The iconic MARX DINOSAUR PLAYSET ~
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MarxDinoSet.jpg[/IMG]
And the funky TOY STORE ~ Nancy was my first and only customer...
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57Store0001.jpg[/IMG]
I'm sure this thing only survived a few months in our basement; other than Christmas day and this pic,
I have no memory of it whatsoever.
The Remco BIG MAX was also under the tree, but I never got a picture of it (though the "Big Max" I bought
at a Chicago resale shop in the '80's is visible in a couple of the above pics posted on this thread.
A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL![:D]
Larry R
|
12-25-2012
( Reply#: 8813 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry, I would love to write the lyrics, however, I flunked Poetry in English and the music teacher at Jefferson,
Mrs. Bewley I believe her name was,
told me that I couldn't carry a note even if it had a handle on it!
As far as playing an instrument . . . well . . . we saw my "band career" photos a page or two back.
In fact, when I tried my hand at playing the piano, Mr. Balk said,
"They way you're hitting those keys . . . I'm surprised they don't hit back!"
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL HERE @ SHEPTALK!!! |
12-27-2012
( Reply#: 8815 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
YES, IT's TRUE......
If you check the Dinosaur Playset Photo ABOVE, you will notice the Christmas STABLE below my arm.
BELOW is a new pic of the VERY SAME STABLE, which is now sitting within reach of where I am typing this e-mail---
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/ChristmasStable.jpg[/IMG]
My parents bought this stable set in the early '50's; it may even be older than I AM (if such a thing can be imagined).
The cardboard and paper-covered structure is still pretty much intact, as are all of the plastic figures.
In the '57 Dinosaur picture above, notice the two stable figures on the end---one of the three kings (orange robe)
and a white lamb. Now check the NEW photo, and you will see these two figures prominently placed on the
right side. Same ones.
ALSO: check the Dino set---I am holding a brontosaurus (yeah, Bill, I know it's really an apatosaurus
or something...), but directly UNDER the Bronto is the KRONOSAURUS, that looks like a sea-serpent.
Now check the NEW STABLE Pic and see who's hangin' out on the stable roof..... yep, it's the
VERY SAME Kronosaurus---not a replacement---still in my collection after 55 years.
KEN-- as I recall, the Christmas of '57 was a warm one; do you have access to the old newspaper file that
would give the actual weather/temperature from Christmas Eve and Christmas of '57?
Larry |
12-27-2012
( Reply#: 8816 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
KEN-- as I recall, the Christmas of '57 was a warm one; do you have access to the old newspaper file that
would give the actual weather/temperature from Christmas Eve and Christmas of '57?
Larry
Forecast from The Hammond Times, Tuesday, December 24, 1957: "Mostly fair tonight with low between 26 and 31 degrees. Wednesday fair and somewhat warmer with a high in the upper 40s. Sunset today, 4:25 p.m. Christmas sunrise, 7:16 a.m."
In the list of temperatures in the Thursday paper it appears that the high for Christmas day was 45 degrees at 4:00 p.m.
And the three star, 44 page Final edition of the Times sold for 7 cents.
That's all folks...
Ken |
12-27-2012
( Reply#: 8817 ) |
duane |
Hmmmm....global warming back in '57???
And your photo of the cheche just shows that ALL God's creatures came to worship! |
12-28-2012
( Reply#: 8818 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Duane--
The stable set-up actually includes some of the Miller wax Earth Invaders behind the camel on the left,
but I cropped them out of the photo. Yes, all critters were welcome on that big night long ago.
Ken---Thanks for the weather info. It's not like I'm THAT totally wrapped up in every
detail of my childhood Christmases. But I do remember the morning of Christmas Eve of '57, and that it
was bright and sunny and seemed to be too warm for Christmas.
What's funny is how every holiday back in those fabulous years seemed to be exactly right in terms
of weather; the Christmases always seemed to be cold with plenty of snow around for that great classic
"White Christmas" feel. But, when you go back and check the weather reports, you find that maybe
30% of Christmases back then actually had cold and snow.
The magic of childhood, I imagine.
LArry |
12-29-2012
( Reply#: 8819 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's what the siblings received for Christmas of 1957--Mike's Pom-Pom Gun by Remco, the
Stadium Checkers game (on the floor), and something or other that Nancy is fascinated with.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57Pom-PomGun0001.jpg[/IMG]
On the dining table in the background, there's a simple, 50's-style styrofoam Christmas tree (middle), a little
styrofoam snowman (right), and on the left--Nancy's favorite new present: a battery-operated Panda Bear
holding a PEPSI bottle and glass that he drank from. Yes, Steve---I'm POSITIVE it was PEPSI and not Coke!
IN FACT---in order to keep things cool around here, I've found
the proof~~~~ here's the "Nancy" listings from the '57 Christmas Club gift book:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Christmas57Book30001.jpg[/IMG]
4th LINE; "PEPSI Bear". The cost was $3, to which my mother added 60 cents in pencil (man,
was she precise or what?). Also, notice the other gifts listed, many of which are visible
in the photo above: a small table and chair set, a plastic gumball machine (on the table); I assume
that the "Think and Fit set" (whatever that is) is what Nancy is holding in the pic.
Can't remember what that "Frontier" box on the floor was; shame on me. [xx(] But the booklet lists
"Cowboy Suit and Hat" for Mike (previous page on this thread)...and there's the hat.
Larry
|
12-29-2012
( Reply#: 8820 ) |
S C Jones |
and something or other that Nancy is fascinated with
Larry,
It looks like the doll (can't read your mother's descriptive word before the word doll)
Dumphree or Humphree???
S C |
12-29-2012
( Reply#: 8821 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
On Line 5 is John Coughlin, the Channel 2 weatherman for many years, and the voice of "Mr. Pegasus", the talking table on The Susan Show,
a '50's afternoon kiddie show which originated from Chicago's WBBM (does anyone remember THAT one??).
D'you mean as in "Take me home, flying friend, take me home!" ?
And the chair would slowly fly through the air with the girl on it?
Odd that I watched it ... since at that time I still didn't like girls.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
12-30-2012
( Reply#: 8822 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
and something or other that Nancy is fascinated with
Larry,
It looks like the doll (can't read your mother's descriptive word before the word doll)
Dumphree or Humphree???
S C
SC--
Odd that you noticed that; it was a DUNGAREE Doll--a fairly large doll with a '50's-style pony tail,
striped T-shirt and light Blue Jeans (or "Dungarees"). In the picture, the doll was lying on the small
table in the background, and you can actually see its head right next to Mike's head.
I just discussed this the other night with Nancy; as a kid, she had a number of dolls that she liked,
but she said she HATED the Dungaree Doll.
BILL-- Yes, that's the show. When Susan wanted to show a cartoon, she turned on
a big (fake) machine that had a big lever that she moved back and forth (that's where I first saw the old
Fleisher POPEYE cartoons). I saw an ancient kinescope of an episode of "Susie's Show" about 10 years ago;
her real name was Susan Heinkel, and she had a terrier named Rusty. The show originated in Chicago,
and actually was picked up by the CBS network for a few years.
Larry |
12-31-2012
( Reply#: 8823 ) |
Bill Bucko |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
BILL-- Yes, that's the show. When Susan wanted to show a cartoon, she turned on
a big (fake) machine that had a big lever that she moved back and forth (that's where I first saw the old
Fleisher POPEYE cartoons). I saw an ancient kinescope of an episode of "Susie's Show" about 10 years ago;
her real name was Susan Heinkel, and she had a terrier named Rusty. The show originated in Chicago,
and actually was picked up by the CBS network for a few years.
Larry
Thanks for the name of the show!
From http://www.ebay.com/itm/Susan-Heinkel-Susies-Show-star-1957-4x5-PHOTO-NEG-/290774796583 :
"This is an original large-format (4"x5") acetate negative of Susan Heinkel, host and star of CBS TV's, "Susie's Show", on September 18, 1957. The modes of transportation were different, but the ideas were essentially the same. Like Alice and Dorothy before her, Susan was a young and curious girl who, by way of a magic chair in her kitchen, traveled to the mystical land of Wonderville with her loyal terrier Rusty by her side. In this magical world, Susan encountered a host of imaginative creatures, including a talking stove and the Foolish Forest Orchestra, whose puppet band members included violinist Wolfgang the bear, flautist Gregory the bunny, and conductor Caesar the penguin. Also in Wonderville was the Cartoon-a-Machine, which would spew out old Terrytoons when it was operated by the reticent troll Mr. Pegasus. The show's host, Susan Heinkel, was a twelve-year-old girl who was discovered at the age of three in a St. Louis Christmas pageant. Each week, she would perform on a stage full of oversized props designed to make her look smaller. Originally titled Susies Show, the program appeared on local Chicago TV before being picked up by CBS a year later and going through a maturing title change to Susans Show. Though Dorothy returned to Kansas and Alice went on to peer through the Looking Glass, Heinkel simply went to high school when her adventure days were over."
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
12-31-2012
( Reply#: 8824 ) |
Roger D |
I will take this time to wish all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Please be safe as you bring in 2013. Remember those whom we lost in 2012.[:)] |
12-31-2012
( Reply#: 8825 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Also in Wonderville was the Cartoon-a-Machine, which would spew out old Terrytoons when it was operated by the reticent troll Mr. Pegasus.
"Reticent troll", eh....? Mr. Pegasus was a talking table. The table-top was rounded, and had a
little flower pot in the middle. The drawer of the table served as the mouth which opened and closed as
beloved weatherman John Coughlin recited Pegasus' dialogue.
Another earth-shattering factoid available only on Sheptalk.
ROGER--- A Happy New year to you, too.
Larry |
12-31-2012
( Reply#: 8826 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HEY, BILL---
Here's Susie herself ('57) on the set of her show, complete with her
Wonderville Orchestra AND:MR. PEGASUS, the talking table on the right.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SusieShow.jpg[/IMG]
Here she is with her terrier Rusty, Mr. Pegasus in the foreground AND the giant cardboard
cartoon machine in the back of her.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SusieShow5.jpg[/IMG]
These are LIFE Magazine photos that I found on Google.
Larry |
01-01-2013
( Reply#: 8827 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Thanks. There are 3 clips of the show on YouTube. Below is a link to the first one.
From http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-307347.html :
"There's the first few minutes of an episode on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i08fCLurn-g
"The complete episode (in slightly better video quality) can be seen at http://archives.museum.tv/ . Free registration is required for access and searching, which is the only way to find the show. The video format is Windows Media.
"Also, LIFE Magazine did an article on her. Over 150 photos, including many behind-the-scenes shots and a few in color, can be found with this Google image search: http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1024&bih=608&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=%22susan+heinkel%22+source%3Alife&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq= "
While on YouTube, I also found what purports to be the only surviving clip of Shock Theatre (with Orville and Shorty). Don't have the URL handy, but search for "Shock Theatre Chicago" and it shouldn't be hard to find.
There's a book on Shock Theatre, for sale at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-6805-8 :
"From December 1957 through October 1959, Chicago TV viewers were held in thrall by "Marvin," the ghoulishly hilarious host of WBKB-TV's late-night horror film series Shock Theatre. Marvin and his lady friend "Dear" (her face ever hidden from the camera) introduced thousands of Chicagoland youngsters to such classic Universal chillers as Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man. This history of Shock Theatre focuses on the series and its creator, Marvin himself--in real life, the multi-talented Terry Bennett, whose wife Joy played "Dear." Included are dozens of photos and vintage advertisement reproductions, as well as two appendices featuring a resume of Terry Bennett's career and a list of films telecast during his two-year Shock Theatre run. "
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
01-30-2013
( Reply#: 8843 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's a close-up of two names from the Rapchak's 1957 Christmas Club booklet (from the above posts),
that listed the folks we sent Christmas cards to. The first is my Uncle Harold, my mother's brother.
The second is obviously a German name--Werner Krauskopf--- and therein lies a story.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/57ChristmasAddress20001.jpg[/IMG]
Werner fought for Adolf Hitler's Army in WWII. But it seems that he was taken prisoner by the
American army and was interred in a U.S. POW camp near Coloma, Michigan. Luckily for him, he and his
fellow captives were under the supervision of a certain staff sargeant named Mike Rapchak.
My father treated the Germans well, and developed a friendship with Krauskopf, occasionally putting in
requsitions for extra blankets, medicine, etc for him. On Christmas Eve, 1944, the Germans asked my dad
to come into their barracks, where they had set up a small Christmas tree around their stove (which my dad
allowed them to do). They sat around the tree and sang Stille Nacht ("Silent Night") to him in their native
German. My dad talked about this event for the rest of his life.
After the war, Werner returned to German civilian life, and began to raise a family. But he and my dad
remained in contact, sending each other's families a Christmas card every year 'til the day my dad died in 1996.
Here is the Werner Krauskopf Christmas card to my family from 1958--
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/WernerK580001.jpg[/IMG]
In October of 2012, I answered the phone one Sunday morning, and there, from across the Atlantic
(and across the decades) was the voice of Mr. Krauskopf introducing himself to me (he's now about 90 years old).
Can you imagine that---actually speaking with a former soldier of the Nazi army in the fall of 2012?
It was pretty astounding. Werner was calling because his grandaughter was then on an exchange program
with a family in Chicago, and wanted to know if I would contact her and maybe go into the city and meet her.
I e-mailed the young lady, but she only responded when she was back in Germany. Apparently the idea of
spending time with some strange, middle-aged dude (me) didn't appeal to her--even if my dad had treated
her Grandfather very kindly when he was a POW back in '44. Not that I blame her, though....
But it was great to finally speak with Herr Krauskopf after all of this time, especially considering how
important his friendship had been to my father.
LR |
01-30-2013
( Reply#: 8844 ) |
S C Jones |
Thank you for sharing that story, Larry. |
01-30-2013
( Reply#: 8845 ) |
Roger D |
Great story Larry, we never know how our attitude toward others will affect them for years to come. |
01-30-2013
( Reply#: 8846 ) |
Tom J |
What a WONDERFUL story, Lar!
I know you have to be proud of your dad for being so kind to those prisoners. They were not monsters, just kids who were doing what they thought was their duty to their country.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Tom |
01-31-2013
( Reply#: 8847 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's a recent photo of Werner Krauskopf and his wife (see 'em above in 1958) that he sent to my sister Nancy.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/WernerK2.jpg[/IMG]
Werner continues to refer to himself as "Curly Head", since that's the German translation of his last name.
LR |
02-02-2013
( Reply#: 8848 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE TOPIC.....
Here's my military-dude Dad during the War; no inscription of the photo, but I assume this is at the camp in Michigan.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MikeRArmy.jpg[/IMG]
What a guy.
And here he is a decade later, at Radio Station WAAF in Chicago -
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MikeRWerner_zps6a02eed4.jpg[/IMG]
I never saw this pic until this past Fall, when Werner Krauskopf e-mailed it to me.
LR |
02-02-2013
( Reply#: 8849 ) |
S C Jones |
Socks drying on the railing. Barracks remind me of those depicted in many movies of the war years.
Nice looking man, your father. And from the stories you related, a good man,
too.
|
02-05-2013
( Reply#: 8852 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
S.C.--
Thanks for your kind comments.
What's fascinating is the fact that EVERYONE in our age-range grew up in a world that was still very
similar to the WWII era; when I first began to be aware of things around me, the world essentially still
looked and felt pretty much the way it did during the War years. And my dad carried that first-hand
experience with him and passed it on to us.
Case in point -
If you check the '57 Christmas Club booklet posted on the previous page, you see that Mike received a
"soldier kit" from our cousin Rick, who lived in California. It was a great set of tiny, plastic
WWII Military soldiers made by the REVELL model company. Here's what the box looked like:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/RevellSoldiers2.jpg[/IMG]
(This is NOT our original, but a set I bought from a collector about 20 years ago).
We were so excited by this kit that my dad immediately bought ME a duplicate set at a little hobby shop
in Chicago close to the WAAF radio station.
My dad would then help us paint the figures and glue them to their bases. But the real cool thing were
the stories he would tell us about the weapons and equipment that the figures were holding and operating:
bazooka, mortar gun, machine gun, flame thrower, mine-sweeper, etc. I was totally fascinated.
This was in January of 1958, probably the peak period of my childhood years. Ultimately, the soldiers
all got trashed and forgotten. But the connection with my dad and that mythical WWII era remained
(and remains) strong...even though the war was before my time.
NOTE--- this particular set of soldiers by Revell is very rare; the set in the photo above
cost me only $20, because the soldiers were mostly broken up; the main reason I bought it was
because of the box/artwork.
A few years ago, I came across a MINT SET of these same soliders on E-BAY.
The set was complete---all of the pieces were still attached to their
plastic "trees", the instructions were included, etc. I was thrilled! But then the bidding started in earnest.
In the final few minutes of bidding, I bailed out when the price went over $100. I forget what the
final price was. But in the aftermath of the bidding, I found out that the guy who was selling the set
lived in MUNSTER, INDIANA! Damn! If I had known, I would have gone
to the guy's house and tried to talk him into selling me the set before he put it up for auction.
Maybe next time.
LR |
02-05-2013
( Reply#: 8853 ) |
S C Jones |
Larry,
That picture, with the figures in the background looks like a boy's --uh, excuse me,
a man's-- toy timeline. If you have any of the soldiers they belong somewhere between the Creche figures and the monsters and aliens.
Also, brings to mind a back room of a museum--the room where the figures are kept until it is their turn to be displayed.
I am sure in your mind each of those sets are accompanied by specific music, since your professional life is musical direction. Surely, you can produce a video with each of those sets of figures and the appropriate music to bring them to life.
Come on, give us another sample of your ingenuity.
SC |
02-08-2013
( Reply#: 8854 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
SC--
Hmmmmm..... that's a tall order.
Last I checked, I have officially retired from making videos...but I'll give your idea some thought.
Also-- re: your nice comments on my dad's photos above---he always
said: "I've got the perfect face for radio." [:D]
Larry |
02-12-2013
( Reply#: 8861 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry sent a photo to me that he took on our first visit
back to the 'hood a year ago August, that he's wanted me to post.
But first, here's a photo of my sister Carolyn, posing on a little white table that our great-Uncle Barney made for her.
It was part of a set he made consisting of the table and two chairs.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg781_zps1e54b898.jpg[/IMG]
This photo is from the summer of '54 or earlier in that year.
There isn't a picture of the set together but one of the chairs can be seen in a Thanksgiving photo earlier in this thread.
Anyway, when we visited the house I grew up in, that my cousin now owns, we discovered something in the basement.
And here it is!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Table_zps8f9c3576.jpg[/IMG]
Yep! The same table! Sometime later!
My mother removed the decals that were originally on it and put
"Western" decals on the four corners for Little Stevie when he was wantin' to be cowboy back in the late 50's.
LS |
02-13-2013
( Reply#: 8864 ) |
Little Stevie |
As long back as I can remember
both of my sisters took dancing lessons at
Ann Marie's School of Dance in East Chicago.
Tap, Ballet and all other forms of dancing back then. How do I remember these lessons so well?
Little Stevie was dragged to each and every one of those lessons.
I guess Carol always aspired to become a famous dancer,
like the one pictured here:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/tap_zps30959adf.jpg[/IMG]
However, after all those lessons, all those years, here's the most famous "stage" I've known her to dance on:
[:)]
[:D]
[:)]
[:D]
[8D]
[:p]
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/buzia_zps3c81e977.jpg[/IMG]
In the Whiting Pierogi Fest Parade! [:D]
LS |
02-16-2013
( Reply#: 8867 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Here's a much BIGGER version of the pic I took 2 years ago of your 50's white table that Carolyn used
for her dance pedestal in the photo above.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/IMGP00053_zpsb3e66c3b.jpg[/IMG]
So the Western decals weren't there originally?
Also--is that your artwork drawn on the table?
And while I'm at it----[8)]
Where in your house was the pic of Carolyn on the table taken? I'm wondering about that narrow doorway in
back of her with the shower curtain.
The very "leggy" dancer in the B&W photo looks like the late Ann Miller.
And yes, all roads lead to Whiting.
Larry |
02-16-2013
( Reply#: 8870 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
thanx for enlarging the picture. I tried but it became too pixelated.
No, those were not the original decals on the table. I have vague memories of Mom "helping" me put the western ones on.
Just as I had vague memories of the encounter with Nancy in the closet.
I believe the "drawing in the lower right hand corner, is a self portrait of Little Stevie back then in those innocent, care free days on Magoun.
The photo of Carol was taken in the house they lived before the move in Sept. of '54.
LS |
03-17-2013
( Reply#: 8880 ) |
Little Stevie |
This post could go on the "Slot car" forum
but since it involves some MAM characters, I'll post it here.
I spent today with (1) An old classmate from Gavit, Dave Jamrose. (2) A MAM'er who still reside on Magoun, Alan Molchan and (3) the "Thomas Edison" of our block, Jim Genovesi!
Jim called last night wondering if I'd like to attend the Midwest Slot Car Meet at the Lincoln Center in Highland with Dave, Al and himself,
since I was an avid slot car fan back in those days on Magoun.
We met for breakfast at Top Notch Restaurant before heading to the meet.
My Strombecker race set is still in the crawl space here in St. John, not having seen the light of day in over 25+ years. Dave, Al and Jim have kept their slot racing days alive in the HO scale.
While walking past the many tables what do I see but the same set I have in the original box, leaning up against the wall.
We reminisced about many of the memories I've posted here on Sheptalk and I'm hoping they will contribute with the fond memories they have of growing up in our 'hood.
Actually, Al may have to "rebuttal" or "clarify" some of the facts I've stated in some of my past memories.
It was a great day with old friends. Especially since we all agreed that everyone else is getting older . . . but not us.
LS |
03-18-2013
( Reply#: 8882 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Glad to hear you had a good time with some of the old Boyz From The Hood today. I am interested in Alan
Molchan's forthcoming comments; do you mean to tell me that there may be some inaccuracies in the
stories you have posted here?! For shame.
In the meantime--and since Spring is right around the corner-- here's the next vintage photo from
the classic SERENADE Drive-In...especially interesting since it was taken from the
inside (looking east onto Indy Blvd--notice the apartments on 169th) as the lettering on the outside sign
was being changed.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE501_zps7847e666.jpg[/IMG]
The hand-written sign on the window reads TRY A POOR BOY SANDWICH. Sure wish I could go back there and do that. [:(]
Larry |
03-18-2013
( Reply#: 8883 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Larry,
I wouldn't say "inaccuracies". Maybe just a little embellishing by Little Stevie. Remember . . . LS wasn't really sure about that romantic interlude in the closet with ahh. . . some one's little sister until said little sister confirmed it inna fone call.[:)]
Al seemed to agree with most of the stories we talked about. We'll see if he has anything to say after reading MAM!
Jim was sure some of the "stories" were slightly tilted to Little Stevie's way of remembering.[;)]
LS |
04-02-2013
( Reply#: 8891 ) |
Little Stevie |
As Summer approaches,
here's the next photo from the "Serenade" collection.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE-29_zps571f4efc.jpg[/IMG]
Taken from a new construction rooftop, this is looking north.
One noticeable feature in this photo is the WJOB radio broadcasting tower in the upper right.
I can remember listening to WJOB on snowy mornings, hoping to hear that school was canceled for the kiddies who went to Jefferson!
That tower was and still may be the tallest structure in NW Indiana.
I do not remember the building that is being built.
But I know Larry has mentioned it here many times,
so I'll ask him to give us the narrative on it.
LS |
04-04-2013
( Reply#: 8892 ) |
Roger D |
In the early 60s the building housed a dry cleaners. This building and the one south of it was owned by the owners of the Serenade.
These buildings housed aeveral different business's over the years.
A trophy shop, an Allstate ins. office and the state license bureau to name a few. |
04-04-2013
( Reply#: 8893 ) |
tom w |
I seem to remember the state employment office being in that building. I had a friend that worked there and onec in a while I stopped in to say "Hi". Tom W |
04-05-2013
( Reply#: 8894 ) |
seejay2 |
Oh I remember that building well. When J&L laid us off for 6 months, every week I had to stand in an endless line for hours to get unemployment comp. That was before things went online...Cj |
04-13-2013
( Reply#: 8895 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT SHOTS from the SERENADE collection; it was taken in the
Summer of 1951. The original is in color, but it's so faded that this b&w looks better.
The fruit market building that was located just north of the Serenade (visible in our earlier pics)
is now gone, and Kelly's Drive-In will ultimately occupy the lot. I am also interested in that
large 2 (or 3?) story building north of 169th St, just beyond the Standard Station; I wonder if that's
the same building that housed the Arrow Hardware Store, etc in the late '50's? It sure looks bigger than
I remember it (it's still there today).
Roger is correct; this shot was taken from the roof of MELODY ICE CREAM, a sort of fore-runner of Dairy Queen
that was owned and built by Karl Fisher and Al Wright---the same guys who designed and built the SERENADE.
Why they decided to go into competition with THEMSELVES is anyone's guess.
Steve and I have a set of Melody Ice Cream photos, which we will be posting this summer (since we've almost
run out of Serenade pics).
Roger is also right re: the fact that the building housed a number of other businesses, once Melody closed.
We have a couple of those shots in our collection as well, which we will post. I definitely remember the
Dry Cleaners, which was up and running in early 1959.
I remember the Unemployment Office also; we'll have to check the old directories to see where it was housed
in the 1960's. But in the late 1970's, it was housed in the structure which was built ON THE VERY SPOT
the Serenade was on. The Fishers closed and demolished the Serenade in 1964, the new building
went up, and Foster's Music of Woodmar opened in there in '65. By the late 70's, the Unemployment
office had taken over the space.
Recently, St Catherine's Hospital operated a medical services office at the former
Serenade/Foster/Unemployment address, but they moved out in December, 2011. The space remains empty
to this day, much to the annoyance of Betty Fisher, Karl's widow.[:(!]
LR |
08-08-2013
( Reply#: 8931 ) |
Little Stevie |
I can't believe
it's been almost 2 years since Larry started the MAM thread!
I know he's been very busy this summer and hasn't been able to post.
I have no excuse. . . 'cept that this summer has been a strange one! My wife was ill most of May,[xx(] then after our fishing trip to Minnesota, she finds out she would be losing her job at Mittal in July! [:(][:(!]
Larry and I have been having trouble posting photos. I cannot download any to "Photobucket" since they changed their system.[:(!]
Hopefully, we'll be posting more of the Serenade pic soon!
Hope all is well with everyone here at Sheptalk!
LS |
08-10-2013
( Reply#: 8933 ) |
BobK |
LS, under Help in Photobucket you can contact them and tell them of the difficulty you are having. I was having the same problem and after telling them what it was or wasn't doing and letting them know the operating system and browser that I used, they came back and said they no longer support Opera browser which I was using for years. I changed bringing Photobucket uo my Chrome browser and all works fine.
Bob
|
08-10-2013
( Reply#: 8934 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
LS, under Help in Photobucket you can contact them and tell them of the difficulty you are having. I was having the same problem and after telling them what it was or wasn't doing and letting them know the operating system and browser that I used, they came back and said they no longer support Opera browser which I was using for years. I changed bringing Photobucket uo my Chrome browser and all works fine.
Bob
Thanx Bob!
I'll have to give that a try![:D]
LS |
08-20-2013
( Reply#: 8937 ) |
Little Stevie |
Well,
I'm going to try posting what I believe to be the next photo in the Serenade Saga.
So here goes:
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/SERENADE-32Ac_zpsf5805988.jpg~original[/IMG]
Success!!
Changed to Google Chrome as my browser and was able to upload and copy/paste the IMG/url!
LS |
08-21-2013
( Reply#: 8940 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
FABULOUS!!!
The "re-tooling" of the Photobucket site was something I just didn't want to deal with; now that you've got
it figured out, we will continue to post our SERENADE photo treasures.
THIS IS A GREAT PIC. Probably the summer of '49 or '50. Check out the cars.
I wonder if there's anyone around who might recognize any of these three young guys, proud employees
of the legendary SERENADE?
Send your cards and letters to "Magoun Ave Memories", c/o Sheptalk.
LR |
08-24-2013
( Reply#: 8945 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's ANOTHER REAL CLASSIC---
The great SERENADE DRIVE-IN shortly before its grand opening in Feburary, 1949.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SerenadeSnow_zps39fb0369.jpg[/IMG]
Looks pretty lonely and dreary; why would anyone open an outdoor-style drive-in in the dead of winter?
(looks like smoke from the old Swift factory in the distance on the right).
A great photo to be able to display to the world.
LR |
08-24-2013
( Reply#: 8946 ) |
Tom J |
Cool! Glad this thread has become active again.
Tom |
08-24-2013
( Reply#: 8949 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Looks pretty lonely and dreary; why would anyone open an outdoor-style drive-in in the dead of winter?
(looks like smoke from the old Swift factory in the distance on the right).
A great photo to be able to display to the world.
LR
That's easy Larry!
ALL good things begin on Feb. 3rd!!!
Whether it be the Serenade opening in '49 or the arrival of LS six years later!![:D]
On the same day your dad did a live radio show!
LS |
08-26-2013
( Reply#: 8956 ) |
Little Stevie |
We're kind of in a "retrograde"
mode with the Serenade photos here.
As you can see, this photo is one of the "construction phase" of the Serenade
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/sand_zpsf0998eb4.jpg~original[/IMG]
Looking north with plenty of sand from the ancient High Tolleston Shoreline having been unearthed.
Larry, I'm guessing the fall of '48, but maybe you can put a date on the photo.
(Way before LS's time! [:D])
LS |
08-27-2013
( Reply#: 8957 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Steve--
Congratulations---you just contributed the 800th post [:p][:D][^]here on Magoun Ave
Memories!!
So here's No. 801---
Very few of the Serenade pics had dates on the back; some had the date that the photo was developed, and I
listed those when I could. Fall '48 would have to be right for the photo above, since the joint opened in Feb, '49.
Is that the old Swift factory on the left---clearly visible through the absence of trees or houses? It was
located just west of what would become the Woodmar Shopping Center.
Still remember the smell.
LR |
08-27-2013
( Reply#: 8958 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Steve--
Congratulations---you just contributed the 800th post here on Magoun Ave
Memories!!
So here's No. 801---
Very few of the Serenade pics had dates on the back; some had the date that the photo was developed, and I
listed those when I could. Fall '48 would have to be right for the photo above, since the joint opened in Feb, '49.
Is that the old Swift factory on the left---clearly visible through the absence of trees or houses? It was
located just west of what would become the Woodmar Shopping Center.
Still remember the smell.
LR
WOW!
I didn't even look to see the number of posts!
800! Me thinks that's pretty darn good for a thread!
And with MAM closing in on 55,000 "reads" it seems that life on Magoun was special!
With many out there "wishing" their youth could have been a part of it![;)]
Or maybe it just reminds them of their own childhood in those great 50's/60's neighborhoods they grew up in!
And yes, I remember the "smell"! Always knew when the north wind blew that's fer sure!
LS |
09-03-2013
( Reply#: 8959 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's an interesting shot from inside the SERENADE:
It's the ELECTRO-FREEZE[:0], which I assume was used for making ice cream.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SerenadeMachine_zps2d536290.jpg[/IMG]
ROGER---- enlighten us, please!
Larry |
09-04-2013
( Reply#: 8960 ) |
Roger D |
I don't remember this at all. It was either before my time or after.
Probably long before. Sorry. |
09-04-2013
( Reply#: 8961 ) |
S C Jones |
.. |
09-08-2013
( Reply#: 8962 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
S.C.--
Thanks for the research. So I guess we are looking at one of the very first soft-serve Ice-Cream machines,
since the Dukes built their first model in 1946, and the Serenade opened in 1949, when this pic would have been taken.
I guess by the time Roger worked at the Serenade, Karl and Al must have either replaced the contraption with
something else, or moved it a few doors south to their new MELODY ICE CREAM shop (which will be featured in another series of photos soon here on Sheptalk).
larry |
09-09-2013
( Reply#: 8963 ) |
Little Stevie |
I believe this is the next photo
in the Serenade Saga!
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/LASerenadeColor0021_zps06dd6ddb.jpg~original[/IMG]
A nice color photo just days before opening on Feb. 3rd, 1949!
LS |
09-10-2013
( Reply#: 8964 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Ummmm....Steve.....
I believe this photo was ALREADY POSTED! See previous page. (JEEZ...)[xx(]
But since it's a good one, I think it should appear twice. The next post should be a candid photo of one of the
actual guys who designed and built the joint. Yes?
larry |
09-10-2013
( Reply#: 8965 ) |
Little Stevie |
Oh well . . . .
I figgerd we just needed to feel the chill in these hot days!
LS |
09-11-2013
( Reply#: 8967 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here is the photo that is next in the "Serenade Saga"!
(I hope!)
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/LAAW0011_zps2d118b1e.jpg~original[/IMG]
This is the smiling face of Al Wright, co-owner, happily working at something!
I cannot say that I remember him. Carl, yes. Al no.
LS |
09-13-2013
( Reply#: 8968 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Roger--
Did you know Al Wright during your Serenade days? If so, what do you remember about him?
I bet he was the kind of guy who worked day and night to keep the place going. Looks like he's
messing with some sort of grilling device....either that or a bug-zapper.
Steve- BTW- I just discovered that the Winter shot of the Serenade
posted above is its THIRD appearance on this thread (the first is back on page 13). |
09-14-2013
( Reply#: 8969 ) |
Roger D |
Yes I knew Al Wright, worked for him and Karl Fisher. He was a good man to work for, seemed to always have a smile on his face. He would always see that his employees had a ride home after work. Many times taking them home himself. |
09-14-2013
( Reply#: 8970 ) |
Roger D |
I believe that in the picture above he was filling a chewing gum dispenser. |
09-14-2013
( Reply#: 8971 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
Roger--
Steve- BTW- I just discovered that the Winter shot of the Serenade
posted above is its THIRD appearance on this thread (the first is back on page 13).
Well Larry,
It just shows how you can't keep a good thing down!(?)
It's such a great photo, maybe we outta post it once a week![:D]
LS |
10-07-2013
( Reply#: 8985 ) |
Michelle K |
Thought this photo might be a nice addition to the "Magoun Memories". It was taken in front of my house (6936 Magoun). Klish's house is right there behind us and you can see a little of Beda's porch between Rod and Jim. Don't know that it's necessary, but names left to right are Steve Kush, Cy Beda, Rod Hlad, Jim Genovesi, Al Molchan, with me in front - Michelle "Mickey" Koval (Braxton now). There's no date on the picture, but I'm guessing it was in 1960 or 1961.
[img]http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t566/tbraxton/MagounNeighborKids_zps4593c768.jpg?t=1381085051[/img] |
10-07-2013
( Reply#: 8986 ) |
Tom J |
Cool picture, Michelle! Thanks for sharing!
Tom |
10-09-2013
( Reply#: 8987 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Michelle!
Welcome to the site!
You do remember Larry Rapchak and his family, don't you?
Wow! How about them "Kids from Magoun"?
Looks like you and Rod might be getting ready to go on a date? Nice dress and Rod in a coat and tie! Could this have been taken on a Sunday afternoon, after church, maybe? How awesome does the neighborhood look! Our green two tone, '55 dodge with the white roof is the car on the very far right, almost out of the picture.
Thanx for sharing "Mickey"![:)]
Please add any other photos and memories of your/our days growing up on "Magoun".
It was "The Best of Times" [:)]
We'll be looking forward to your posts!
LS |
10-11-2013
( Reply#: 8988 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Larry,
Michelle states that this might be from '60 or '61.
Can you tell if any of the cars in the photo are your family's?
I'm thinking this is from after you moved,
which would be '62 or later, right? |
10-11-2013
( Reply#: 8990 ) |
tommy51 |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
Found this online
History (to give a perspective on the time Serenade could have installed this contraption)
In 1946, Henry C. Duke and his son, Gene, seized a great opportunity.
Owner's of a commercial laundry equipment repair company, they were asked to build an ice cream freezer for Dairy Queen. The pleasant result: the worldÕs first pressurized soft-serve ice cream freezer. Dairy Queen franchises soon began sprouting across the country, boosted by strong sales and outstanding profits from an exciting new dessert made possible by the DukesÕ machine.
H.C. Duke, In 1969, purchased Electro Freeze, expanding its reach outside of the Dairy Queen network.
Dairy Queen tells it this way:
The Dairy Queen story began with a father and son in Green River, Illinois, who had been experimenting with a soft frozen dairy product. They contacted a good friend and customer, Sherwood Dick "Sherb" Noble, who agreed to run a 10 cent "all you can eat" trial sale at his walk-in ice cream store in Kankakee, Illinois on August 4, 1938. Within two hours, he provided more than 1,600 servings of the new, unnamed, semi-frozen, "soft serve" dairy product formulated by his new business partner, J. F. McCullough..
At that time, existing freezers were too cold for this new dessert so in July, 1939, McCullough contacted Harry M. Oltz who had a machine that could generate the proper temperature for McCullough's soft serve ice cream. In an agreement between the two, McCullough was allowed to use the machines in his store, but gave Oltz a 12% profit from all ice cream made with the machine. The Stoeling Brothers Co. agreed to manufacture the machine.
While tweaking the ice cream recipe McCullough discovered that reducing the standard 10% butter fat to 5-6% tasted better. He also found that the ice cream tasted better at 18 F.
By June 22, 1940, McCullough (and co-owner Sherb Noble) was ready to open the first Dairy Queen store in Joliet, Illinois. It was named Dairy Queen, and the rest is soft-serve-franchise history.
This could mean that DQ parted ways with the Stoeling Brothers Co. by 1946...I dunno. |
10-13-2013
( Reply#: 8991 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Tommy--
Thanks for the background info on Dairy Queen and their soft-serve thing; all of this is helpful in documenting the
Serenade era.
MICHELLE!!!----
Boy, is it good to hear from you and see that terrific photo of the old 6900 block of Magoun; thanks so much
for posting it.
I imagine you've had a chance to read through some of the VOLUMES of stuff that Steve and I have posted over
the past few years; it's pretty much a chronicle/diary of that great time that we all experienced. You were the
same age as my younger sister Nancy, so you and I never had any personal encounters that I recall--
CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY, believe me....
I hope that you will contribute more, in terms of memories and photos, should you have any. You may also want
to check out the "Jefferson School" thread here on Sheptalk, which also contains a lot of cool stuff.
Re: the photo you posted: it's a little tough to date it exactly;
if you continue looking past Steve's green Dodge,
you see another greenish parked car (that probably belonged to our next-door-neighbor Sarah's parents);
the next car would be ours---and it looks like it might be black and white.
If so, that would be our '56 Chevy wagon, which we traded in for a new copper Chevy wagon in September of 1960;
that means the photo was taken in summer of '60.
HOWEVER---check the photo below, from early (Feb?) 1960, at the end of
a school day at Jefferson. There's Rod Hlad, Michelle, my sister Nancy (with one of those rare winter
horse-flys stuck in her eye), and Lil' Stevie himself.
So youse' guys figure it out----
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonKids0001.jpg[/IMG]
Was Michelle's newly-posted photo taken 6 months later than this one, or a year and 6 months later?---
in which case the date would be summer of '61, and the black-and-white car in front
of our house a figment of my imagination.
In either case, us Rapchaks were still living at 6912, since we didn't move out 'til March of '62.
ALSO-- you may want to check the home-movie footage of Nancy's birthday party, Dec. 18th, 1960, You-Tube link,
posted on Sheptalk page 7,(12/15/2011); you clearly see Steve, Rod Hlad, AND Alan Molchan in this film.
(Sorry, Michelle---you probably were not invited to that long-ago party!)
I'd guess that the new photo was taken in summer of '61.
In any case, it's GREAT to see it!
Keep posting those great old Magoun memories.
Larry |
10-13-2013
( Reply#: 8992 ) |
Little Stevie |
I'm not sure,
but I think the photo above, was taken on my first day of school.
Being a Mid-termer, I'm guessing January of 1960. A month short of my 5th birthday.
Had they not held us Mid-termers back a semester in 2nd grade, I would have graduated at the age of 17, in January of 1973.
So I think Michelle's photo was the Summer of '61. A year and 6 months later.
LS |
10-16-2013
( Reply#: 8994 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE HE IS!
KARL FISHER himself ~
A true American entrepreneur, the guy who conceived, designed and constructed the legendary
SERENADE DRIVE-IN.
Apparently, he also ran the joint in a very hands-on way.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/SERENADE-O_zps31a91f29.jpg[/IMG]
Roger-- I bet this brings back memories.
LR |
10-17-2013
( Reply#: 8995 ) |
Roger D |
This pic was before my time but I spent many hours in that grill area.
|
10-18-2013
( Reply#: 8996 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Roger--
But you knew and worked for Karl, right?
Did he hire you?
Just asking, as I am interested in what you remember.
Larry |
10-18-2013
( Reply#: 8997 ) |
Roger D |
Yes Karl hired me. He and Al took turns being on 'sight'. One would open in the morning and be there until 4. Then the other would work til close and open the next am. that way they would be there every day but would have more or less 24 hours off at a time.
Allen Wright always did the payroll. |
10-18-2013
( Reply#: 8998 ) |
Roger D |
They had different personalities, Karl was somewhat hard nosed while Al was more laid back. We never called them by there first names. It was always Mr. Wright and Mr. Fischer.
|
10-18-2013
( Reply#: 8999 ) |
MrRazz |
My dad was a "regular" there, when we first moved to Hammond, living in the Schliecher neighborhood just north of the Little Calumet. Remember going there for burgers...after being helped up on the stool, enjoyed the spin. Don't remember, Mr. Fisher, but do remember Mr. Wright...he was always very friendly, and I know my dad enjoyed visiting with him. After relocating to Hessville, don't remember going there as much. |
10-18-2013
( Reply#: 9000 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here is an article written in the Hammond Times
by their "Girl Reporter" Edan Wright, published on August 25, 1951, detailing the experiences of working as a "Car Hop".
Not sure if her "Boss" was not also her father?
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/e6842a8b-d6c4-47ed-a592-a4f1d1bf5be2_zps75be184c.jpg~original[/IMG] [IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/17c345b0-ab1c-4061-baff-dc8ddd354b2b_zps4bc037f8.jpg~original[/IMG]
A darn good read!
LS |
10-20-2013
( Reply#: 9001 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's another photo of a hard working Karl,
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/Serenade/3b0966ba-997f-4e6d-a378-87a5df2e7221_zps1d1a5e3c.jpg~original[/IMG]
I'm sure Karl & Al treated this as their new "baby"!
Larry, maybe you or Roger can elaborate further on this one.[:)]
LS |
10-21-2013
( Reply#: 9002 ) |
Roger D |
They were both concerned about taking care of their customers as all in retail business should be. It didn't make any difference wheather you were outside for curb service or inside at the counter they wanted you taken care of. That is why one of them was almost always there. Two cooks, two counter girls and two carhops during the week with three counter girls and three carhops on Friday and Saturday nights. They would help out at the counter or kitchen as needed. They made sure the carhops were not mistreated in any way. |
10-21-2013
( Reply#: 9003 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
And from the looks of this photo, Karl and Al did it all when it came to keepin' the place running like
clockwork. No wonder the food was so good.
I'd love to be able to step back into this picture and see exactly what it was that made the food taste
so great--especially the burgers and chocolate shakes. Modern-day chains like Steak & Shake don't come
anywhere near what these two guys accomplished on their own at the Serenade.[:D]
LR |
10-22-2013
( Reply#: 9004 ) |
Little Stevie |
Man!
I love to hear youse guyz memories about the Serenade!
I don't remember ever eating there, just going with Rod Hlad
for a glass of ice water after a strenuous morning
of baseball in his backyard!
LS |
11-15-2013
( Reply#: 9013 ) |
Little Stevie |
It is with
a heavy heart I post this:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nwitimes/obituary.aspx?n=georgia-w-stewart&pid=167988640&fhid=24896
Mrs. Stewart was one of the kindest, gentlest people on this earth. Larry & I had the great fortune to spend time with her and Jim this past year. My condolences to Jim & Chris and the entire Stewart family. She will be missed but be in our hearts forever.
LS
|
11-16-2013
( Reply#: 9014 ) |
Tom J |
May God bless the Stewart family and comfort them in this time of loss. |
11-16-2013
( Reply#: 9015 ) |
Tom J |
Was this the neighbor lady that you and Larry reminisced with and went out to eat with, Steve?
|
11-16-2013
( Reply#: 9016 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
Was this the neighbor lady that you and Larry reminisced with and went out to eat with, Steve?
Yes Tom, Georgia was one of them. Although there isn't a clear photo of her, it was at her home where we visited with her son,Jim and Mrs. Klish (the lady in the Halloween pics). Georgia was a member of the bunco club, is in that picture, but on the very left edge. You really can't see her. Either my sister or maybe Larry has a photo of her from our visit. She was sick then but seemed to be quite healthy. It is Georgia's "Rain King" sprinkler Larry posted the picture of. She will be sadly missed by all that knew her.
LS
|
11-17-2013
( Reply#: 9017 ) |
Roger D |
`Mrs. Stewart is to be buried in Beaver Dam Ky. Tuesday. Beaver Dam is less than 30 miles from where Tom J. and I live. |
12-24-2013
( Reply#: 9035 ) |
Little Stevie |
[[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/christmas57.jpg~original[/IMG]
Just want to wish all here at
Sheptalk A very, merry Christmas 2013!
LS |
12-25-2013
( Reply#: 9036 ) |
Tom J |
Merry Christmas to you too, Steve!
Merry Christmas to ALL of my Region Rat buddies at Sheptalk!
Tom |
12-25-2013
( Reply#: 9037 ) |
wvcogs |
Merry 2013 Christmas to all Region Rats where ever they may be from one of us who got lost and ended up here in the hills of West Virginia.
Ken
[img]http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g268/wvcogs72/HurricaneWV/ChristmasTree-2013.jpg[/img] |
12-26-2013
( Reply#: 9038 ) |
S C Jones |
A belated Merry Christmas to you guys or y'all. Seems like we are top heavy on the
southern side now that CJ and his family joined the Kentuckians.
Aww. Ken, a Charlie Brown tree, too!
|
12-27-2013
( Reply#: 9039 ) |
seejay2 |
...However, SC, we balanced out the load on the holidays for all y'all when we followed the bright star back to NWI for a few days.
We will tip the scales again though today, when we return to the commonwealth...Cj |
12-27-2013
( Reply#: 9040 ) |
S C Jones |
CJ, did you guys have a white Christmas? |
12-28-2013
( Reply#: 9041 ) |
seejay2 |
In Valpo? Yeah! And a cold one, too.
Glad to be back in Murray. 55 deg...Cj |
12-29-2013
( Reply#: 9042 ) |
seejay2 |
One more little tidbit...anyone interested in reviving "Johnson's Chicken" on Rt 6, now's your chance. The biker bar is shut down and the building is up for sale. Tom??? |
12-29-2013
( Reply#: 9043 ) |
Tom J |
Guess I'll pass, CJ. :) |
01-28-2014
( Reply#: 9045 ) |
duane |
Hello? Anybody home? Did people make a New Year's resolution to abstain from this site? |
01-28-2014
( Reply#: 9046 ) |
S C Jones |
Hey, Duane!
Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder?
Or is it Absinthe that makes the heart grow fonder? [:)]
The temperature down here this winter is too reminiscent of NWI for my blood
and I got stopped by a looooong train today, so I had to at least check this site
to see if any Region Rats were commenting.
Sorry, I have nothing of substance to add. |
01-29-2014
( Reply#: 9047 ) |
seejay2 |
Still alive!...Cj |
01-29-2014
( Reply#: 9048 ) |
wvcogs |
Still here. Temperature below zero this morning in WV, but I've not been stopped by any trains. I do check Shep once a day to see if anyone is out there.
Ken |
01-29-2014
( Reply#: 9049 ) |
BobK |
I thought Tom broke it.
Bob
|
01-29-2014
( Reply#: 9050 ) |
seejay2 |
Just to keep things even, I am in Cape San Blas, Florida (about 50 mi South of Panama City). It dropped down to 30 degrees and a light rain coated all the roads, bridges and trees with ice. The whole damn area is shut down or shutting down. They have nothing here to put on the roads to unslick them. It's like ice water in hell. There is no salt in hell or in Florida to spread on the highways...Cj |
01-29-2014
( Reply#: 9051 ) |
S C Jones |
CJ: Talk about a rude awakeningÑbut, "The sun will be out tomorrow" and you
can then wait for Atlanta or Birmingham to thaw out and unclog the highways.
So you have an excuse to stay a while longer in the Sunshine state.
I hope you do get some rays, if not to tan, to lift your spirits.
|
01-31-2014
( Reply#: 9052 ) |
duane |
Well, ladies and germs, I moved the opposite direction, to Northern Minnesota. Last week it was -35 (just the temp) and -55 (with the wind chill). They cancelled just about everything, even the University closed, which it almost never does.
We've got a couple of feet of snow on the ground and keep getting a few inches at a time. I'm getting pretty sick of the snow and cold.
Glad to know the ol' region rats are still out there and tuning in to the forum. Thanks, and I'm sure we'll find interesting things to discuss in 2014. |
02-01-2014
( Reply#: 9053 ) |
seejay2 |
Just out of curiosity, Duane, what would take you to that location?...Cj |
02-02-2014
( Reply#: 9054 ) |
duane |
Sure. Took a job with the US Forest Service. It turned into a career...and here I am. |
02-02-2014
( Reply#: 9055 ) |
seejay2 |
While in Viet Nam, I would profess how I would never return to NWI permanently after my tour. Well, 40 years later I finally moved out. I guess the money talks and the BS walks...Cj |
02-03-2014
( Reply#: 9056 ) |
Colonel |
Duane, I usually only post on the Shepherd topics, but just saw you are with the US Forest Service. (Thanks for your public service, and thanks to seejay2 for your military service.) I have a home in suburban New Jersey, where we have been holding regulated deer hunts because of a vast overpopulation of white-tailed deer, with all the attendant issues, including the destruction of understory of local forests and parks (as well as deer-borne disease, plant/crop destruction and deer/vehicle collisions). However, there is a vocal minority of citizens speaking out against the "inhumane slaughter of innocent animals," when other effective and humane means of effective deer management exist and, in any event, other animals are often to blame for any such problems. Does the US Forest Service have a position on the foregoing issues and/or any relevant materials? Thanks much. |
02-03-2014
( Reply#: 9058 ) |
duane |
This forum is not the venue to discuss deer herbivory, its impact on forest regeneration, or the methods for managing/reducing deer populations. I looked to PM you, but you have no contact info (email) listed in your profile on this forum.
That said, I suggest you contact your state DNR, as it is the state, not the federal govt. that administers hunting and deer population numbers. |
02-04-2014
( Reply#: 9059 ) |
Colonel |
Duane, the local anti-hunters will not accept anything coming from the state DNR (here, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection). They claim that the NJ DEP is merely an advocate for bloodthirsty hunters who use the regulated hunts as a cover for their "inhumane slaughter." Thanks, anyway. And Excelsior! |
04-27-2014
( Reply#: 9063 ) |
Jay |
quote:
Originally posted by duane
Well, ladies and germs, I moved the opposite direction, to Northern Minnesota. Last week it was -35 (just the temp) and -55 (with the wind chill). They cancelled just about everything, even the University closed, which it almost never does.
We've got a couple of feet of snow on the ground and keep getting a few inches at a time. I'm getting pretty sick of the snow and cold.
Glad to know the ol' region rats are still out there and tuning in to the forum. Thanks, and I'm sure we'll find interesting things to discuss in 2014.
Duane, you and I seem to think alike. I also moved north, but I didn't stop at the border. I'm a permanent resident of Canada now even though I hate winter and hockey.
My only connection with this thread is that I attended and graduated from Purdue Calumet, just a few blocks east of Magoun Avenue. |
