04-25-2007
( Reply#: 1394 ) |
svea3 |
Many of my buddies went there. About 2 years ago I 'internetted' with Bruce Kitchell. He was in this group of Science/Math kids which met over on the Purdue campus. I will see if I can locate him. He was our only 'black' student. He's done a lot of work in Africaa nd has one daughter, I think. Might be with Conoco/Phillips. He used to say that he was just a Dark Scot.[8)]
Linda |
04-25-2007
( Reply#: 1395 ) |
svea3 |
I think I found him. He's with an Africa Rescue group. I'll email him. |
07-07-2011
( Reply#: 6640 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Good old Jefferson School--opened in Fall of 1954. Here are two pics that I think are very cool.
This first one is me on my first day of school at Jefferson (kindergarten)--September 13, 1956. I'm standing
on our porch at 6912 Magoun (check out the shorts and cowboy boots), looking a bit apprehensive.
This pic has been in our family albums since the fall of '56.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/LarryFirstSchoolDay0001.jpg[/IMG]
Last month (June, 2011) I got together with my old Magoun neighbor and pal Steve Kush for dinner
and reminiscing at House of Pizza. While looking through his family album, I came across THIS picture:
his sister Bev on HER front porch on the SAME DAY, on the way to HER first day of kindergarten at Jefferson.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/KushBevsFirstSchoolDay.jpg[/IMG]
Bev and I were the same age (and supposedly "sweethearts"), and attended the same class at Jefferson.
These pics were taken at the SAME TIME --even the shadows of the porch railings show the same
angle of the sun's rays. Since the Kush's lived a mere TWO DOORS south of us, Bev and I walked together
to Jefferson (3 blocks to the west down 169th st) with our mothers, right after they had taken these respective photos.
This past March, I also had dinner with Bev, her husband and older sister Carolyn at H.O.P.; man, time sure does fly.
LR |
07-07-2011
( Reply#: 6641 ) |
Tom J |
Aw, Larry, that is just TOO COOL! I wish I had a picture of myself heading out to school for the first time.
Thanks for sharing these with us and by all means post some more pics from those days if you have any.
Tom |
07-08-2011
( Reply#: 6645 ) |
Roger D |
HEY Tom are you saying "You went to school".[:D] |
07-08-2011
( Reply#: 6647 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by Roger D
HEY Tom are you saying "You went to school".[:D]
Yep. I got a good edukashun. |
07-08-2011
( Reply#: 6649 ) |
Roger D |
Won the spellin' bee too. Huh? |
07-08-2011
( Reply#: 6650 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's an original pic from summer of 1957 that my brother Mike took. Looking south on Magoun Ave (Woodmar)
from the sidewalk in front of our house. The Kush's house (see the pics above re: 1st day of school) is the
first house visible on the right.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MagounAve0001.jpg[/IMG]
Here's the same view, taken in September of 2004.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/09-19-04_1523.jpg[/IMG]
Yeah, the street looks more plush and lush in the recent photo---but I'd take life as it was in the
first pic ANY DAY.
LR |
07-09-2011
( Reply#: 6651 ) |
Tom J |
Same here, Lar, same here. |
07-09-2011
( Reply#: 6652 ) |
Roger D |
Love the memories that pics bring! |
07-12-2011
( Reply#: 6656 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
More pics from Magoun Ave on the way; stay tuned.
LR |
09-25-2011
( Reply#: 6992 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK-- ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR THIS? A special Sheptalk "UPDDATE"!
You've seen the pictures above of me and my neighbor Bev Kush leaving our respective homes for our first day
of Kindergarten, September 13, 1956.
Here I am, looking apprehensive:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/LarryFirstSchoolDay0001.jpg[/IMG]
And here I am, 55 years later...on the same porch, September 24, 2011.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff048.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
09-25-2011
( Reply#: 6993 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AND HERE is sweet, little Beverly Kush, photographed on the same day, at the same time, on her way
to join me (and our moms) to walk to our first day of Kindergarten at Jefferson School, Sept 13, 1956:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/KushBevsFirstSchoolDay.jpg[/IMG]
And here she is again, on the very same porch, photographed on September 24, 2011....55 years and 11 days later.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/newStuff052.jpg[/IMG]
How's THAT for reminiscing? Much more to follow.
LR |
09-26-2011
( Reply#: 6994 ) |
Tom J |
I'm not seeing the "now" pictures, Lar. |
09-26-2011
( Reply#: 6995 ) |
cartoonguy |
What...no cowboy boots for the "now" shot? |
09-26-2011
( Reply#: 6996 ) |
seejay2 |
The problem must be on your end, Tom. I'm getting them and it looks like the others are too. Very cool pix, by the way...Cj |
09-26-2011
( Reply#: 6997 ) |
Tom J |
OK, I was using Firefox and could not see the pics but I opened Internet Explorer and am now able to see them.
Tom |
09-26-2011
( Reply#: 6998 ) |
Tom J |
Cool pics, Lar! |
09-26-2011
( Reply#: 6999 ) |
wvcogs |
Nice job Larry. How about even the same porch railings on both houses that were there 55 years ago? |
09-26-2011
( Reply#: 7000 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
KEN--
Yep; the railings are the very same ones.
Larry |
09-27-2011
( Reply#: 7004 ) |
BobK |
WOW!, are you both still living in the same houses?
Bob
|
09-27-2011
( Reply#: 7006 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey Larry! We had a great time Saturday, didn't we? And as you said "There's more to come!" One thing we forgot to point out, the evergreen(s) in the pictures of Bev are the same! I don't remember any body ever trimming them, I know I never did![:D] Don't remember my mother ever doing it either. The railings & porch/steps are the originals at both homes too. The shingles are also the originals, but have been painted many times since 1956.
Go ahead a use your pics for further posts. I'm not sure when I'll see the ones Carol took. |
09-27-2011
( Reply#: 7007 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
BOB---
No; Steve Kush lives in St. John, and his sister Bev lives in Illinois; I live in Whiting. We decided to turn this into an afternoon "project", and met on Magoun Ave to shoot the pics.
We took the first pic on "my" old porch, hoping not to arouse suspicion and a visit from the local cops. Steve/Bev's house is currently occupied by their cousin, who teaches science at Hammond High...so approval to use their old porch was not a problem.
By the way, we ended up taking more pictures on Saturday, which we'll be posting here on Sheptalk....some very cool "then and now" things that I'm sure you guys (and gals) will enjoy.
Larry |
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7023 ) |
BobK |
I was just looking at the two pictures looking down the street. They better be very careful because someone stole the fire hydrant.
Bob
|
09-29-2011
( Reply#: 7024 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by BobK
I was just looking at the two pictures looking down the street. They better be very careful because someone stole the fire hydrant.
Good observation Bob! Actually, the city moved it closer to the street. It's still there, just not in that picture.
LS |
10-24-2011
( Reply#: 7219 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE's a cool photo from the ol' Rapchak/Kush Archives:
It's "NAP-TIME" during Kindergarten at Jefferson School, captured by a Times photographer in October 1956. Bev Kush is the little girl
on the oval-shaped rug right at the corner of the phonograph, while I am further back, indentified by the blue arrow drawn on the pic
by my mother---just in case nobody would recognize me.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonKindergarten0001.jpg[/IMG]
I remember that the little blonde girl in the plaid skirt on the left was a real apple-polisher, and maneuvered to
get herself a spot upfront, close to the photographer.
I had this chintzy thin rug that my mother dyed a kind of pink color;NO WAY could I get comfortable on that hard floor! Ms. Barr, who wore the ol' regulation-issue slate-blue uniform every day, was in charge of the musical program. Since my dad was in radio we had plenty of records around the house, and I would occasionally bring one of them to class. I clearly remember bringing the miniature hard-plastic yellow "GOLDEN RECORDS" version
of the Card's Marching Song from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland", which Ms. Barr canned after a few seconds since it was too noisy and not
conducive to slumber [|)]
Here is the SAME ROOM ---our good old Kindergarten classroom at Jefferson, photographed with my cell-phone in July of 2005, a few days
before the building was demolished. It's the very same space you see in the Times photo, but was shot looking in the opposite direction (I was
standing approximately in the same place where I was sleeping back in '56, looking towards where Ms. Barr was seated; the spot where
she was sitting in the old photo was right about where that staircase-like thing is lying on the floor in the 2005 pic below).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/07-25-05_1441.jpg[/IMG]
It's odd how every place you visit as an adult seems much
smaller that it did when you were young; standing in the Kindergarten
room in 2005 was exactly the opposite---the room seemed much
BIGGER than I remembered it.
LR
|
10-24-2011
( Reply#: 7220 ) |
BobK |
I would not have recognized you, Larry, had it not been for that blue arrow.
Bob
|
10-25-2011
( Reply#: 7221 ) |
seejay2 |
I could tell who it was by the socks...Cj |
10-25-2011
( Reply#: 7222 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
I could tell who it was by the socks...Cj
Oh, I'd recognize the shape of that head anywhere!
You guys are doing a great job with the memories!
Was the candy, Now n Later, one you had a lot of in your youth? [^] (I only remember that candy because of my niece and nephews, and I think they are of the
same generation as most of you. The name came to mind as "Now and Then", so
I had to look it up.
|
10-25-2011
( Reply#: 7223 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
SC--
I think that's my rear-end, not my head.
I never heard of Now and Then candy, so I checked it out. It was
introduced in '62, and somehow escaped me. I do remember that the
notorious FIZZIES were new around the time I was in kindergarten,
and sure enough---they were introduced in summer of 1957, right
after I got out of Jefferson. Fizzies were pretty awful (remember the
Root Beer flavor?-- gag![xx(]). They were made by the same company
that manufactured Bromo Seltzer.
LR |
11-26-2011
( Reply#: 7484 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK, EVERYBODY--- CHECK IT OUT.
I'm in the Hammond Library's historical room this past Tuesday, looking through their old photo files. There was a file labeled
"WILSON" that contained about 15 miscellaneous unidentified 8x10's that someone couldn't identify and had ASSUMED
were taken at the Woodrow Wilson School on 173rd.
So I start pawing through these pics...and here's the first thing I found:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonKindergarten2.jpg[/IMG]
COMPARE IT WITH THE OLD YELLOWED TIMES PHOTO a few posts above this one---this pic was taken
at the SAME SESSION in October of '56 at JEFFERSON SCHOOL, during our "nap time"--complete with Miss Barr and her phonograph,
and Bev Kush, me, and the rest of the kiddies pretending to be asleep for the camera. I almost fell outta' my chair when I saw this.
WHAT'RE THE ODDS IN THIS HAPPENING?? [:o)] |
12-20-2011
( Reply#: 7765 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
The First of Several Cool Photos of Jefferson School that I found (most were mis-filed) in the Hammond Library:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonChristmas55.jpg[/IMG]
I'm guessing this is from CHRISTMAS of 1955, maybe '54 ~ probably the final day of school before
CHRISTMAS vacation. The teacher, Betty Yamada (right) leads the Kindergarten kids in a CHRISTMAS sing-along around the
class CHRISTMAS tree; on the extreme right edge of the pic, you can see part of the old classroom piano, which I'm sure
Ms. Barr (the co-teacher, seen in the "sleepy-time" pics above) was sitting at, playing CHRISTMAS carols.
Though Bev Kush and I were in the Kindergarten class in '56 (more about that in future pics on this thread), I recognize
the type of ORNAMENTS on the tree in this pic that my class made in '56, especially the paper fold-and-cut
Japanese lanterns (which Mrs Yamada would have taught us) and the
hanging garland, which was made by alternating little tin-foil
squares, tiny pieces of drinking straws, and something else--maybe
popcorn. Also, those round, white doily things. When school let out for Christmas break, we got to take
all of the decorations we made home with us, for our own tree; my family kept my garland around for decades,
until it disintegrated. The lanterns were really cool, but didn't last long.
My dad became friends with Mrs. Yamada's husband Tom, who was an avid jazz fan; in recent years, Mr. Yamada--now
a widower--- became an avid "groupie" (the oldest, no doubt) of my brother Phil's band NOMAD PLANETS.
And here's a cell-phone pic of the SAME PORTION of the Jefferson Kindergarten room that is seen in the Christmas pic above,
where the tree was set up along the SOUTH wall; the cell-phone pic shows the southwest corner of the same room, taken in
July, 2005, as the building was being demolished:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/07-25-05_1433.jpg[/IMG]
On April 1, 2006, Mr Yamada attended my dad's wake and funeral, and
later that summer I called Mr. Y and we met for lunch at the Big Wheel (he ALSO live on Magoun Ave, 7200 block). He was a terrifically nice man, good-humored and self-deprecating, and well-loved by the staff at the restaurant. After lunch, I went out to my car to get something that I wanted to leave with Mr. Yamada as a souvenir, but wasn't sure if he'd appreciate it or not. It was a small piece of brick and a few small tiles that I had salvaged from the Jefferson Kindergarten walls when I was walking through the wreckage in '05. I caught him just as he was leaving the restaurant, and gave him the stuff--sort of as a remembrance of his late wife and all of the years she had spent teaching us kids at good old Jefferson back in the glorious mid-50's. He seemed really moved by it. Shortly after, I understand he was moved to a nursing home.
LR |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7785 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I JUST REALIZED---
When our 1956 Kindergarten class made the same CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS that are visible in the big classroom
pic above, we took them home to hang on our own family's tree
AND.....
Here They Are:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/56Christmas0001.jpg[/IMG]
THAT'S THEM!
The white paper Japanese lantern is hanging on the upper-left, and the round doily-thing is on the lower-right;
we made them in class, hung them on the big classroom tree, then got to take them home for our own tree
on the last day of school. Definitely a part of the thrill Christmas that year!
LR
ALSO---most of the ornaments you see on our family tree in this photo---the very same ones--are now hanging
from the flourescent light shade in my basement studio where I am typing this message right now. |
12-23-2011
( Reply#: 7786 ) |
Little Stevie |
Very Cool Picture!
Looks like Mike has already "shot" down your fly-by-wire- airplane!
LS |
12-24-2011
( Reply#: 7792 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I AM KIDDING YOU NOT.......
But these hanging ornaments, which I just photographed in my basement studio about 2 hours ago
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/ChristmasOrnaments.jpg[/IMG]
are ALL HANGING ON THE CHRISTMAS TREE in the 1956 PHOTO ABOVE; NOT reproductions, NOT duplicates
from E-Bay, but THE VERY SAME ORNAMENTS.
The red and green tin-foil garland is also on the tree in '56.
IT's TRUE.
(the little lamp in the far background under the painting on the wall is my computer station
at which I am now writing and posting).
STEVE---the wire-controlled thing in my hand in the '56 photo operated the ROBOT; the plane was a separate item.
I wanted to deliver this earth-shattering news now so you wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
Larry |
12-27-2011
( Reply#: 7815 ) |
Little Stevie |
WHEW! that's good! About the robot I mean!
No casualties from the downed airplane 'cept maybe the pilot!
Or did he bail out before the crash?
We have quite a few ornaments from Mom's collection. Dawn has them on our tree in the living room.
At one point in time when the boys were younger,
we had 5 trees up each year!
2 large ones, one with our ornaments, the other with Mom's old ornaments
3 smaller trees, each a different theme
Star Trek/space, Pepsi with Pepsi figurines around it (It's up currently) and a sports tree (also up).
Which in this home equates to Cubs and Bears with some Purdue ornaments mixed in. |
12-27-2011
( Reply#: 7816 ) |
S C Jones |
So, Larry,
What's the story of the cool sun-glassed half-moon on the wall?
S C |
12-28-2011
( Reply#: 7818 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
S.C.,
Not much of a story, but here's an "artsy" pic I just did of not only
the Moon, but of his pal Howdy Doody as well:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/MoonHowdy.jpg[/IMG]
These are both sponge-rubber faces that you can operate by sticking
your fingers in the back of them and scrunching them; pretty lame
idea, even though the design of both is really cool. I bought them
sometime in the late '80's...can't remember where (maybe "Toys 'R
Us"). This was around the time that MacDonald's was using the piano-
playing, Moon-headed dude as a promo; I think he sang "Mack the Knife" in their commericals.
Anyway, I keep them on the studio wall. Also in the pic are a great
cardboard Totem Pole from a set of 4 Western-figure wall hangings from the Dolly Toy Company,
Tipp City, Ohio (1950), a Wizard of Oz glass that came filled with peanut butter and became a drinking glass
once it was empty (from 1956, the year of the big theatrical re-release of the film), plus the Bowman milk bottle
I used in the kitchen scenes of last year's "Nuttin' for Christmas" video.
The "Oz" glass is a recent purchase, tho' we had the original back in the '50's when it first came out.
The Totem Pole is the original.
In the middle is a funky billiard-design lamp, from the same recent catalogue as the western lamp on my piano.
Larry
|
12-28-2011
( Reply#: 7822 ) |
S C Jones |
Thanks for the explanation and new pic Larry.
The Howdy Doody head is priceless, and I thought I had seen the moon dude before, but could not remember.
Was Bowman a Hammond company or did they just have a distribution point
from which they delivered to homes? There have been posts about Borden's but, few if any about Bowman. It was the Bowman milk man who would give us a brief ride down the street and give us big slivers of clear ice in the summer. Their trucks were not as square, boxy as Borden's.
Well, I just answered my own question--During the 1920s, it opened large bottling plants on the South Side. By the middle of the 1930s, Bowman employed over 3,000 Chicago-area residents. The company continued to carry on a large business until 1966, when it was purchased by a local rival, the Dean Foods Co. See also Dean Milk Co.
BTW, your Christmas decorations are nostalgia city. I see decorations of that kind in antique stores down here in TN. I have not bought any, but sometimes you can find a complete set, like new and in the box.
Thanks again for sharing from you stash of memorabilia.
SC
|
12-28-2011
( Reply#: 7823 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
a Wizard of Oz glass that came filled with peanut butter
Here's a series of somewhat related thoughts for a lazy Wednesday morning: The Wizard of Oz was released originally in 1939. The star of the movie was Judy Garland. My wife, Judy, was born in 1941. She graduated from Morton in 1959. The most popular girl's name in her class was Judy.
Oh well...
Ken |
01-01-2012
( Reply#: 7839 ) |
Jim Plummer |
Speaking of Christmas ornaments, Does anyone remember the Santa or the Snowman plastic guys that had a bag over their back which carried several suckers? The candy counter at Minas used to sell these? |
01-09-2012
( Reply#: 7873 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
IF YOU SCROLL UP A BIT TO THE PICTURE of the Moon and Howdy Doody heads under the lamp, you'll see a very cool
TOTEM POLE hanging on the wall to the right. It was part of a set of 4 Western wall-hangings made of thick cardboard
and covered with paper art-work/design.
Below is a pic from April of '54...a few months BEFORE we moved to Magoun (we were still in our house on
Hoffmann St in North Hammond). Our mother is attempting to read Mike and I to sleep. On the wall is the set of figures:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/54Bedtime0001.jpg[/IMG]
on the right, an Indian Chief with peace-pipe, a little campfire, a young cowboy who has just tried
his first puff of the peace-pipe, AND--ON THE LEFT--the beautifully designed totem pole.
THE TOTEM POLE THAT'S IN THE LAMP PICTURE POSTED ABOVE IS THE SAME ONE---
[b]THE ORIGINAL that you see in this '54 bedtime photo. Been in the family a LONG time.
LR |
02-12-2012
( Reply#: 8054 ) |
Little Stevie |
I found a few
photos from my school daze at Jefferson.
I went there from k thru 6th grade. I got a few memories of that place too.
Kindergarten:
The class they put you in with games & toys to make you think school's not gonna be that bad!
LS
|
02-17-2012
( Reply#: 8088 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S SOMETHING OF EARTH-SHATTERING IMPORTANCE...
It's ANOTHER photo from the same October, 1956 session in my Kindergarten class in Jefferson, during our nap time,
which I dug up at the Hammond Library. It's similar, but different from the two pics posted above.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonKindergarten3.jpg[/IMG]
The photographer was really having a field day, snapping away was we all lay there pretending to be asleep.
Now here's a coincidence: I'm putting away my old Christmas LP records recently, and I spot the following: in the old days,
the backs of the record jackets used to feature pictures of OTHER albums that the company was advertising. So on the back
of a favorite old album from 1955, here's what caught my eye:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/RecordPic0002.jpg[/IMG]
Look familiar?
LR |
02-18-2012
( Reply#: 8089 ) |
S C Jones |
AHA!--either the Kinder teacher sent it home with you because she KNEW your
mother needed it to get you to nap, OR, your mother went to the teacher and
pleaded with her to tell the secret to getting little rapscallions to nap. OR,
a rapscallion of Magoun confiscated the album on the last day of class.....
Hmmmmm. The rapscallion would have been thinking of himself as a Robin
Hood--no more kinder would have to listen to the mood soothing nap music
that took their strength and dazed them for minutes at a time.
|
02-18-2012
( Reply#: 8090 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
AHA!--either the Kinder teacher sent it home with you because she KNEW your
mother needed it to get you to nap, OR, your mother went to the teacher and
pleaded with her to tell the secret to getting little rapscallions to nap. OR,
a rapscallion of Magoun confiscated the album on the last day of class.....
Hmmmmm. The rapscallion would have been thinking of himself as a Robin
Hood--no more kinder would have to listen to the mood soothing nap music
that took their strength and dazed them for minutes at a time.
SC
I'm betting on option "C"!
Trying to protect his little sister, a few years down the road! |
02-18-2012
( Reply#: 8092 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
AHA!--either the Kinder teacher sent it home with you because she KNEW your mother needed it to get you to nap, OR, your mother went to the teacher and pleaded with her to tell the secret to getting little rapscallions to nap. OR, a rapscallion of Magoun confiscated the album on the last day of class.....Hmmmmm. The rapscallion would have been thinking of himself as a Robin Hood--no more kinder would have to listen to the mood soothing nap music that took their strength and dazed them for minutes at a time.
SC
I'm betting on option "C"!
Trying to protect his little sister, a few years down the road!
NONE OF THE ABOVE![xx(]
Thanks to all who participated in our quiz.
----------------------------
Actually, the little scan of the "Relaxation" album above is NOT from the actual album itself, but from a
miniature pic of it printed on the back of one of a (full-size) Christmas album from the same era. I'm not sure
that we actually had a copy of the Relaxation album in the house.
However, I would guess that my dad--who thanks to his radio gig brought home DJ/promotional records
by the truckload---donated the album seen on the floor to Jefferson for their collection.
But the whole "nap-time" event on this day was pointless; we were all lying there wide-awake
pretending to be asleep while the photographer walked around trying not to step on our heads.
Larry |
02-18-2012
( Reply#: 8093 ) |
Little Stevie |
Lookin' back,
"Nap Time" was more for the teachers to catch their breath, don't cha think?
LS |
02-18-2012
( Reply#: 8095 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
OK...HERE'S SOMETHING REALLY COOL:
I'm looking through the Hammond Library archives in November, and I come across some 8x10's that are mis-filed under
"Wilson School", start looking through them and come FACE-TO-FACE WITH MYSELF, 55 YEARS AGO, in
Jefferson's Kindergarten room during the '56-57 school year---AND BEV KUSH IS IN THE PIC, TOO!!! (that's Lil' Stevie's sister).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonFrogTank1.jpg[/IMG]
That's me, the goof-ball with the puffed-up cheek, and Bev on the right; we're spellbound by a frog.
I'm sure that Bev and I were considered to be Valentine's sweethearts that year, so I'm posting this as a
belated Valentine greeting to her...a little late (c'mon...only 55 years). (Steve: see if you can
twist her arm to check out this thread.....there's more to come).
I tell ya', THAT trip to the Hammond Library was definitely worth it![8D]
LR |
02-19-2012
( Reply#: 8096 ) |
Little Stevie |
I don't know about the other boy
but I'm sure the girl is Sally Witulski from down the block.
Her dad is the one who would freeze their backyard for ice skating.
LS |
02-24-2012
( Reply#: 8158 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S ANOTHER PIC FROM THE SAME SESSION (page 1 of this thread, bottom).
Looks like the photographer switched us two boys and said to me: "Ok, kid, now you point at the frog."
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonFrogTank2.jpg[/IMG]
STEVE-- Thanks for identifying Sally W; I had forgotten that she was in our class. She's in another pic with Bev that I'll post soon.
--------------------------------------------------------
And on that day in July, 2005, right before good old Jefferson was demolished, I took these photos using my cell phone:
Facing northwest in the kindergarten room--- the bright window looks out on the west playground; around the corner
of the light-blue wall was our little "science" area, and the BULLETIN BOARD/BLACKBOARD that you see on the
right side of the picture was the exact spot where the two b & w "frog-tank" pics above were taken (check the
bulletin board and blackboard right behind us kids above--same ones you see here:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/07-25-05_1439.jpg[/IMG]
HERE'S A VIEW of the little "science" alcove, where the frog-tank was generally kept.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/07-25-05_1431-1.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
02-27-2012
( Reply#: 8159 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S A GREAT SHOT of good old Jefferson School's LIBRARY, taken a year or two after I had left for OLPH.
Bev Kush and Sally Witulski from Magoun Avenue are the two girls standing on the right (STEVE--TELL BEV
TO CHECK THIS OUT!! She can probably I.D. some of the other kids).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonLibrary.jpg[/IMG]
This pic was taken in the southwest corner of the room; it was here, starting in early '57, that my brother Mike discovered the 8 or 10 books
on DINOSAURS that were in the library's collection, which were sitting on the shelves right behind Bev and Sally (where the book "BIG ZOO"
is seen here).
Here are four of our favorites from that collection (not original copies, but recent E-bay purchases):
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/DinoBook20001-1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/DinoBook30001-1.jpg[/IMG]
And here's the entrance door to the library, located in the front of the building and shielded by a little brick enclosure.
Pic taken just before the place was demolished in July of '05.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/09-19-04_1545.jpg[/IMG]
I still can picture exactly what the librarian at Jefferson looked like, a matronly woman with grey hair---
like everybody's favorite aunt, seated behind the desk, always wearing her regulation slate-blue
dress; nice lady who always kidded us about the fact that all we ever checked out were the DINO books.
Still remember that device that attached to her pencil that had the changeable date thing on it to stamp
the due date in the book.
Great times.
LR
|
02-27-2012
( Reply#: 8160 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Nice library photo -- thanks!
Did you ever see "Monsters of Old Los Angeles: The Prehistoric Animals of the La Brea Tar Pits"?
My greatest finds (mostly at the Hansen Branch) were: "Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet," "Rusty's Space Ship," and "Science Fun with Milk Cartons." Any of them ring a bell, with anybody?
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
02-27-2012
( Reply#: 8161 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
BILL-----
Can't say that I recall any of the books you mention; my brother Mike eventually shifted from dinosaurs to astronomy
and space travel; when we moved to Hessville and we'd go to the Hansen Library, he found a novel
entitled "The Stars are Ours" that he loved.
Was "Monsters of Old L.A." a book?
ANYWAY---
regarding our old Jefferson Dino books (above): the one with the least interesting cover (the red one
on the bottom) actually had the COOLEST drawings inside. The book was by Herbert ZIM, with artwork
by James Gordon Irving, brilliantly drawn in lead pencil.
Here's two pages:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/ZimDino20001-1.jpg[/IMG]
Bold, monstrous stuff, especially the detail on the face of the T.Rex; the book is FULL of images like this.
During that fabulous summer of 1957, I used to sit and stare at these pics, then try to copy and draw them
myself. This was shortly after MILLER released their big set of wax Dinos, which we would buy
at Newberry's in Woodmar Shopping Center.
And life was good......
Larry
PS---In the library reading photo above, I wonder why they had the boys sitting and the girls standing? |
02-28-2012
( Reply#: 8162 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Yes, "Monsters of Old Los Angeles" is a book--about a prehistoric racoon who lives by the La Brea tar pits, and sees a lot of pretty dramatic events.
"The Stars Are Ours" was another favorite.
I'm surprised you didn't mention anything by Roy Chapman Andrews: "In the Days of the Dinosaurs," "All About Strange Beasts of the Past." It was Andrews who discovered the first dinosaur eggs, in the Gobi desert.
Once, you couldn't buy a dinosaur egg for a million dollars. Several years ago I bought one on Ebay for $ 143, a hadrosaur egg smuggled out of China. Don't know what the current going rate is.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
02-28-2012
( Reply#: 8163 ) |
Tom J |
Do you like 'em scrambled or fried? [:D] |
02-28-2012
( Reply#: 8164 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
As Shemp says in the Stooges short "Don't Throw That Knife!"---
MAKE MINE FRIED![^]
Larry |
02-28-2012
( Reply#: 8165 ) |
Little Stevie |
In regards to the photo Larry
posted above with my sister in the library, she sent this e-mail to me:
Well, here's my best shot at it.
The boys around the table, starting at the left side (backs showing) -
Scott ?
Tom Locke?
Can't tell the blonde
John Leslie
Don't know
Looks familiar - maybe a Blaemier?
Girls from left -
Pam Weimer?
Rosemary Muir ?
Anita Grandfield
Maybe Sally will know. I'll try to see if I have any old class photos here.
Can't get her to sign up & post here.
LS |
02-28-2012
( Reply#: 8166 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
BILL-
Yes, we also used to check out the Roy Chapman Andrews book; the Jefferson copy had a thick blue and yellow cover,
not the 4-color one used in more recent re-prints. During one particular summer reading of that book, Mike
became very upset and freaked out over the very graphic description of a T.Rex killing and devouring a
trachodon; maybe you remember this section of the book. I remember being over at our grandmother's house
on VanBuren late one summer night, and Mike describing it to me; he never forgot it. It's odd how things sometimes
affect you as a kid.
Hadrosaur eggs being sold over the Internet? I wonder how rare they are.
Larry |
02-29-2012
( Reply#: 8167 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Hadrosaurs (i.e. duckbills) were apparently the most plentiful of dinosaurs. Certainly, their eggs (mostly from China) were the ones I saw offered most frequently on Ebay.
Broken fragments of dinosaur egg shell (more properly, of the stone that replaced the actual egg shell) went for around $ 10.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
02-29-2012
( Reply#: 8168 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Here's another Library/Historical Room file photo, incorrectly filed under "Wilson School", but definitely part of a
photo shoot in Jefferson's Kindergarten room (on the east end of the room, I think).
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonSlide.jpg[/IMG]
I'd say it was taken during 1954-'55, the school's first two years in operation (Bev Kush and I didn't start 'til fall
of '56, the school's third year).
How much do you want to bet that the big guy on the slide punched out the photographer right after this shot was taken?
LR
PS-- Anyone recognize any of these youngsters? |
02-29-2012
( Reply#: 8169 ) |
Little Stevie |
I'm gonna take a shot at it, Larry.
For some reason, I think either the girl on the far left or
the girl second in line is Sharon Hlad.
Just a guess, though. No real proof.
LS |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8198 ) |
Little Stevie |
I think the boy on the right is bored. Looks like he'd be happier back home on the farm.
Helpin' Pa with the chores. Behind a horse and plow, maybe.
And the girl in front of him?
I'll bet she still holds her elbow and twittles her necklace to this day
when she ponders a new adventure!
LS |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8199 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
For some reason, I think either the girl on the far left or the girl second in line is Sharon Hlad
STEVE--
I think you meant the girl on the far right (?).
Anyway, you might be right about the girl second in-line with the white blouse. Check with Carol or
Bev to see if that's Sharon Hlad; that would tell us what year this pic was taken.
Interesting insights into these kid's psyche(s).
Larry |
03-03-2012
( Reply#: 8200 ) |
Little Stevie |
You're right Larry, I did mean the far right.
The more I look at the two girls, I'm leaning towards the one on the far right, not the second one in line. I'll ask, but who knows when either sister will look here.
LS |
03-05-2012
( Reply#: 8208 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
HERE'S A CLASSIC PHOTO from the Hammond Library Archives--
Taken on May 18, 1956 in Jefferson School's Kindergarten room (the spring before Bev Kush and I started).
Seen here is the little fenced-in area where some students would "play house", though on
this particular day, the kiddie's innocent activities were under the watchful eye of some visitors:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonTea.jpg[/IMG]
MAN, what a posse! How'd ya like to be holding a little make-believe tea gathering with your friends with THESE brutes glowering at you?
I'd call it "Tea and NO Symphathy"
ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A CAPTION TO THIS PIC?
LR
|
03-05-2012
( Reply#: 8210 ) |
tom w |
So you see, doctors, here is my invention. Minature people.
or
Honey, I shrunk the kids.
ps Don't anyone smile. |
03-16-2012
( Reply#: 8262 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
FIGURED THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME to post the final Jefferson Kindergarten pic I unearthed.
It's a continuation of the May 18th, 1956 event seen above, as Hammond big-wigs and authoritarian
brutes invade the serene, care-free world of innocent young-uns'.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonArt.jpg[/IMG]
I remember the Art area well, and the smell of those primary color kiddie-paints as they ran down the
paper on the easel; also the yummy taste of white paste.
During the spring of '57 (my year in Jefferson's Kindergarten) we also started to mess with
PLA-DOH (ie: "Play Dough") at home; now there's a great scent from childhood!
LR |
03-16-2012
( Reply#: 8263 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
I just noticed soemthing about the ART pic I just posted above:
The little guy on the extreme right of the pic (who looks a bit terrified) had just finished a painting
that really looks cool and very accomplished for a 5-year old. The (teacher-painted) name on the
top of his pic says: "GENE N."
I wonder who he is (was) and what became of his artistic talent.
LR |
03-16-2012
( Reply#: 8264 ) |
BobK |
Of the men, could that be Dr Eggers in the middle?
Bob
|
03-20-2012
( Reply#: 8266 ) |
Little Stevie |
I remember those classrooms well!
Miss Barr was Little Stevie's kindergarten teacher also.
I'm not sure of the date but here's a photo of Little Stevie's first day of school
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/1stdayofschool.jpg[/IMG]
L to R
Rod Hlad, Michelle Koval, A very dear Friend of Little Stevie's and Little Stevie himself
Rod and Michelle were already Jefferson veterans.
I started in January of 1960? I was known as a "mid termer"
We started in the winter then moved up a grade the next winter.
This only lasted until the second grade.
They held my class of about 25/30 mid-termers a semester until the spring. We then joined the kids who were a half a year younger than us in class.
2E was the class designation.
It was one of the reasons that the graduating classes of 1973 were some of the largest in all high schools in Indiana.
LS |
03-21-2012
( Reply#: 8278 ) |
seejay2 |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
HERE'S A CLASSIC PHOTO from the Hammond Library Archives--
Taken on May 18, 1956 in Jefferson School's Kindergarten room (the spring before Bev Kush and I started).
Seen here is the little fenced-in area where some students would "play house", though on
this particular day, the kiddie's innocent activities were under the watchful eye of some visitors:
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonTea.jpg[/IMG]
MAN, what a posse! How'd ya like to be holding a little make-believe tea gathering with your friends with THESE brutes glowering at you?
I'd call it "Tea and NO Symphathy"
ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A CAPTION TO THIS PIC?
LR
Girl with the spoon:
"OK, on my 'GO' we all turn our heads at the same time and just stare at these old fools. Don't say a word. They'll leave"...Cj |
03-21-2012
( Reply#: 8280 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Here's the same pic above---your first day of Kindergarten at Jefferson. I'm not sure why your
post above did not reproduce full size.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonKids0001.jpg[/IMG]
So there they are - four of the MAGOUN AVENUE kids of the late '50's: Rod Hlad, Mickey Koval, my sister Nancy
(who looks like she just caught a spitwad in the eye), and our pal "Lil'" Stevie himself.
This pic was recently made from Steve's own print---but I clearly remember this photo being in the Rapchak album for years
as well. I thought the original negative was ours, and that we must have made a copy (back then) for your family.
Not sure, but who cares at this point?
Steve: as I recall....didn't you once have a little "dust-up" of some sort with Michelle Koval.....
or am I just imagining it?
Larry |
03-22-2012
( Reply#: 8281 ) |
Little Stevie |
Thanx Larry,
I don't know why my post was so small.
How 'bout that hat on Little Stevie, huh?
Kindergarten. . .hmmm. . . what I remember most? The little train sets with the plastic track & some type of vehicle that
you sat on.
Pushed & pulled a handle of sorts while steering with your feet on the front axle. Think it was called an "Irish Mail"?
Sound familiar to anyone?
LS |
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8282 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
I dig the hat. That's who we were back in the good old days.
How 'bout Rod Hlad, the junior DUDE of Magoun Ave, complete with the leather gloves?
One of my main memories of kindergarten at Jefferson was the fact that I flunked SKIPPING.....(?)......Yes,
it's true. We lined up along the west wall of the room, and Ms Barr sat about 15 feet away from us; one
at a time, we had to SKIP across the floor about 20 feet towards where she was sitting. I thought I
did pretty damn' good, but she failed me.
I was a bit baffled, but it was no big deal. Today, everbody would have been handed a trophy for just trying.
Now about that your dust-up between you and Michelle Kowal (in the pic above); something lurking in your past
that we should know about?
Larry |
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8283 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Thanx Larry,what I remember most? The little train sets with the plastic track & some type of vehicle that
you sat on.
Pushed & pulled a handle of sorts while steering with your feet on the front axle. Think it was called an "Irish Mail"?
Sound familiar to anyone?
LS
"Irish Mail" sounds like the toy vehicle Rick Dale and his gang charged many $$$ for restoring on History Channel's American Restoration show a while back.
Ken |
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8284 ) |
S C Jones |
Yes, Ken, I saw that episode, too. And there are several Irish Mail Cart (toys)
on EBay. Steve you may find one just like the one you remember.
|
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8287 ) |
Little Stevie |
I'll halfta look
on E-Bay for one, SC.
Ok, Larry wants the "Michelle Koval Incident" story:
When this took place, I'm not sure. Must have been in the second or third grade.
The forecast must have called for rain that day. Walking home from Jefferson with Michelle, or "Mickey" as she was known, Cy Beda, who lived next door to us on the south and can be seen in many MAM photos and "AALLLAANN" Molchan, who lived down the street, next to Mickey, we had crossed the alley between Ridgeland & Baring Aves.
As I've mentioned here before, Alan had some type of affliction or disease that caused him to bruise with the slightest touch to his body. Beda took advantage of this every now and then by beating him regularly, since Alan was the only one in the 'hood Cy could "take".
On this day, there was no rain but Mickey had her umbrella with her. As we crossed Baring Ave. getting ready to turn into our alley, for whatever reason, Cy hit Alan and knocked him down. Mickey, being older, decided to stick up for Al and was going to hit/strike Cy with the umbrella. I didn't want to see any of my friends fight plus I wasn't too happy with Cy, because we all knew about Al, and he again took out his anger on him.
Well, as I reached to stop Mickey from hitting Cy, she turned towards me and proceeded to stab me in the stomach with the steel point that all those old umbrellas had back then.
I was shocked that she'd do this, since I hadn't made any type of aggressive move towards her or Alan.
Well. . . lemme tell ya . . . when she began her second thrust towards me, I retaliated by moving a little to my right and landed a left "roundhouse" to her stomach!
I am left handed so it was an instinctive move for self-defense.
I'm not sure if she was shocked by the punch, which, BTW, I don't think really landed with any force, or by the fact she had been hit by a boy! Which we all know is FORBIDDEN!
Well, she dropped her weapon and ran down the alley, crying, to home.
I had to get my hair cut at Darnell's. When I got home, Mom gave me the money and off I went. I knew she hadn't heard about me being attacked yet.
As soon as I left the barbershop and reached the corner, I could see my mother standing on the public sidewalk in front of our house, waiting for me to cross 169th and come home.
With her arms folded, she stood there, looking at me as I approached. When I reached her and SMiLED at her, all she said was "Let's Go!"
Down the street we walked to the Koval's. When Mickey and her mother came to the door, Mom started crying and apologizing saying she had taught me to NEVER hit girls.
(even though my two older sisters could take a whack at me whenever the moment struck them)
She told Mickey she was very sorry that I had hit her and that she had brought me there to apologize and tell her how sorry I was too.
I looked up at my mother almost in disbelief. She marched me down here without even asking me why I had hit Mickey!
Since I had also been taught to ALWAYS tell the Truth, I proceeded to say:
"I'll say I'm sorry after she tells me she's sorry for stabbing me with the umbrella first!"
Her mother quickly spoke up saying:
"My Michelle would never strike anyone!"
Mickey denied the stabbing.
I looked at Mickey and she gave me one of those smirks, letting me know she hadn't told her mother the whole story.
I proceeded to tell her mother and my mother the whole story and was accused of lying by Mrs. Koval.
Well, Mom didn't think I was telling the truth either, cause she again demanded me to apologize.
And. . . again. . . I refused!
More crying by Mom. More smirks from Mickey. More demanding looks for satisfaction from Mrs. Koval.
We stood on that porch for at least an hour, if not longer, so it seems to me. Me shaking my head "No". Mom crying. And so on.
Dad would be coming home from work soon.
Dinner hadn't been made yet.
I was realizing that this situation wasn't getting any better and the Truth didn't matter in this case.
Finally, I muttered "I'm sorry" and we went home.
When my Dad heard about it, he wasn't happy at all.
When I showed him the mark that the umbrella made on my stomach, he realised that I was telling the truth but said it still didn't give me the right to hit Mickey.
I hadn't even thought of looking for a mark all the time we were on the porch.
The only reason I saw it was I had taken off my shirt to shower to get all the hair clippings off my neck.
I don't think the incident was ever brought up again. But I knew that somehow the Truth had redeemed me, since I wasn't punished for what had happened.
But I always had my "shields up" after that when playing with Mickey.
LS
|
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8289 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Jeez.....now I feel quilty for having needled you about the story; I didn't realize the incident was
so emotional for your family. Judging from the pic above, I'd say it was an unfair fight from the beginning;
Mickey looks bigger than you.
But I enjoyed reading it; a well-told tale.
Today you'd probably be arrested and sued for assault; that's where the umbrella marks on your
stomach would really come in handy.
Larry |
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8290 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by HassoBenSoba
STEVE--
Jeez.....now I feel guilty for having needled you about the story; I didn't realize the incident was
so emotional for your family. Judging from the pic above, I'd say it was an unfair fight from the beginning;
Mickey looks bigger than you.
But I enjoyed reading it; a well-told tale.
Today you'd probably be arrested and sued for assault; that's where the umbrella marks on your
stomach would really come in handy.
Larry
That's alright Larry,
That's the way I remember it.
We know Little Stevie never started any skirmishes,
I was just the innocent little kid on the block who wanted
nothing more than peace & harmony for the 'hood back then.
But I'm not sure this is the way Michelle would remember the incident.
Maybe we can get AALLAANN's version if we meet up with him in the future.
LS |
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8292 ) |
S C Jones |
Thanks for the story, Steve.
Now, when I look at the first-day of school picture, I can see why
Mickey has that "I'm so innocent fake" grin on her face and Nancy is grimacing--uh-huh!
Mickey must have poked her in the eye just before the picture posing.
Pictures don't lie, THEY say.
|
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8296 ) |
Little Stevie |
Hey SC, now that you mention it, there's a good possibility that Mickey gave Nancy a quick upward snap of her left arm right before the picture was snapped!
LS |
03-23-2012
( Reply#: 8297 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Hey, you're right....
Now I notice that Nancy's left hand is blurred, as if she's moving
it up quickly in reaction to the pain.
Another photo-conspiracy in the making?
LR |
03-24-2012
( Reply#: 8299 ) |
S C Jones |
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Hey SC, now that you mention it, there's a good possibility that Mickey gave Nancy a quick upward snap of her left arm right before the picture was snapped!
LS
It could have been a left elbow to the right eye. And, Steve either had the forethought to not stand next to Mickey that day or was just lucky. |
03-24-2012
( Reply#: 8300 ) |
Little Stevie |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
quote:
Originally posted by Little Stevie
Hey SC, now that you mention it, there's a good possibility that Mickey gave Nancy a quick upward snap of her left arm right before the picture was snapped!
LS
It could have been a left elbow to the right eye. And, Steve either had the forethought to not stand next to Mickey that day or was just lucky.
Just lucky. Besides, Nancy was the girl of my closet!
LS |
03-24-2012
( Reply#: 8301 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
We shouldn't be too tough on Mickey, all these years later.
I bet I know what happened. Notice in the pic above how green the grass is for January? No snow either.
Plus the adults in the background are dressed for "jacket" weather. But, since parents really took care
of their kids in 1960, all the young'uns were still dressed in full winter wear.
I'd guess that it was an unusually warm January (like now), and Nancy just got hit in the eye
by a stray (early) horsefly, which she is about to swat with her left hand.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonKids0001-1.jpg[/IMG]
I'll check the Hammond Times microfilm re: the weather in early '60.
LR
(PS-- please don't take any of the above seriously). |
03-25-2012
( Reply#: 8303 ) |
S C Jones |
SORRY FOR THE EXTRA POSTING OF YOUR COMMENT LARS.
Upon further investigation, it is quite possible Nancy was completing or
about to experience a SNEEZE of gigantic proportions! |
03-25-2012
( Reply#: 8304 ) |
seejay2 |
...or--some kind of insect flew up her nose and made it to the corner of her eyeball...Cj |
03-25-2012
( Reply#: 8305 ) |
Tom J |
quote:
Originally posted by S C Jones
SORRY FOR THE EXTRA POSTING OF YOUR COMMENT LARS.
Upon further investigation, it is quite possible Nancy was completing or
about to experience a SNEEZE of gigantic proportions!
Fixed it for ya, S.C.
Tomster |
03-25-2012
( Reply#: 8306 ) |
wvcogs |
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
...or--some kind of insect flew up her nose and made it to the corner of her eyeball...Cj
Cj always has the solution. It must be that fresh air between the lakes!
Ken |
03-25-2012
( Reply#: 8307 ) |
seejay2 |
quote:
Originally posted by wvcogs
quote:
Originally posted by seejay2
...or--some kind of insect flew up her nose and made it to the corner of her eyeball...Cj
Cj always has the solution. It must be that fresh air between the lakes!
Ken
That must be it, Ken! Whew! Fresh air. Had I still been living in NWI, I probably would have come up with something juvenile and stupid...Cj |
03-25-2012
( Reply#: 8308 ) |
Little Stevie |
Fresh air, Ken?
Between the lakes? I don't think so. Every north wind brought us Magoun folks a huge cloud of odor
from Swift's, just north of the Woodmar Shopping Center. Included in that cloud, oil from Whiting and dust particles from"Da mills"
LS |
03-26-2012
( Reply#: 8311 ) |
seejay2 |
Ken is talking about where I live now, Kentucky. I'm right off of Kentucky Lake. There is another lake that runs parallel to it, Lake Barkley. This has created a beautiful, natural habitat area called "Land Between the Lakes" which Ken is refering to...Cj |
03-26-2012
( Reply#: 8312 ) |
tom w |
I have a question. In most of the pictures of children it seems to me that they are not having any fun. some of the school pictures even appear that the little oned have just been castigated.
I noticed this even with the first pix of the teen kids at the restaurant and particularly the little ones on the slide and having a tea party. The little girl standing looks about to cry. Was it just this school? I don't remember Irving School being so serious. I suppose that it could just be my perception too. Any comments? Tom w |
03-26-2012
( Reply#: 8313 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
TOM--
We were just ordinary '50's kids; sometimes we were OK with people poking cameras in our faces, other times not
so much. And when the authoritarian brutes arrived for their photo shoot, things might have been a little tense.
I was so happy In Jefferson's Kindergarten that I didn't even mind that I flunked skipping.
ANYWAY---Since my sister Nancy has taken her share of abuse (which I started) re: the color photo above,
I'll give her an assist by posting THIS pic, taken a year later (early '61) in front of Jefferson.
No problem here with spitwads, horseflies, insects, sneezing, etc.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonSchoolNancy0001.jpg[/IMG]
And here's a phone pic from July of 2005 of the VERY SAME DOORS that you see in the old photos above,
taken from the inside as the building was being prepared for demolition.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/07-25-05_1448.jpg[/IMG]
Sorry to spoil the fun, but that's life.
LR |
04-29-2012
( Reply#: 8411 ) |
Little Stevie |
Here's the album of my entire musical career.
Began & ended in the sixth grade band @ Jefferson.
Mr. Balk was our bandleader. A tall skinny guy with a receding hairline. He made up for that with a goatee and mustache.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/pg121.jpg[/IMG]
That's Beda on the left in the photo.
As you can see. . . the Jefferson percussion section was not very well equipped. Beda used to bring his snare from home to "classy" up the section. His drum case is on the floor.
LS |
05-01-2012
( Reply#: 8412 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
Alright, I guess I'd better come clean on this one.
Here's a pic of ol' Donald R. Balk, whom I knew as the band/orchestra director at GAVIT H.S.;
I wasn't aware he also worked at Jefferson. In the spring of '67, Mr. Balk organized the Hammond Area
Youth Orchestra, which I joined as tympanist in March of '67.
This pic was taken onstage at the Whiting Community Center on Sunday, March 24, 1968.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Untitled-1.jpg[/IMG]
No sign of the mustache and goatee.
And BELOW--the percussionist with the s____-eating grin on his face is none other than yours truly.
We had just finished a concert which included the first performance of a new work I had written, which
needed a GONG in the percussion section. So I borrowed the Morton H.S band's gong, which I lifted up onto
our percussion table so it would be visible in this photo; I'm holding the gong beater. What a weenie.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/Untitled.jpg[/IMG]
Balk was really cool in one respect: when I joined the Youth Orchestra in early '67, I asked him if
I could write an original work for the orchestra's spring concert; he immediately agreed, and I cranked
out some piece of dreck or other...which was premiered at our first concert on June 3, '67 at Gavit HS!
For the next two seasons ('68 and 69), Don Balk premiered new works of mine; two of the three were included
in our annual LP records, which I still have.
This experience was very helpful in my being accepted to study at the fancy Cleveland Institute of Music
in '69. And I owe it largely to Don Balk, a very enterprising and supportive guy.
Larry |
05-01-2012
( Reply#: 8413 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
As a matter of fact....
Here's a photo actually taken back-stage at the very first concert of the Hammond Area Youth Orchestra,
which Don Balk founded and conducted. The big night---onstage at Gavit H.S., Saturday, June 3rd, 1967.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HammondYouthOrch0001.jpg[/IMG]
At opposite ends of the photo: extreme left = Donald Balk, conductor; on the extreme right = L. Rapchak, tympanist.
----------------------------------------
Here's another view of the players: standing (right) is L.Rapchak (me), with a boutonniere pinned
to my lapel that a friend from Noll brought for me, since it was the first time a work I had written was performed in public.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HammondYouth20001.jpg[/IMG]
The french horn player on the left (seated in front of the dude who's standing) is my late brother Mike.....you remember,
good old PRO2AM, the Sheptalk-er who started this Jefferson School thread.
LR |
05-01-2012
( Reply#: 8414 ) |
Little Stevie |
Well Larry,
I could swear that Mr. Balk had a beard & goatee. Maybe not though.
Me thinks he knew my heart wasn't into playing an instrument. I remember when we first were approached in 5th grade for the 6th grade band, he thought I should try the sax or trumpet.
I remember trying to blow into a mouthpiece for a trumpet, thought I was going to blow the top of my head off!
The sax/reed thing wasn't gunna work either. So I signed up for percussion.
Got stuck banging a bass for the entire year.
We did a concert at Gavit in the summer between 6th & 7th grades.
In the parking lot behind the school.
Greatest memory of that was playing "Hava Na Geela" (spelling?) a pretty upbeat tempo. . . took us about 5 minutes to complete.
But there I was. . .Haaaavaaaa. . . Ok Little Stevie hit that drum! BOOM! Naaaa. . . Geelaaaaa. . . Haaaavaaaa. . . again! Little Stevie! BOOM! Naaaa. . . Geelaaaaa
well, you get the picture. I don't even remember if my musical career lasted in to the 7th grade.
Once I realised my musical career was on the wain, I thought. . . what next?
LS |
05-01-2012
( Reply#: 8415 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
STEVE--
The Balk-ster might have been in a "mod/beatnik" phase at Jefferson in '65,
(with mustache & goatee)[8D], which he might have
then grown out of by the time I met him in '67 at Gavit, when he was clean-shaven.
By the way, that-there hair you're sporting' in the color photo above is pretty "FAR OUT"
for a 10-year old Regionite kid in the mid-60's; didn't you get any hassle from your parents? I remember
a year LATER (in '66), my brother Mike---who was six years OLDER than you---
got into all sorts of confrontations with our parents when
he decided to wear his hair "Beatle/British Invasion" style on his forehead.
You must'a been a real trend-setter for the youngun's in Woodmar.
Larry
Yeah....what next in yer' performing career? |
05-01-2012
( Reply#: 8416 ) |
Little Stevie |
"Once I realised my musical career was on the wain, I thought. . . what next?"
How about becoming a Thespian?
I had done some "acting" my whole stint at Jefferson.
Starting in Miss Barr's kindergarten class. Recited a poem called "Little Danny Donkey". My line had something to do with Danny not washing behind his ears.
During the next 5 grades there were many skits I was in. I had become an old pro, being in Cub Scouts, where we did a skit at almost every pack meeting.
But the apex of my career came in the 6th grade. Mrs. Stodola's class.
Every year, her class put on an operetta for the school in the spring.
Our year, the operetta was none other than Walt Disney's:
"Babe's In Toyland"
I had landed one of the supporting roles as one of the older children, realizing I'd be leaving Toyland in a few years
For the younger children, the kiddies from one of the 1st grade classes were asked to be a part of this epic. One of which was a neighbor of ours, Phil Gourney.
His home can be seen in one of Larry's alley photos. On the right, just before the Kessey yard.
Phil's family moved into their home after the Rapchaks left Magoun Ave. The tragic thing was that Phil's father died from a heart attack while building the garage you see in the photo.
In one of the early scenes of BIT, we were singing the song "Lemonade" while skipping around Mother Goose, played by Michelle Merrick, while she filled glasses with lemonade for us.
As I came around for the third or fourth time, I noticed Mother Goose wiping up something on the floor while giving me an extremely dirty look for a 6th grade girl.
Seems I had kicked over the pitcher of "lemonade" which really was just water, on my last revolution around her.
All in all, the operetta went off without another hitch.
Below is the only photo of my short lived acting career. That's Phil standing in front of me with his hand in front of my face.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/littlestevie/babes.jpg[/IMG]
Maybe his tights were just that. Tight.
LS
|
05-02-2012
( Reply#: 8417 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Nowadays, Lil' Phil would be 'cuffed and hauled away for public indecency.
Interesting photo; I'll say no more, except that the costumes are pretty elaborate for a grade school
production---today many high schools couldn't come close to those soldier uniforms. Did Jefferson have an auditorium?
Mrs. Stodola---did you tell me that was BARB Stodola, who was married to a Hammond judge? I think I
worked for her briefly in 1979 in downtown Hammond.
Larry |
05-02-2012
( Reply#: 8418 ) |
Little Stevie |
Larry,
Jefferson didn't have an auditorium per se, just a stage at the east end of the gym. Curtains & colored floodlights. Pretty nice for a elementary school.
I'm not sure what her first name was but yes Mrs. Stodola was married to a Hammond judge.
This operetta thing she put on every year was thee highlight of the school year.
LS |
09-22-2012
( Reply#: 8695 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
Looks like it's about time to wrap up this thread on Jefferson School, which was started by my late brother Mike.
Jefferson was the quintessential mid-50's, small-town school, newly opened in 1954 just
as the post-war suburban boom was taking hold in Woodmar, and the former open fields were transfomed
into a lovely, middle-class community---some of us who grew up there might even call it our own little Paradise.
But times change, and Jefferson would ultimately fall to the wrecking ball, asbestos and all, July of 2005.
Here's the last phone pics I took while the place was still standing, on a sunny, peaceful Sunday
afternoon in September, 2004.
Both of these show the outside of the kindergarten room...the southern-most side of the school. Notice
the miniature brown tiles under the window; I was able to salvage a number of these (along with the
pink ones that were also used on the outer facade) when the place was torn down in summer, 2005.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/09-19-04_1554.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/09-19-04_1551.jpg[/IMG]
LR |
10-20-2012
( Reply#: 8721 ) |
HassoBenSoba |
This is probably the end of the road for the Jefferson School thread here on Sheptalk.
Time moves on, and there are increasingly few people who remember it or would ever care to
search it out here on the site. I'm glad that my brother Mike started the thread, and that we were
able to liven it up with some pretty amazing photos, etc---most of which I stumbled upon by chance
in the Hammond Library's historical room archives.
The year I spent at Jefferson School in Kindergarten - 1956-57-- was about the coolest,
most thrilling time of my young life, and it's great to have a place to post these memories, images, and
impressions from that time, even if the traffic is very limited. It's better than having the stuff sitting in a
shoe-box somewhere.
So here's little dorkey-boy (me) back in my heyday at Jefferson--
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonFrogTank1-1.jpg[/IMG]
And here's the same guy in September of 2004, standing outside the Kindergarten room during the
final year that the building was still standing-
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/09-19-04_1553.jpg[/IMG]
AND HERE'S the end of the road for Jefferson School, during its demolition, in July of 2005
(courtesy of Jim Stewart). This is a view of the west wall of the structure.
[IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/JeffersonSchool0001.jpg[/IMG]
You can even see the blackboards, bulletin boards, classroom doors, cabinets, etc, in this "cut-away" view.
And that's that.
LR |
10-21-2012
( Reply#: 8722 ) |
Bill Bucko |
Too bad. I know I'll never forgive the fools who, not content with tearing down the Harding wooden portable, not content with tearing down Morton H.S., even dared to tear down the Harding elementary building I went to, in 1954-61.
Bill
Warren G. Harding Class of '63 |
