Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2018 i Reminisce

The 1950s pumped America full of optimism. Riding the boomer wave, my parents married and had their first boy in 1954. The following year, I came along, in time to witness a parade of firsts. Among them were Disneyland and Davy Crockett, atomic-powered submarines, the integration of public schools, and McDonald’s. Debuting in the midst of a notable decade set the bar high for life experiences, but being raised in a large family meant McDonald’s was never an option. I remember one school year, however, when a local burger joint gave free hamburgers for every A on your report card. I earned enough burgers for the entire family! Read about other memorable moments from 1955 in Time Capsule on page 12. Another story in this issue that hits close to…

First hitting the airwaves in 1955, Gunsmoke went on for 20 seasons to become the longest-running TV Western and prime-time series with continuing characters. What do you remember about the characters who kept Dodge City, Kansas, running lawfully in the 1870s? 1 Peter Graves’ big brother played Matt Dillon. His name? 2 How tall did Matt stand when not wearing cowboy boots? 3 What movie cowboy introduced Gunsmoke’s first episode? 4 Where does Matt go to do his best thinking? 5 How many notches does Marshall Dillon have on his gun? 6 Who portrayed red-headed “Miss Kitty” Russell? 7 What was the name of Miss Kitty’s popular establishment? 8 Who played Chester Goode and what was his distinguishing physical characteristic? 9 Name the actor who played blacksmith Quint Asper. HOW’D…

My wife, Joan, and I were big Mel Torme fans, so when he opened in May 1965 at The Royal Arms nightclub in Buffalo, New York, the two of us, along with another couple, attended the performance. I took a chance and half-jokingly sent my business card to his dressing room, by way of our waiter, with a note requesting a visit with the performer. For the next hour we fully enjoyed the entertainment as part of the enthusiastic crowd. We were about to leave when the waiter informed me that Mr. Torme wished to see Mr. Zilliox. Joan looked at me and noted, “He said Mr. Zilliox, not Mr. Zilliox’s party. We’ll wait for you here.” So I got up and accompanied the server to Mel’s dressing room. He…

My family tree now includes more than 14,000 names, but I always got stuck on my father’s ancestors. Dad, who died 20 years ago, told me that his father, whom we called Little Daddy, didn’t know his paternal grandparents. However, he thought their names were James and Henrietta Herring, so I entered them into that branch of my family tree. Meanwhile, other family members had used census records in error to add other household members. After researching for years, I still couldn’t match the names from their tree to what my father had told me. Then one day, I found the marriage certificate of James and Henrietta Herring from another contributor on Ancestry.com. That tree continues in a different direction, but the tidbit of information cleared up a lot of…

Begun in Dayton, Ohio, in 1934, the All-American Soap Box Derby relocated the following year to Akron, a hillier and more centrally located site. Chevrolet was the first official sponsor of the race. Civic leaders in Akron procured the Works Progress Administration to build the championship Derby Downs facility. Local races are open to everyone ages 7 to 20. Girls began racing in 1971. Drivers compete in three divisions—Stock, Super Stock and Masters—for top honors. There’s a Super Kids Classic race for kids with disabilities. Each division includes age and weight restrictions.…

One night back in 1969, recently divorced, I was busy in the kitchen of my newly rented house while my daughters, ages 5 and 2, slept in a nearby room. I heard a noise that sounded as if the 5-year-old had fallen out of bed. As I rounded the corner to check on her, I saw in the glow of the night-light a huge snake coiled in the doorway that led to where the girls were sleeping. Transfixed, I stood there until the snake slithered away, then I leapt into the room, grabbed both girls out of bed, took another leap to a coffee table and deposited them on a couch. They were still half asleep. (To this day I don’t know how I managed to do all that so…

PICNICS Before you head outside to enjoy the sunshine, check out page 14 and the patio gear we found. AMUSEMENT PARKS See how one reader found romance at a now-defunct amusement park, on page 26. FESTIVALS At some events you’re an observer, at others, a participant. Read tales of good times spent at the Soap Box Derby, beginning on page 40. PHOTO FUN Big teeth or baby teeth, toothless grins on page 56 just make you smile. KEEP REMINISCE coming every month! Subscribe today: REMINISCE.COM/EXTRASPECIAL IN THE NEXT ISSUE •Korean POW exchange •1950s: Our Favorite Decade •Drive-In Theaters Turn 85…

- ACADEMY AWARDS - BEST MOTION PICTURE On the Waterfront BEST ACTOR Marlon Brando On the Waterfront BEST ACTRESS Grace Kelly, The Country Girl - EMMY AWARDS - BEST DRAMATIC SERIES U.S. Steel Hour, ABC BEST SITUATION COMEDY Make Room for Daddy, ABC BEST VARIETY SERIES Disneyland, ABC BEST CHILDREN’S PROGRAM Lassie, CBS - TONY AWARDS - BEST MUSICAL The Pajama Game PULITZER PRIZE FOR DRAMA Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Tennessee Williams KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER Swaps Jockey, Willie Shoemaker WORLD SERIES Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-3) WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION Rocky Marciano MASTERS GOLF TOURNAMENT Cary Middlecoff…

Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, in the 1950s, I spent many days and nights at the now-defunct Riverview Park on the city’s north side. My teenage memories of that era involve me, my wife and our friends. To celebrate my birthday, for a couple of years my Grandmother Vivian took me and a group of my friends on an outing to the amusement park. We took a streetcar, known to us as the Red Rattler, north to the park. There we’d eat a picnic lunch in the grove and spend the day on rides and playing carnival games. After we’d gone through all our money, we’d head back home on the streetcar. During those years, I had an after-school job, and when I earned $5, I thought I was rich.…

Many of us begin our research with information already compiled by other family members. Today, relatives can record their findings, including family trees, in online search sites so that others can access the same information. Some of these sites include: ▪ FamilySearch.org—click on Family Tree ▪ Ancestry.com ▪ MyHeritage.com ▪ WikiTree.com Do I use online trees? Sure. But I caution against copy-and-paste genealogy. The trees you find online may lack sources and documentation—the keys to credibility in proving the lineage in the first place. So be sure to analyze the information sources used to corroborate the research. In some cases, it will provide clues to help you prove your lineage. But in others, the data is simply wrong. Use online trees as springboards to locate additional original sources and records.…

DURAND EASTMAN PARK IN Monroe County served as the Derby Downs in central upstate New York, where I raced for three years in the early 1960s. I competed there from my small town of Penn Yan, 50 miles away, for the coveted title of Rochester Times-Union Chevrolet Soap Box Derby champion and a chance to advance to the championship in Akron, Ohio. Many adults contributed time and services to make the races happen. The local highway department opened its garage for inspections of the cars. Spectator stands, a launch ramp and a finish line tower equipped with a camera for photo finishes were also built and donated. Thinking back, I recognize and appreciate the time and effort the volunteers gave us.…

FROM THE TASTE OF HOME COLLECTION Mango Gelatin Salad My Aunt Nannette often made this salad as a convenient do-ahead dish. The mango mold has hints of apricot and can be served with pork, chicken or beef—or for dessert! DEBRA SULT • CHANDLER, AZ PREP: 30 min. + chilling • MAKES: 8 servings 2 cans (15 oz.) diced or sliced mangoes, drained1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened and cubed2 cups boiling water2 pkg. (3 oz. each) lemon gelatin1 pkg. (3 oz.) apricot gelatin2 cups cold water Fresh mint leaves and cranberries, optional 1. Place mangoes and cream cheese in a food processor; process until blended. 2. In a large bowl, add boiling water to gelatins; stir 2 minutes to completely dissolve. Stir in cold water, then mango mixture. Pour…

Back in 1976, living in Valley Stream on New York’s Long Island, we were in the habit of listening to John A. Gambling’s morning show on WOR as we got ready for work. One day he announced a raffle for a Datsun automobile. With only a faint hope of winning, I filled out postcards—one for me and one on behalf of my wife, Carol—and mailed them. My job was in Kearney, New Jersey, which was about 50 miles away. The commute included a long ride on the beltway, over the Verrazano Bridge to Staten Island, across Staten Island to the Goethals Bridge, and then north on the New Jersey Turnpike. I WAS LUCKY I DIDN’T LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR. The contest lasted an entire month and must have attracted…

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Thanks to Fess Parker, a ruggedly handsome 30-year-old Texan who stood 6 feet, 5 inches tall and exuded quiet confidence, baby-boom kids in early 1955 were beginning a brief but intense love affair with a long-departed hero. Parker’s stardom skyrocketed overnight as Davy Crockett during ABC-TV’s Disneyland trilogy about “the king of the wild frontier.” It was Walt Disney’s debut foray into television, and hourlong Davy Crockett episodes appeared one month apart from December 1954 until February 1955. You could say it was television’s first miniseries. The shows attracted 40 million mesmerized viewers, an unexpected ratings home run. To serve a feeding frenzy of epic proportions, manufacturers rushed out Crockett gear, and kids everywhere hurried to grab more than 3,000 items that beckoned irresistibly. Essential to any self-respecting Crockett fan…

Just after I finished college in late 1973 and for the first six months of 1974, I had a job most people my age would have coveted at the time. I worked at The Record Hunter on Fifth Avenue, one of the biggest record stores in Manhattan. We primarily sold albums. Singles (45s) and cassette tapes were stored behind the front counter, along with accessories—record-cleaning cloths, phonograph needles and blank tapes. The store was divided into a pop side, which encompassed everything from Sinatra to Led Zeppelin, and a classical side. Both departments had one bin reserved for cutouts, albums that hadn’t sold and were now offered at a reduced price. As with any job, the real story was the people I worked with. Albert, a former refugee from Nazi…

FOR A LUCKY FEW, ONE FRIENDSHIP LASTS THROUGH LAUGHTER, LOVE AND TEARS AND ALL THE GOLDEN YEARS DURING THE SUMMER OF 1943, when we were 13, Joan and I took the same swimming class at the local pool. That fall, our new friendship blossomed when we were assigned to the same homeroom in junior high. She and I became inseparable. We were the same age, height and build and had the same first name. We even made identical dresses in sewing class and wore them on the same day. The main difference between us was her hair was blond and mine was dark brown. Our friendship continued this way through high school. By college we weren’t seeing each other as much but we remained best friends. During that time, I…

ARTHUR DALINE AND I MET IN EARLY 1966 when we were both 20-year-old rookie accountants at a Minneapolis firm. The two of us were ready to set the world on fire. But before we could really get to know each other, Art was off to active duty with the Army Security Agency Reserve. After six months, Art returned to the firm and we discovered a mutual love of bowling. We bowled in leagues together for years to come. In May 1967, Art visited me for the first time, and we had our picture taken in front of his Studebaker Lark. That fall, he pulled some strings with his reserve commander, with whom he was close, and got me into his unit. Otherwise it was certain that I would have been…

BY JULY 1965, AKRON, OHIO, had already hosted three decades of All-American Soap Box Derby races, but this would be the first local derby for Corning, New York. The race, with about 100 participants, was a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament with two cars at a time squaring off. The winner, Joey Dudick, earned a trip to the world tournament in Akron. I had spent months building my derby car. Eddie Hyder, owner of Hyder’s Grocery on Market Street, was my sponsor. Even though I lost my first heat and was eliminated, I found short-lived fame when my picture was taken during trial runs and it appeared in The Corning Leader, our local newspaper.…

FIND HATTIE’S HATPIN Hattie has lost a hatpin in this issue! If you find it, tell us at reminisce.com/hatpin. We’ll randomly select winners to receive a year’s subscription to Reminisce. In the June/July issue, we hid the hatpin in the towering inferno on page 76. There’s no purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on 7/18/18 and ends on 9/18/18. Visit reminisce.com/hatties-hatpin-rules-rem for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC. TRIVIAL PURSUITS, PAGE 13: 1. James Arness 2. 6 feet, 7 inches 3. John Wayne 4. Boot Hill, the cemetery…