Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2022 i Reminisce

June/July’s Reminisce is our annual special edition, with more pages for expanded features and departments. We look forward each year to giving readers more space to tell their stories, usually around deeper, thought-provoking topics. Our cover feature is an ideal entry in that canon. Reader memories in “Joyful Turning Points,” page 38, remind us once again of the wonder of childhood—a time too fragile, fleeting and easily lost. More than anything, childhood is a time of intense learning, with some of the most life-changing teaching moments occurring outside the classroom. As adults, how quickly we forget that someone had to teach us to tie our shoelaces, ride a bike or use a scooter—and that someone usually was a parent or a sibling. So these stories of epiphany also are tales…

We asked readers to finish this phrase: “The day I learned to…” Their responses inspire and delight. Headfirst into the Unknown The dreaded day of our diving test in my Monday morning high school physical education class was here. Our parents thought we were privileged to have an Olympic-size swimming pool at the school. My mom emphasized that the schools in Massachusetts were the best in the country, and luxuries like the pool were proof. But I wasn’t so sure. Not only was I terribly shy in regular classes and sat in the back of the room so I’d not be called upon to read, each Monday I would work my way to the back of the line forming at the diving board so I would not have to practice…

I WAS TO DELIVER my very first Girl Scout cookie orders to my neighbors. Because I was in fourth grade, my parents thought me capable of doing this on my own. My orders bagged, labeled and loaded on my wagon, I put on my crisp uniform and ventured down the gravel road. Cookies are always a welcome sight, and the first two houses had the correct change. This was going well! However, when my third customer apologetically handed me a large bill, I went blank. How do I do this? Nerves impaired my math skills. Fortunately, the kindly customer walked me through the process as my skin prickled. I wasn’t going through that again! I hurried home and my mother gave me a quick lesson on making change. The remaining…

The exact year escapes me, although I guess it was probably 1958 or 1959, but I do know that I was still in elementary school when I learned the Dewey Decimal System. Mostly, I remember the wonderful feeling of accomplishment, of feeling smart and confident. Any book could be located by title, author or subject. Every book had an address on a shelf. I had mastered the skill I needed to learn more about anything and everything, not just what was in our textbooks. This was like discovering a pirate’s map! It sparked an awakening of curiosity about all things. Our neighborhood library was one of the little brick Andrew Carnegie buildings scattered across the United States. It was only a few blocks from my family’s house in the quiet…

A country and gospel singer and guitar picker, I try to bring a little sunshine into people’s lives by giving mini concerts in patients’ rooms at hospitals and assisted living facilities. Years ago, I was performing at a facility in Lakeland. I passed one room and noticed a man talking on the phone, so I went on by. The resident next door had visitors, and when I finished my performance for them, one of the visitors told me I should go back and sing for that man next door. He was no longer talking on the phone, so I walked in and said, “You sure look like you need to be sung to!” “I sure do,” he said. I asked him if he liked the music of Hank Williams Sr.…

Matching brush and mirror sets were prized wedding gifts in the 19th century. Made of ivory, silver or fine porcelain, elaborate dresser, or vanity, sets might include a case or tray, manicure set, decorative jars and more. The sets became more widely available after they began to be made with less expensive plastic polymers in the early 20th century. They are highly collectible and come in a range of prices depending on materials and workmanship. The art deco styling of Robert’s case suggests it’s from the 1930s or 1940s. A celluloid set with a case and comparable accessories to this one, but showing more wear, sells for around $200 on eBay.…

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PERSONAL STORIES Readers share their memories of growing up, working, falling in love and other milestones. AUTHENTIC IMAGES Photographs and vintage advertising capture the sights and styles of a bygone era in fascinating detail. LIFE AND TIMES Explore the past through the pop culture and iconic products that brightened our world. Order The Best of Reminisce 2022 for ONLY $10, plus FREE SHIPPING: REMINISCE.COM/22JJ Keep Reminisce coming every month! Subscribe today: REMINISCE.COM/EXTRASPECIAL IN THE NEXT ISSUE • Yellowstone Memories • Dreamy Airstreams • Chuck Taylors Turn 100…

Thurgood Marshall was a legal powerhouse when President Lyndon B. Johnson named him to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. Nicknamed Mr. Civil Rights, Marshall became the first Black American on the court. A legal and judicial activist, including with the NAACP and as U.S. solicitor general, he maintained that the Constitution—“a realistic document of freedom only because of several corrective amendments”—was a living document. And separate, he declared, was never equal. “What’s at stake here is more than the rights of my client. It’s the moral commitment stated in our country’s creed.” He was born Thoroughgood After early teasing about his given name, he got it changed to Thurgood at age 6. Constitutional punishment In high school, Marshall was caught pulling a prank. The principal ordered him to read…

Researching the vessels that brought our ancestors to America gives fascinating insights into those courageous families who begin anew in an unfamiliar country and culture. A simple browser search on the ship the Asais traveled on, the S.S. Athenian, gives the history of the ship and several images. For more in-depth research: ■ Search for both emigration (exiting) and immigration (entering) on familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States_ Emigration_and_Immigration. ■ One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse (stevemorse.org) is a helpful source for searching passenger lists. ■ Look for immigration records on ancestry.com/cs/immigration-all. ■ Find pictures and descriptions of ships at ancestry.com/search/categories/img_ship_port_ pictures. ■ A vessel photo database is available at fleetmon.com/community/photos. PEGGY CLEMENS LAURITZEN, an accredited genealogist, writes and lectures about family history. Visit: misspeggy55.weebly.com Share your family history with us: REMINISCE.COM/SUBMIT-A-STORY…

The day I learned to tie my shoes still brings to mind cherished memories of my dad. Not quite 6 in 1952, I was anxiously looking forward to beginning first grade. My mom recently finished making some new clothes and buying new shoes for me. The shoes were blackand-white saddle oxfords, typical schoolgirl shoes back then. I thought they were very pretty and was certainly proud of them. But I fretted about what I would do if they became undone while I was at school, because I didn’t know how to tie them. Living on a small tobacco and crop farm in the foothills of North Carolina, and being something of a tomboy, I spent considerable time with my dad. I helped him—at least, I believed I was helping—with chores.…

IN 1964, THOUGH I WAS already in the sixth grade, I didn’t know how to ride my bike. I was embarrassed. It didn’t help that I was a klutz; my mother said that I couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. My big brother Kirk thought he could help me. He decided that I could learn better on his bike. But I was doubtful. As was the style in the ’60s, his bike had the seat hiked up as far as it could go and the handlebars turned well forward. We went to a nearby school because the playground was on a slight hill. Kirk thought this would be the perfect place to practice. He lifted me onto his bike and gave me a shove, never telling me how…

Although I can’t recall the first time my dad took me fishing, I do remember my first lunker. It was the summer of 1950, a few months after I turned 10. My folks allowed that I was old enough to spend the summer at my grandpa’s farm in Macoupin County, Illinois. Grandpa’s neighbor had a pond that had been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It had an abundance of perch. But nearby was another pond that was said to contain monster catfish. So that was where I headed with my 5-foot bean pole, which I grabbed from a pile by the garden gate. Sitting on the pond’s diving board, I was catching small perch as fast as I could drop my bait in the water. Suddenly,…

Born in Florida, Nat followed a family musical tradition, learning to play on a hand-medown trumpet from his older brother, Julian. After serving in the Army in Korea, Nat joined the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in 1954 on a European tour. The brothers joined forces to form the Cannonball Adderley Quintet in 1956. Nat composed much of the band’s music, a style dubbed “soul-jazz” for its combination of R&B, gospel and bebop. Following his brother’s death in 1975, Nat toured with his own group and taught music theory until poor health forced him to retire.…

MASTERING TOAST Originally marketed to restaurants, the pop-up toaster hit home kitchens in the 1920s. This steel-and-Bakelite Toastmaster is similar to the first designs sold in 1926. Here, happy homemakers show off the new perks that make it easier to use and clean. WOMAN OF STEEL United States Steel Corp., based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, did a series of ads through the 1950s and 1960s to promote the prospects of steel as a building block for living. The spots at left and above are aimed at women—the 1955 ad ran in Ladies’ Home Journal, the 1962 ad ran in Life—and show an array of home appliances made with the durable alloy. These ads have the tough task of selling the product behind another product, which can be awkward and baffling. They…

Ever since the Mets had been in spring training—weeks before they would keep their perfect record of losing the season opener—I’d had eight tickets to the May 30 game against the San Francisco Giants stored in my underwear drawer. All I needed was six friends willing to pay their way and a driver to get us to Shea Stadium. Can of corn, right? In the spring of 1969 I was the new kid trying to fit in at North Country Road School in Miller Place, Long Island, New York. The common denominator of sports made finding sixth-grade fans who wanted in on the game surprisingly painless: We sensed that this might be the year the Mets could actually contend. As March thawed into April—and the Mets dropped five of their…

■ The couple are charged with illegal cohabitation. Their marriage is illegal in Virginia because Mildred is African American and American Indian and Richard is white. ■ After sentencing them to a year in jail, the judge offers them the option of leaving Virginia instead of serving time. They leave, but fight to return. Eventually, the American Civil Liberties Union takes the case, which reaches the U.S. Supreme Court nine years later. ■ On June 12, 1967, the court rules that Virginia’s law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. ■ Loving Day, June 12, now is celebrated across the country.…

One hot afternoon in 1967 during summer vacation in Montgomery, Alabama, my sister, Melanie, brought home some magazines. Melanie was almost a teenager, but to 10-year-old me, she seemed grown up. The magazines featured a doe-eyed model with pouty lips, a pixie haircut and a stick-thin figure. Intrigued, I pored through the pages. I was captivated by the highfashion photos of this uberthin girl/woman appropriately called Twiggy. I thought she was completely darling. I wanted to look just like Twiggy, and daydreamed about being her. I already had the straight figure—I was a skinny kid—and the blond hair. The next step, I decided, was to get a short haircut. Mom was more than happy to oblige with permission for the haircut—she preferred my hair short anyway. Melanie, always the trailblazer,…

ONE: A BEGINNING TWO: THERE’S MORE THREE: HAPPY EVER AFTER SHORTS NOTICE Emanuel Crisalli’s sisterin-law Grace tried to set him up on a blind date with her neighbor Elsie, in Van Nuys, California. Neither was interested—until one day, when Emanuel was helping his brother outside, he spotted Elsie across the street. She was mowing the lawn in yellow shorts. “Go ahead and set up a date,” Emanuel told Grace. Elsie and Emanuel got married in 1952, had three children—David, Ann Marie and Davette—and celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2012. EMBRACING AUBURN Carol Cella was the first red-haired baby born at Charlesgate Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “The nurses nicknamed me Pinky, a name that stuck with me through second grade,” she writes. An eighth grader at Wellington School in 1955, Carol…

I STARTED FIRST GRADE in 1952 in the small town of Hawley, Minnesota. There were something like 60 children in our grade, split into two classrooms. Near the end of the first six weeks, our class had to visit the other classroom so the teachers could record our height and weight for our report cards. We all had to take off our shoes for the weigh-in. When I stepped off the scale, I realized that many, not quite all, of my classmates could tie their shoes without help. It felt to me as though everyone from both classrooms was watching me. I did not know how to tie my shoes. I’d always had assistance, so it never occurred to me that I should learn. It must have been traumatic because…

Back in July 1958, my grandparents—Memere and Pepere—gave me a red and silver pedal-powered tractor for my fifth birthday. That Christmas, Pepere built me a single-axle trailer to match it. The tractor was my favorite toy, and I’m sure it made them happy that I enjoyed their gift so much. One day in the summer of 1959, I was riding around the driveway when out of the blue I decided to back the trailer into the walkway. I became very frustrated that the trailer would not go where I aimed it. Pepere happened to be there and saw my dilemma. He offered instruction and advice. He owned a small boat and trailer, so he knew the trick of it. I then spent many hours that day and the next practicing…

MY BROTHER DENNIS was 10 and I was 9 in 1963. One day we were outside in the alley next to our house in Watertown, South Dakota, listening to the soft cooing the mourning doves made as they conversed amongst themselves. We tried to imitate them, but to no avail. So we thought that maybe our dad, Lloyd, a former farm boy from Nebraska, might have an idea about how to talk to birds. He was happy to show us how to put our hands together in a certain way and to blow gently into the small opening at just the right angle. However, there was a slight problem with the getalong. Dad’s upper teeth were dentures; he couldn’t make the exact noises needed to get the sound just right.…

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