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Belle Landrum

The Westhampton, rainy blues.  Is anyone interested in going to Padow's for lunch?  I'd love to see your smiling faces!  I will gladly look at all your grandchildren's pictures.

Belle

BelleLandrum@yahoo.com (or here)  and/or    804/282-1959

Sally Kincannon (von Rumohr)

I know that feeling, Belle!  Wish I were there to join you:-(

Anne Ferrell Smith (Lanier)

Yes Sally.  I feel the same way!   

Sally Kincannon (von Rumohr)

Just seeing your name cheers me up, Anne Ferrell:-)

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

--and that is WHY this Website exists!   It connects our classmates across the miles!  Happy New Year, everybody!!!!

Jo-Ann Olkowski

Wow!  Never have I seen my classmates so silent for such a long time!  Are we all suffering from freezing weather?  Right about now I would have to strongly disagree with this Ocasio-Cortez person that the world will end in 12 years due to global warming.

Hope all are in good health and doing well.

Jo-Ann

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Dear Jo-Ann, 

I would like to invite you to visit the State of Arizona in the months of July and August, when temperatures soar to 115-122 degrees for the entire Summer,  children  are not allowed to play outside, warnings are put on the radio to NOT leave kids or pets in the car alone, etc.  Predictions have been made that the City of Phoenix will be uninhabitable in 30 years.  I live in Yuma, Arizona, and we suffer a lot of droughts, which is bad for the crops!  If the water in the Colorado River dries up, there will be no vegetables and fruit for our residents and people all over the world to eat!  Our students study "Global Warming" in school at every grade level.  We never knew about environmental issues, because there weren't as many threats to our existence back in the 1940's to 1960's.  During the summer, at least 50-75% of the grass in my yard dries up, and the city often asks us to turn off our sprinklers, so there is enough water for everyone to use for purposes such as cooking and baths.   The first year we lived in Phoenix, the sun was so strong, the cover of the steering wheel  of my car MELTED, and I had to drive with my hands on the burning metal until we could buy a new one.  I had to hold a rag over the handles of my car doors, or I could not open the doors! And in Yuma every summer, the sun was so hot, the telephone wires for every phone in my former home in a Senior's Park would sizzle until the phones all died!  

Representative Octavia-Cortez is not alone!  Many scientists have been predicting this for years, but those in power now do not want to listen!  Please STOP listening to Hannity and Fox News and turn on your  local Education station on your TV!  There are excellent programs there on the environment!  Or you can watch Anderson Cooper's presentation online of a cartoon program for kids which explains "Global Warming!"  He referred it to Trump, because the so-called "Leader" of this country doesn't understand  it either!!

Mike Floyd

For those need a break from reading Obituaries John McDaniel (GW 62) sent the following.

Sadly, I must admit, I'm older than dirt. Yet, I'm glad I grew up in an age that we could walk the streets on our own to go to the movies (if we had a nickle), school, the ball park, or to the local swimming pond. Somehow we survived the cruelty of our childhood by not having a cell phone, electronic games or parents that took us every place we wanted to go to. I hope this makes you smile a few times because the younger generation would never understand how good we had it.

Remember Slow Food?  

'Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?'  

'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,  

I informed him.  

    'All the food was slow.'  

'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?'

'It was a place called "at Home", I explained.  

'Mom cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'  

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.  

But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it :      

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, never wore Levis, never set foot on a golf course, never traveled out of the country or had a credit card.

In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at  Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears & Roebuck.  

Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.  

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer.  

I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow)

We didn't have a television in our house until I was 14.  

It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m. And there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people.  

I was 19 before I tasted my first pizza, it was called 'pizza pie.' When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.  

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.  

Pizzas were not delivered to our home but milk was.  

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers   --   my brother delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which he got to keep 2 cents. He had to get up at 6AM every morning.  

On Saturday, he had to collect the 42 cents from his customers. His favorite customers were the ones who gave him 50 cents and told him to keep the change. His least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.  

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive.  

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren  

Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.  

Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?  

MEMORIES from a friend :  

My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it.. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that  sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.  

How many do you remember?  

Head lights dimmer switches on the floor.  

Ignition switches on the dashboard.  

Heaters mounted on the inside of the fire wall.  

Real ice boxes.  

Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.  

Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner.  

Using hand signals for cars without turn signals.  

Older Than Dirt Quiz :  

Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about. Ratings at the bottom.  

1. Blackjack chewing gum  
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water    
3. Candy cigarettes  
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles  
5. Coffee shops or diners with table side jukeboxes   
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers  
7. Party lineson the telephone  
8 Newsreels before the movie  
9. P.F. Flyers  
10. Butch wax  
11.. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (there were only 3 channels...   [if you were fortunate] 
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody  
14. 45 RPM records  
15. S&H green stamps  
16. Hi-fi's  
17. Metal ice trays with lever  
18. Mimeograph paper  
19. Blue flashbulb  
20. Packards  
21. Roller skate keys  
22. Cork popguns   
23. Drive-ins  
24. Studebakers  
25. Wash tub wringers  

If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young
If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older

If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age,
If you remembered 16-25 = You' re older than dirt!  

I might be older than dirt but those memories are some of the best parts of my life.  

Don't forget to pass this along!!
Especially to all your really good  OLD  friends

Sally Kincannon (von Rumohr)

Thank you, John!  I needed a break.  Also needed  a reminder of  the way it used to be....  Maybe didn’t appreciate it so much then ( especially those curfews!), but appreciate it now:-)

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Oh, boy!  Do I wish I could print this out for everyone I know!  Fantastic!  How can I print this from my cell phone? 

Russell Flammia

Well, I guess I'm older than dirt, but I'm not compost yet! Thanks John & Mike

William Anderson

Mike, this is absolutely great. I am with Marilyn in that it needs to be forwarded so that we can pass on to others.  Is this possble?

Mike Floyd

Bill and Marilyn I have sent you a copy by email.

Mike

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Thanks so much, Mike!

We are in Florida, and I have never figured out HOW to print from my cell phone!  So I forwarded your email to Joel, and he can print a copy for me, and email it to all the people we know'

PS- I don't remember the Chewing Gum in your list!  I remember Fleer Double-Bubble Gum with the Baseball Cards that my Mom threw out while I was at Summer Camp (and which would probably be worth a lot today) and the huge pink slice of bubble gum I could chew all the way home to my house after school, which was a 1-1/2 mile walk.  I never learned to blow a bubble, but I loved the taste of that gum!  And I remember the comic strip tucked inside it, too!

My favorite memory was the Ice Cream Fountain at the Drug Store across from Westhampton School, and the Cherry-Cokes or Chocolate Milkshakes we drank from the high stools we sat on!  Or the Clover Room near TJ, where our family went after getting our shots at the Doctor's Office or going to the movies, and the Ice Cream Store at Virginia Beach. A Soda Fountain was the place where my Mom had her first job when she was 10 years old, scooping vanilla ice cream at her Grandma's Store!   It was also the place where Joel worked when he was a kid, because his Grandmother owned a Toy and Ice Cream Store!  So everytime I see a Soda Fountain in places like Julian, California or Scottsdale, Arizona, or (formerly- the store  is no longer there) Yuma, Arizona, I remember that and Washington, D.C.'s Elmira Street Store, where I used to get milkshakes for my Aunties and Sisters, when we worked at their Kids' Clothing Store during Holiday Vacations. 

Cork Guns !  I remember a game with a gun with cork bullets that the  boys would shoot at cardboard birds, and they would fall over backwards! Now I live in Yuma, where every fall, they shoot pretty Doves and eat them for dinner, and all the birds fly to the trees in my yard and sit on my roof, because they know I WON'T shoot them!  Interesting how time changes things!

What is "Butch Wax?"  

I remember all the others except the two above, so I guess I am "older than dirt, too!"

Mike Floyd

Although I never had a flat top haircut, Butch Wax was used to make flat top haircuts stand up.  My hair was too fine or maybetoo thin for a flat top. 

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Oh!  I thought it had something to do with guys'  hair!  I thought the only thing for that was Brylcream!  We used to see that on the tv ads!  Do you remember that: "Brylcream, a little dab'll do ya?"

Melvin Katz

John: Thank you  for the reminder as to how things used to be. I in fact did use Butch Wax when I had a Flat top. That was years ago but Butch Wax was a staple of any male who had a flat top.

Mary Draney (Murray)

Wow, I am in Missouri trying to stay warm, missing all of this. I particularly like the stories of the stores across from Westhampton. When the grocery store opened, my mother won at least 6 cases of R C Cola. I still have one of the wooden cases. The pharmacy that was built on the corner is owned by one of my former students; I also taught his son at Maybeury Elementary. And my brother , several years younger, used to escape to the stores and was sometimes carried back eating an ice cream cone. He also used to go through the fence to the Tylers (Betsy, class of 1963) and steal bread from the breadbox. Betsy and I reminded Tom at a recent lunch that his nickname was Bread. Lots of great memories.

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

Those stories are adorable, Mary!  I just remembered  that you have a little brother!  

I don't see how the neighborhood can survive without the A & P!

I remember meeting my mother there after school and we would walk up and down the aisles together, as she 

      chose my favorite foods for dinner. Then we would go to the Westhampton Bakery and she would buy their

      famous  7-layer Chocolate Cake!   (Yummy!)

Years later, when we lived in Chicago and in Arizona, my Mom would still drive to that Bakery  to get the same

       7-layer Chocolate Cake , and she would carry it on the airplane on her lap and give it to us as soon as she

        disembarked  and walked into the waiting room at the airport!

Now, we can't do that anymore!  My mother is gone, and people probably can't take a cake  in a box through 

         the check-through lane at thd airport!  I have never seen a 7-layer Chocolate Cake in a bakery since then,

         but since my middle Sister loved them, I try to order one by catalogue when I can find it and have it sent to

         for her birthday or a Holiday! 

Jo-Ann Olkowski

I finally got on the class website!  Whoever has been running my computer and my cell phone must be asleep at the wheel.  My post on 1/27 must have sounded strange - I've not been able to get access to the class website and wondered why no one was posting anything.  Apparently, I'm the one who has been blocked out! The only posts I could see where done way back in early December and it did not seem right that such an active class would have stopped posting.

Mike, thanks for the post about days gone by.  I think we were a kinder, more caring, better educated and more civilized people back in the day.  We were safe to walk, kidnappings rarely, if ever, happened, teacher molestation of students was unheard of.  I was kept pretty close to home most of the time, but could occasionally walk down Patterson Ave. to Westhampton School in summer - there were all kinds of activities going on. We could leave our homes unlocked, neighbors looked out for each other.  You are right - times were just better.

Marilyn Wolfe Ruben was kind enough to send me pictures of her family and a picture she had of me(!) at a class picnic at Bryan Park.  I don't remember the picnic, but in the picture I was standing all by myself on a bridge in the park.  Marilyn happened to see me and took the picture!  I wish I had known so many of you personally instead of from a distance, and that you had known me better.

Looking back, I think we had a great class and a great school.
 

Bob Bayliss

Regarding the “older than dirt” test, I got 24 of 25 correct. I don’t remember Blackjack bubble gum. I remember Fleers(from baseball cards) and Bazooka. The rest I remember well. I hope temps in Richmond don’t go too low. In Indiana we are at -22, with wind chills at -40. In three days it will climb to 53. I hope all of you are well and happy. The recent passing of friends is certainly unsettling. I feel that we grew up in a special era and are blessed to have each other. I wish I lived closer, but  am especially appreciative of the reunions and other get-togethers that Russell and others make possible. Stay warm, be well, and , God willing, I look forward to catching up again, sooner rather than later....Bobby 

Mary Draney (Murray)

I would also like to  add my condolences to the families who have lost a loved one. And friends are such treasures...so sad for the lost classmates.

Russell Flammia

Hi Bobby,

                Golly we're warm in Richmond compared to the midwest. We too wished you lived closer.  It was shocking to learn of the passing of 3 classmates in one week, Tommy, Jane Sidney, and Carol. Just give us a heads up when you'll be in Richmond.  Give my best to Pat and stay warm.

Marilyn Wolfe (Ruben)

So sad to hear today's News Story about the Governor of Virginia, being subjected to a "Smear Campaign!" That kind of stuff goes on all the time, it seems! Dirty politics! I give him credit for standing up to defend himself!

Tom Coons

Howdy from Schertz Texas......Tom Coons here.  Just a thought /question about the Va governor.s situation regarding that class photo.   Whatever happened to  innocent until proven guilty?            we still have a U.S. Constitution....and, for what it's worth, a legal system.