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CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2019

AIN’T IT GRAND? Leah Smith of Louisville, Ohio, shows off her 1919 Sears Avondale,
a Craftsman-style bungalow that was the model Sears built for display at the 1910 Illinois
State Fair. Read about more kit-style houses beginning on page 38.

30 ROLL CALL
REUNIONS
As families gather for the Thanksgiving holiday,
we revisit a popular Reminisce feature to help
CO VE R
ST ORY
HOME DELIVERY
Mail-order house designs
were an instant step up into
service members or their relatives reconnect. the American dream.

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 3

10 SPOTLIGHT FACEBOOK POSTS
12 TIME CAPSULE
1954: The 4-minute mile,
transistors and Rin Tin Tin
MACY’S PARADE
Do you watch the
13 TRIVIAL PURSUITS
Test your knowledge of
movie musicals
14 CLOSE ENCOUNTER
12 Macy’s Thanksgiving
Day Parade?

Chatting with Preacher Roe

16 LOOK WHAT WE FOUND
I love it, even
Gifts for the party host though I don’t
18 THEN & NOW shop at Macy’s.
Paul Newman and
Leonardo DiCaprio SABRINA MESSENGER

OUR LIVES
20
22 GROWING UP
Thanksgiving memories
and Ragamuffin Day
24 We only had a
black-and-white at
home. My mom
24 TRUE LOVE loved the parade,
Falling in love in the fall so when my uncle
26 AT WORK got a color TV, she’d
When it came to hard work,
Mom and Dad set the pace go there to watch it.
28 FAMILY TREE JEAN BRADFORD
Uncovering a Pilgrim past

46 RETRO REPLAY
48 FOOD TRENDS
Unpacking the TV dinner
60 Every year!
We even visited
New York
50 VINTAGE ADS IN EVERY ISSUE and saw it.
Tasty holiday side dishes
6 Editor’s Note DANA STUEDEMANN
8 Tell Us Your Story!
54 BACK IN TIME 62
66
Name That Car
Crossword Puzzle
56 PICTURES FROM 68 Contributor Guidelines, It’s a tradition
THE PAST Answers, Hattie’s Hatpins in our family.
Cool-weather fashions
We love it.
60 MOTORING MEMORIES
How a speedway king ON THE RUTH TASKER
eased a family’s pain COVER Pan
Am’s Virginia
64 LAST LAUGH Wilcox-Spence
COVER COLORIZED BY PAYTON GROTE

Her brother’s jalopy was the would love to Join the conversation at
talk of the neighborhood
talk to these FACEBOOK.COM/
70 LASTING IMPRESSION soldiers again. REMINISCEMAGAZINE
Mom threw nothing away See page 33.
REMINISCE EXTRA (ISSN 1069-8957) (USPS 010-065), Vol. 27, No. 6, November 2019 © RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC, 2019. Published bimonthly by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC, 1610 N. 2nd St., Suite 102, Milwaukee WI
53212. Periodicals Postage Paid at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and additional mailing offices. PM Agreement No. 40065693, Canadian GST No. 865444285RT. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to REMINISCE, PO BOX
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write to REMINISCE CUSTOMER CARE, PO BOX 5294, HARLAN IA 51593-0794. For address changes, include both old and new addresses. If the post office alerts us your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further
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international subscriptions: $25.98 per year, U.S. funds prepaid.) Send new subscriptions to PO BOX 5294, HARLAN IA 51593-0794. Allow four to six weeks. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any
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EDITOR’S NOTE

Calling Back the Past

S
everal months ago, I came across a submission
by Linda Jenista Smith that immediately
captured my imagination. She told a remarkable
tale about how an article her father, Eugene,
wrote for Reminisce about his World War II
service unlocked the mystery of another man’s military
experience—and brought a son, Charles Micheals, closer
to the father he missed and longed to know more about.
Linda and Charles are so grateful for their newfound
connection that we wanted to offer the same chance to
others. Their story inspired us to bring back a beloved
Reminisce feature that has been dormant for a few years:
military Roll Call. You’ll find Linda’s article, along with
the hopeful pleas of others who’d like to find service
members, in “Roll Call Reunions,” beginning on page
30. Be sure to look for the request from Jill Worley,
whose lovely mother, former Pan Am stewardess Virginia
Caroline Wilcox-Spence, appears on our cover. She posed
with the soldiers in the fall of 1950 before they went
overseas for an airlift operation in Korea. Virginia didn’t
know them before that day, but they instantly became
her friends.
Touching stories that tie us to our shared history are
throughout the magazine, but especially in our other
feature, “Home Delivery,” starting on page 38. In tracing
the fascinating timeline of mail-order houses, our new MARY-LIZ SHAW
staff editor Natalie Wysong discovered the catalog home DEPUTY EDITOR, REMINISCE
was more than a collection of boards and bolts: it was Share your stories and photos:
the foundation of the American dream. • REMINISCE.COM/SUBMIT-A-STORY

ROLL CALL

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IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Faces in the Crowd
These five men, veiled by our logo on the cover,
are among the soldiers Pan Am stewardess Pictures Visions A family’s DIY
Virginia would like to meet again. with Santa of Scrooge holiday cards

6  REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

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Tell Us Your Story!
Your true tales are the heart of this
magazine, so dust off that photo album,
high school yearbook or vacation diary.
PHOTO TIPS
Please identify the people,
city, state and year the
photo was taken.
For photos sent by mail:
• Be sure your photo or
reprint is in focus. Do not
send photocopies; we
cannot print from them.
For photos sent digitally:
• Scan your photo as a
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pixels, 300 dpi and 1MB.
• No scanner? Walgreens,
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Office offer this service.
Share your stories and digital photos:
REMINISCE.COM/SUBMIT-A-STORY
Include your full name, address, phone number and email with
every submission. Please be patient: We’ll contact you if we intend
to publish your submission. See page 68 for submission guidelines.
8 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
ANIMALS ON SCREEN
Pets are often the stars
of the family—and animals
have been big stars on TV
and in movies. From Lassie
to Flipper to Harry Potter’s
Hedwig, animals bring soul
and dimension to stories. Who
was your favorite and why?
Label your story and pictures
“Screen Animals.”
HALL OF STORIES
Do you remember getting
your own library card? For
many kids, it was a pass to
independence and discovery
at the biggest building in
town. We’d love to hear about
your favorite library when you
were growing up and your
adventures there. Label your
story and pictures “Libraries.”
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
What are your memories of
cool-weather hobbies? Did
you hunt every fall, hike along
trails crispy with fallen leaves,
or ski? Tell us how much these
activities meant to you and
why. Label your story and
pictures “Great Outdoors.”
GIVE US A KISS
Send us your favorite picture
of a kiss—whether it’s a peck
from Mom or a smooch from
your spouse. Label your
photos “Favorite Kiss.”
EDITORIAL
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Beth Tomkiw
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Christina Spalatin
DEPUTY EDITOR Mary-Liz Shaw
EDITOR Natalie Wysong
LAYOUT DESIGNER Payton Grote
COPY CHIEF Deb Warlaumont Mulvey
COPY EDITORS Dulcie Shoener (senior),
Amy Rabideau Silvers, Ann Walter
SENIOR EDITOR, DIGITAL Lori Vanover
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Russ Maki
MANAGER, EDITORIAL SERVICES Kelly Madison-Liebe
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jon Syverson
SENIOR RIGHTS ASSOCIATE Jill Godsey
MANAGER, PUBLISHING TECHNOLOGIES
Dena Ahlers
BUSINESS ANALYST Shannon Stroud
JUNIOR BUSINESS ANALYSTS
Jill Banks, Grant Beattie
BUSINESS
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, SALES Lora Gier
EASTERN ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pete Holfelder Jr.
MIDWEST ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Kim Krubeck Hinrichs
DIRECT RESPONSE ADVERTISING
Warren Berger, wberger@mediapeople.com
ART DIRECTOR Michael Castellano
DIRECTOR, SALES SERVICES Gisele Myer
DIRECTOR, MAGAZINE & BOOK PRODUCTION
Kim Corrigan
PRODUCTION ANALYST Aracely Lopez
TRUSTED MEDIA BRANDS, INC.
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Bonnie Kintzer
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER Dean Durbin
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER John Boland
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER C. Alec Casey
CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Vince Errico
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Nick Contardo
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING
Ronak Patel
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL
Mark Sirota
VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES
Jennifer Tyrrell
VICE PRESIDENT, BENEFITS & COMPENSATION
Heather Schwartz
Michael Garzone
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VICE PRESIDENT, CONSUMER ACQUISITION
Heather Plant
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Jim Woods
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Fast Food
Royalty
Originally Insta-Burger
King, the chain’s first
restaurant opened in
Miami, FL, in 1954. The
Whopper was born three
years later and soon was
touted on signs, as on this
drive-in around 1960.

» MORE 1954 HIGHLIGHTS

on page 12
 NOVEMBER 2019
NOTABLE PEOPLE, PLACES AND EVENTS

12 TIME CAPSULE
13 TRIVIAL PURSUITS
14 CLOSE ENCOUNTER
16 LOOK WHAT WE FOUND
18 THEN & NOW
COURTESY BURGER KING

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM  11

SPOTLIGHT
Time
Capsule

BIKINI ATOLL, NEWPORT JAZZ AND GODZILLA

W
ith a landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Illustrated debuts.
Education, the Supreme Court rules segregation SEPT. 11 Lee Meriwether
(Miss California) wins
in public schools is unconstitutional. Children
the crown when the
receive the first polio vaccinations in schools. Miss America Pageant is
And Lassie, Father Knows Best and The Tonight televised for the first time.
Show debut on the small screen—just in time for Americans to get OCT. 15 The Adventures
their first taste of a Swanson TV dinner. of Rin Tin Tin, bottom
left, debuts on ABC.

JAN. 14 Marilyn Monroe nuclear bomb at Bikini
marries Joe DiMaggio at Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
San Francisco City Hall. MARCH 9 Edward R.
JAN. 14 Nash-Kelvinator Murrow grills Sen. Joseph
Corp. and Hudson Motor McCarthy on See It Now,
Car Co. form American marking the beginning of
Motors Corp. McCarthy’s downfall.
JAN. 21 USS Nautilus, MARCH 25 From Here
the first nuclear-powered to Eternity wins Best
submarine, is launched Picture at the 26th
in Connecticut. Academy Awards.
FEB. 2 George APRIL 1 The U.S. Air
Balanchine stages The Force Academy is born
Nutcracker in New York. by an Act of Congress.
FEB. 23 A patent is APRIL 12 Bill Haley &
granted for the original His Comets record “Rock
Oscar Mayer Around the Clock”—a
Wienermobile, top right. B-side hit that ushers
MARCH 1 The U.S. in rock ’n’ roll.
detonates a thermo- MAY 1 The Rev. Sun
Myung Moon founds the
TV HERO Unification Church in
Seoul, South Korea.
MAY 6 U.K. medical
student Roger Bannister
breaks the 4-minute mile.
MAY 14 Boeing
introduces the 707
prototype, calling it the
“Airplane of Tomorrow.”
MAY 29 England’s Diane
Leather is the first
woman to run a mile in
WIENERMOBILE: THE HENRY FORD; RADIO: COOPER HEWITT, SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM/ART RESOURCE, NY; RIN TIN TIN: KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK
OCT. 18 Texas
Instruments announces
plans for the first
commercial transistor
radio, left.
OCT. 18 The syndicated
comic strip Hi and Lois,
a Beetle Bailey spinoff
by Mort Walker and
Dik Browne, debuts in
32 newspapers.
PORTABLE MUSIC NOV. 3 The first Godzilla
(aka Gojira) film debuts in
under 5 minutes. Tokyo—a monster movie
JUNE 14 The words with an anti-nuclear
“under God” are added message.
to the U.S. Pledge of NOV. 12 Ellis Island, a
Allegiance. gateway to the American
JUNE 29 Buckminster dream for more than
Fuller gets a U.S. patent 12 million immigrants,
for his geodesic dome. permanently closes.
JULY 17-18 The first NOV. 23 The Dow Jones
Newport Jazz Festival Industrial Average closes
debuts in Newport, at 382.74, finally beating
Rhode Island, featuring the 1929 market record.
Ella Fitzgerald, Billie DEC. 2 Congress votes to
Holiday, and the Dizzy censure Sen. McCarthy.
Gillespie Quintet. DEC. 16 General Electric
JULY 19 Elvis Presley’s chemist H. Tracy Hall
first commercial single, produces the first
“That’s All Right,” is synthetic diamond.
released by Sun Records.
AUG. 16 Sports BY DEBRA STEILEN
 BRONX ‘BOOM’ WAS A BIG HIT Trivial
Pursuits

T
he 1954 doo-wop classic The “Sh-Boom” lyrical
“Sh-Boom (Life Could Be stew featured kooky but
a Dream)” opens a cappella, memorable scats such as
with five voices raised in razor- “hey nonny ding dong” and
sharp harmony, followed closely “a-lang a-lang a-lang.”
by featherweight teen romance Atlantic Records signed
lyrics wrapped around infectious The Chords after they were
nonsense syllables. Silly, fun stuff. discovered singing in a New York
The Chords, together subway station. The record
since 1951, had all company relegated
attended Morris High “Sh-Boom” to the
School in the Bronx, Pixar’s B-side of the group’s GOTTA DANCE!
2006 movie Cars

New York. The
brought “Sh-Boom”
quintet often spent
after-school hours
hanging out around
their neighborhood
and singing.
Their lone hit was based partly
on local slang. Chords member
Floyd McRae recalled that when
the kids on the block talked to
each other, “They’d say, ‘Hey, man,
boom, how ya doin’?’ ” Another
member of the group, James
Keyes, added, “Boom was the
slang word. We would take the
boom and make it sound like a
bomb: shhhh-BOOM!”
MOVIE STILL: MGM/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK; CREW CUTS: PICTORIAL PRESS LTD/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
debut on the new
to a whole new Cat Records label,
audience. because Atlantic
was convinced The
Chords’ cover version
of Patti Page’s “Cross Over
the Bridge” would be the winner.
But hip DJs soon flipped the 45,
and “Sh-Boom” rocketed into the
sales stratosphere.
Even though a peppy but bland
cover by Toronto’s Crew Cuts on
Mercury Records went to No. 1 on
the Billboard chart, The Chords’
original became the first black
group-harmony Top 10 hit in
rock’s early days.
E
ach year of the 1950s
offered movie musicals filled
with catchy songs and
spectacular dancing—with 1954
being especially tuneful. Tap your
memory of the melodic delights
that graced screens that year.
1 Vincente Minnelli directed
this story of two Americans
who find a mystical Scottish town.
2 This star revolutionized the
movie musical in the 1950s
with innovative choreography and
complex dance sequences.
3 Judy Garland starred in this
remake of a 1937 drama
about an actress who becomes

more famous than her mentor.

4 Michael Kidd put dancers

through their paces in this
musical set in the wilds of Oregon.

5 This seasonal favorite has

Bing Crosby singing the
top-selling holiday song of all time.

6 Can you name the redheaded

comedian who was Bing’s
co-star in that holiday musical?

7 Dorothy Dandridge was the

first African American to be
nominated for Best Actress for
this take on a French opera.

8 Ethel Merman belted out

what was one of her signature
tunes in this musical about
vaudeville.
CANADA’S CREW CUTS recorded a watered-down version of HOW’D YOU DO?
“Sh-Boom” that surpassed the original on hit charts. Answers on page 68.

RANDAL C. HILL writes about music from his home in Bandon, OR. BY DEBRA STEILEN

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM  13

SPOTLIGHT
Close
Encounter
PLAYERS’ CONFERENCE OFF THE FIELD
Baseball fan gets the inside scoop from a legend.
BY KENNETH HEARD • JONESBORO, AR
M
y friend Randy Story and I were
at a restaurant in West Plains,
Missouri, when he nudged me.
“There’s Preacher,” he said,
referring to pitcher Preacher
Roe, who played with the St. Louis Cardinals,
the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brooklyn
Dodgers from 1938 to 1954.
Randy was a teacher at West Plains schools
and Roe’s son was on the school board. Randy
had met Roe before and knew of my affinity
for baseball history. We debated about
interrupting Roe’s dinner. I knew I might
anger him, but it was a lifetime chance to talk
baseball with one of the greats. So we barged
in on the former player’s meal.
Roe was gracious and seemed appreciative
that someone remembered his career. I asked
him about his Brooklyn days playing with
Jackie Robinson, and the rivalry between his
14 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
SHOT HEARD ’ROUND the world:
Thomson’s homer capped an
incredible rally for the Giants.
team and the New York Yankees. And then
I steered the conversation to that amazing
moment in 1951.
That was the year Roe won 22 games and
lost only three, leading Brooklyn to a tie with
the New York Giants in the National League.
On Oct. 3, 1951, after the teams split two
playoff games, the Dodgers were leading 4-2.
The Giants had two runners on base in the
bottom of the ninth in the deciding game for
the National League pennant when Bobby
Thomson came to bat.
Roe sat in the bullpen when the Dodgers
called on reliever Ralph Branca to pitch to
Thomson. Fans know what happened next.
Thomson hit a home run, New York won 5-4,
and Giants announcer Russ Hodges went nuts
with his cry over and over, “The Giants win
the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!”
When I asked Roe about that homer, I could
 PREACHER ROE
wore down batters PREACHER
with his precise ROE
pitching control.
Born:
Elwin Charles Roe,
Feb. 16, 1916,
Ash Flat, AR.

Died:
Nov. 9, 2008,
West Plains, MO.

Nickname:
One story was that
his family called
him that because
he looked up to
a local preacher.
Teammates said he
liked to talk.

The Dodgers
were the first team
to integrate in 1947
and Roe, along with
Jackie Robinson,
Roy Campanella
and the rest, were
known as the
Boys of Summer
for the next
buoyant decade.
tell that, more than 55 years later, it
still bothered him. He said he knew Roe played for
the ball was a home run, despite its the St. Louis
low trajectory. “It was hit so hard and Cardinals (1938),
Pittsburgh Pirates
low, I thought it would knock the (1944-47) and
fence over,” he said. Brooklyn Dodgers
He also believed the Giants stole (1948-54).
Branca’s signs and Thomson knew
a fastball was coming. Roe’s claim A five-time All-Star,
was substantiated in Joshua Prager’s his best season
was 1951, when he
GAME: AP/SHUTTERSTOCK; ROE: ANONYMOUS/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

The Echoing Green (2006), which went 22-3 with

details the Giants’ system involving a 3.04 ERA.
a telescope and a buzzer to relay
stolen signs to their batters. In the off season,
My father, Edmund, grew up in he taught math and
New York in the 1940s watching the coached boys and
Yankees in the days of Yogi Berra girls basketball at
Hardy High School
and Joe DiMaggio and was a huge in Arkansas.
baseball fan. My obsession with
baseball history didn’t really take BUDDING BASEBALL historian “Live every day like
off until after my dad died. He had Kenneth Heard at home in it’s your last,
a lot of stories about the game that Pittsburgh, PA, in 1962. because one day
I would love to hear about now, but you’ll be right.”
— Preacher Roe
I’ll always treasure my talk with Roe, Tell us about your brush with fame:
who died a short time later. • REMINISCE.COM/SUBMIT-A-STORY

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 15

SPOTLIGHT
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Look LOTTIE GRAVES
What We was our neighbor and
Found my mother’s good
friend. She was also
our Tupperware lady.
The ladies enjoyed
Tupperware parties
Mostest for Hostess because they could get
dressed up and giggle
You’ve been lucky enough to be invited to all those holiday a lot. We teen girls
parties—now make sure you never show up empty-handed. were allowed to attend
Let the gratitude begin! BY KATIE DOHMAN as long as we stayed
in the background.
There was always a
clever door prize.
And the party ended
with another woman
volunteering to host
the next one.
My mother bought
Tupperware pieces
one by one at these
parties. My favorite
was the ice-pop maker.
I had the freedom to
FOR THE SELFIE SET make new batches
Chronicle your visit with this Kodak Smile Instant whenever I wanted
Print Digital Camera, which prints with Zink—zero because I was an only
ink—technology onto sticky-backed, 2-by-3-inch child and both of my
paper. A micro SD card preserves your memories. parents worked. I’d
$100 amazon.com pour Kool-Aid or fruit
juice into the molds,
TUPPERWARE: STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA/STEINMETZ

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SPOTLIGHT

Then &
Now

~ Paul Newman~ ~ Leonardo DiCaprio ~

1954
Paul Newman was a Broadway guy, and like many theater
actors, he was more interested in working than being selective.
Which is how in 1954 he made his big-screen debut in a weird
biblical epic, The Silver Chalice—a film he later apologized for.
ACTIVIST ACTORS
Refusing to rely on his looks, Newman preferred rogues like
“Fast” Eddie Felson (The Hustler) and Lucas Jackson (Cool Hand Luke) over romantic leads. Leo
DiCaprio is the same. After an early amorous splash in Titanic (1997), he’s played a smuggler
(Blood Diamond), slave owner (Django Unchained) and vengeful fur trapper (The Revenant).

PAUL NEWMAN LEONARDO DiCAPRIO

Jan. 26, 1925 Born Nov. 11, 1974

Cleveland, OH Birthplace Los Angeles, CA

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) Breakthrough Movie This Boy’s Life (1993)
Six
10 Oscar Nominations (five for acting, one for producing)
Best Actor, Best Actor,
The Color of Money (1986)
Oscar Wins The Revenant (2015)
Jacqueline Witte, 1949-1958
Marriages None
Joanne Woodward, 1958-2008
Car racing Hobby Sculpting/pottery
Children’s camps; anti-drug education;
Causes Environment/conservation
Westport (CT) Country Playhouse
Was the model for His haircut style from Titanic
DC Comics’ Green Lantern
Surprising Tidbit was outlawed by the Taliban

BY MARY-LIZ SHAW » ILLUSTRATION by MICHAEL WITTE

18 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

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OUR LIVES

20 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 THOSE WERE THE DAYS
22 GROWING UP
24 TRUE LOVE
26 AT WORK
28 FAMILY TREE

Flight plan
One bright autumn day in
the 1970s, my sons Bruce
and Billy and I took advantage
of the weather to fly model
airplanes at a nearby park.
ODETTE LANDERS
FORT PIERCE, FL
OUR LIVES
Growing Up
MAMA RUTH’S SURPRISE SALAD
Not every recipe is a classic. BY RALPH CANNON • DENVER, CO
T
hanksgiving meant
going to Aunt Ruth
and Uncle Guy’s. My
sister Annette and I
called them Mama
Ruth and Pawpaw like their
grandchildren did. Instead of
“over the river,” our drive was
12 miles of Texas highway to
their farm outside Milano.
Watching the Macy’s parade
at home in Cameron usually
made us last to arrive. Dinner
was midday, and after an hour
of chasing impatient men and
children from the kitchen,
Mama Ruth assembled us in
the dining room for grace.
Our plates filled, all of us
“kids”—between kindergarten
and college age—sat at card
tables on the sleeping porch.
Graduating from the kids’
table was a rite of passage, but
the privilege could be revoked
if the dining room couldn’t
hold all the grown-ups.
Thanksgiving fare was
22 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
turkey cooked by Mama Ruth
or her daughter Vae, Cousin
John’s cornbread dressing (or
“cush”), and ham made by my
mother, Connie. Recipes were
favorites from years of trial
and error, but experiments
turned up, courtesy of Ladies’
Home Journal or a neighbor’s
sister-in-law’s cousin who
didn’t know better.
Mama Ruth sometimes got
flustered preparing for these
get-togethers, leading to a few
unintended results. One year
Annette said, “There’s banana
in this potato salad.” But the
adults didn’t seem to notice,
and the kids kept Mama
Ruth’s mistake a secret.
After dinner, the kitchen
became a beehive as leftovers
were covered, put in the
icebox or saved for the dog.
By midafternoon the rattle
of dominoes, Cousin Chester’s
laughter and debates over
Scrabble filled the house. The
Aggies or Cowboys playing
football added to the sounds.
All the while, people who had
sworn they wouldn’t eat for
days trickled into the kitchen
for bits of pie and cake.
Late in the afternoon, the
remnants of dinner reappeared
for a buffet supper. Festivities
stretched into the night, but
eventually the last car pulled
away as Mama Ruth and
Pawpaw waved goodnight.
I’ve shared Thanksgivings
with family and friends in
different places over the
years, but the clan in Milano
is always together in my heart.
And if you’re making fruit
salad and potato salad at
the same time this holiday,
think of Mama Ruth—don’t
get flustered!
GATHERING FOR A FEAST
with Mama Ruth (back, far left)
and Pawpaw (back, far right) was
part of the natural order of
things for Ralph (striped shirt).
 For Ragamuffin Day we
wore old clothes and Dad
followed us around our New York
City neighborhood, trying to be
inconspicuous, while Mom cooked
Thanksgiving dinner.
SHARON SCHULTZ • GLEN BURNIE, MD

THANKS FOR NOTHING

In 1954, our mother told my sister
and me about Ragamuffin Day, an old
Thanksgiving tradition when children
dressed as hobos went door to door,
shouting, “This or that!” Neighbors
were supposed to hand out food,
fruits, canned goods or clothing.
So off we went, but to our dismay
no one knew what to do when we
shouted, “This or that!” We came
home with nothing in our bags. And
that was the end of “This or that!” THANKSGIVING RAGAMUFFINS Sharon and her
JOHN HOFFMAN • WELLINGTON, FL siblings Doreen and Eugene dressed up in 1957.

MIDCENTURY MEMORY
From the built-in buffet to
the lazy Susan on the table,
this picture represents the
wonderful ’50s. My mother,
Margie Condon, always cooked
the biggest turkey she could
find. Pictured from left are my
mother; older sister Judy, 18;
second big sister Midge, 14;
and me, 12.
PHYLLIS BEBEE
•
LONG BEACH, CA

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OUR LIVES
True Love
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HIS FRIEND
It wasn’t love at first sight, at least not for her.
BY GORDON GRAHAM • DALLAS, TX
D
uring freshman year
at Baylor University
in Waco, Texas,
my roommate,
Eddie, wanted
to introduce me to a girl.
She went to his church in
Houston, and he and I went
once or twice that year, but
she was never at church the
same time we were.
The next year, Eddie and
I were still roommates, and he
gave me the same spiel about
this “dream girl,” who was now
also attending Baylor.
In mid-October 1952,
Baylor held a pep rally for the
homecoming game against
rival Texas A&M. Eddie rode
with me to the rally in my new
green 1948 Buick convertible,
a car that had really upgraded
24 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
my social activity.
A few minutes after we got
there, Eddie rushed up to tell
me “that girl” was at the rally,
too. Finally, I got to meet
Charlene Morton.
Charlene and her friend
Jean went out for Cokes with
Eddie and me, but the rest of
her time was filled. Charlene’s
high school boyfriend was also
in town for the homecoming
weekend, but I was able to
wrangle a short date after her
boyfriend went home.
On Sunday, I ran into
Charlene and her entire family
at a cafeteria. I talked with
them briefly, and her mother
was impressed I was the son of
a Baptist deacon and “not bad
looking.” Now I had my friend
and the mother on my side.
GORDON LEARNED
a casual commitment
was not enough to keep
Charlene’s interest.
Charlene broke up with
her old boyfriend, and our
romance picked up a little
steam. By Christmas, I was
sure that she was the girl for
me, and I thought she felt the
same. When I called from
Dallas to schedule time to
see her over the Christmas
break, I found out her social
calendar was already full.
I only managed to squeeze in
one short get-together.
It was clear what needed
to be done when we returned
to Waco after Christmas:
I quickly bought a ring to get
this woman out of circulation.
That worked, and we were
married the next November.
Sixty-five years later, we’re
still a team, tackling all the
challenges that life brings.
 Tennessee Romance

M
y dad, Duard Walker, was attending
Milligan College in eastern Tennessee
shortly after the U.S. entered World War II.
The entire campus became part of the Navy V-12
program, and Dad joined the Navy and shipped
off to the Pacific, serving on the USS Newberry.
Duard saw action at Iwo Jima and Okinawa before
returning to Tennessee after the war.
Back in school at Milligan he met Carolyn
“Blondie” Roberts. Named homecoming king
and queen, Duard and Carolyn were an obvious
match: They were both very athletic and loved
participating in all sports. Duard lettered in five
collegiate sports; Carolyn played basketball and
tennis, and was an avid bowler.
After graduating, both Duard and Carolyn HOMECOMING COUPLE at Milligan,
coached high school sports, and then in 1951, Duard and Carolyn went on to raise
Duard became the athletic director at Milligan. five kids at the small college.
For the next 50 years, Mom and Dad lived in the
dorms at Milligan, where they raised five kids. distinguished careers of their own: Sonny Smith,
Dad coached basketball, baseball, tennis and track, who coached at Auburn, and Del Harris, an NBA
and Mom stayed active in sports, continuing to coach, are two of the best known.
be an outstanding bowler, as well as teaching us While my father was doing everything in sports,
kids to swim. All five of us attended Milligan, too. my mother was always a very big supporter. She
Duard’s players learned that his coaching was the rock behind it all.
went beyond athletics, and some of them had BY GARY WALKER • BLUFF CITY, TN

NO APOLOGY NEEDED
My mom, Kaye Duncan, and dad,
Joe Natale, went to the University
of Denver. In fall 1941, Kaye was in
the bleachers at a football game.
She bumped into Joe, sitting behind
her, and when she turned to apologize,
he gave her a big smile. Mom was
very outgoing, and by the end of the
game, my dad, who was shy, asked
for her number.
In 1942, my dad joined the Navy
and was set to go to the South Pacific
on a destroyer. Before he left, he
asked Mom to wait for him.
They got engaged when he was on
leave in March of 1945 and married
in January 1946. •
JULIE MANN • CENTENNIAL , CO

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM  25

OUR LIVES
At Work
DRIVEN TO SUCCEED
Son learns that hard work never hurt anyone.
BY WALTER ALLEN JR. • ROCHESTER, MN
F
or most of my childhood
my parents, Walter and Phyllis,
worked long hours. My father worked
three, sometimes four, jobs to provide
extra things for my sisters, Harriette
and Priscilla, and me. My mother was a
homemaker, but she also worked several jobs
outside the home.
Early in the mornings, I went with my dad
to pick up laundry for Atwood Laundry in
Geneseo, Illinois. At 7 a.m. he drove a school
26 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
WHEN WALTER ALLEN SR.
started his delivery business
in the early 1900s, a horse
and wagon carried the
groceries. Later, he drove
trucks on his rounds for four
grocers in Geneseo, IL.
bus for George Pinks’ Bus Service for
the Geneseo School District. Dad talked my
mom into driving a school bus, too. She was
one of the first women to drive for Pinks.
After he dropped off the schoolkids, Dad
delivered groceries for four stores in Geneseo.
During the 1940s and ’50s grocery stores were
typically privately owned and much smaller
than they are today. They were divided into
three parts: Staples, canned goods and the meat
department. Usually the entire store could be

managed by only two or three workers.
Dad started in this delivery business in
the early 1900s with a horse-drawn wagon.
He replaced the wagon with a Model T truck,
and later with a ’36 Ford pickup modified for
grocery delivery. When I went on deliveries
with my dad, I could go into any of the stores
and help myself to a snack of lunchmeat at
the meat counter.
During the afternoons Dad was back driving
the school bus, and in the evenings and on
MOM, DAD AND SON
worked at the gas station
(left). Walter Sr. outfitted
his trucks for delivering
groceries (below). Phyllis
started driving a school
bus in 1950 (lower left)
and stuck with it for
more than 35 years.
Sunday mornings he worked at Bollen
and Smith’s gas station, where my mom
was a bookkeeper.
When I got older, I realized how much
my dad worked, and I took a job at the gas
station to help. Every night at around the
same time, Vern Cobb would drive in for
$1 of gas. Vern worked in the Quad Cities,
about 23 miles away, so $1 worth (about 5
gallons) would get him there and back. I liked
talking to Vern on his nightly visit since the job
was boring when business was slow.
We lived in a fine though not luxurious house.
We were always well fed, wore nice clothes and
got a decent education. My dad also provided
me with a bicycle, motorbike, motor scooter,
pony and—on my 16th birthday—a car. We
would not have had the extra things without
both my parents working. •
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NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 27
OUR LIVES

SEAFARING RUNS in Carolyn’s

family. Capt. Daniel B. Eldridge
is her great-great-grandfather
and the sixth-great-grandson
of Pilgrim Henry Samson.

from one shore

to another
Henry Samson survived both
the voyage to British America
and the first winter. In fact,
Family Tree 45 of the 102 passengers did
not survive. Yet the website
American Ancestors states that
30 million around the world
can claim Mayflower ancestors!
MAYFLOWER VOYAGE TO An interesting timeline is here
at historyofmassachusetts.org.
THE NEW WORLD
In 2020 we commemorate
Ancestor cast anchor in Plymouth. the 400th anniversary of the
BY CAROLYN JACKSON • GAITHERSBURG, MD Mayflower landing. Lineage
societies anticipate an increase

P
revious research showed that part of my maternal in those hoping to join; visitors
lineage began in England, and that ancestors of my will come to Plimoth Plantation;
and genealogy sites will be
mother, Janet, settled in Dedham, Massachusetts, busy as descendants trace
in the late 1600s. No one traced her father, Arthur family histories back to those
Eldridge, and his side of the family along the female Pilgrim souls who survived.
line until online ancestry searches became available. Some sites to explore include:
Using genealogy websites, my cousin Cheryl Craig found americanancestors.org
a young Henry Samson was baptized in 1604 at the church
of St. Mary’s in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. At 16, he set themayflowersociety.org
sail on the Mayflower in 1620. Henry came on the 10-week plimoth.org
voyage to the new colony with relatives, but it is unclear why mayflower400uk.org
his parents did not sail with him.
Perhaps Thanksgiving will be
Through researching the Eldridge line, Cheryl found that even more special should you
Henry was our 10th-great-grandfather and resided in Duxbury, discover a Mayflower ancestor.
Plymouth Colony. Unable to sign his name in script, he left
his mark on deeds and a will. His possessions included “arms,
PEGGY CLEMENS LAURITZEN,
wearing clothes, and a library.” These were divided and passed an accredited genealogist,
on, along with land, to his nine children. writes and lectures about
Henry was not our only seafaring relative. My great-great- family history. Visit her site
grandfather Daniel B. Eldridge, a captain who died at sea, at misspeggy55.weebly.com.
was buried on the coast of South America.
It’s a pity that no one in my mother’s family knew of this Share your family history with us:
early Pilgrim ancestor. Thanksgiving holds a different meaning REMINISCE.COM/
now that I know about my relative Henry Samson, and I am SUBMIT-A-STORY
grateful for my cousin’s research on him. •
28 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
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 Our Heroes

ROL L CALL

REUNIONS
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we’ve gathered
a selection of stories about military connections in tribute
to another important November date—Veterans Day.

THEIR FAMILIES never knew until years later that Franklin Charles
SIDE BY SIDE Micheals and Eugene Jenista served together in an antiaircraft
battalion that saw action in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.

30 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 On the Trail of the 553rd
Linda Jenista Smith • Horseshoe Bend, AR
IN JANUARY 2002, CHARLES
Micheals read an article in
Reminisce magazine about a
World War II artillery mechanic
who rigged up a makeshift hot
shower for all 130 men in his unit.
He was amazed to see that the
story involved the 553rd  gone cold. Months went by and
Antiaircraft Battalion—the same
unit that his late father, Franklin
Charles Micheals, had served in.
Until then, Charles had never
heard of anyone else who’d
served in the 553rd.  a message.
The writer of that article was
my father, Eugene Jenista, of
Racine, Wisconsin. The discovery
of my dad’s story was a special
moment for Charles, who had
searched in vain for years for
details about the 553rd and his
father’s time in the service.
Franklin’s record was among the
millions of Army documents lost
in the 1973 fire at the National
Personnel Records Center in
St. Louis, Missouri.
Charles longed to contact the
writer of the article, but he had no
luck. Then, in the fall of 2017, he
came across my father’s obituary
during a routine internet search.
By checking survivors’ names
on various social media sites,
Charles traced one of Eugene’s
daughters—me—to a tiny town in
Arkansas. He soon found my
husband, Jeff, on Facebook and
decided to take a chance.
by
Charles sent Jeff a message
outlining his hope to connect with
the family of a fellow member of
the 553rd Battalion.  us through the Reminisce story,
Buoyed by what he’d found,
Charles was sure his prize was in
sight. But the trail apparently had
he heard nothing. Another dead
end, he thought.  to recall the funny things that
Meanwhile, in late 2018, Jeff
was checking his Facebook page
when he noticed he had received
After sending a quick apology
EUGENE’S ARTICLE in
Reminisce set two families
on a path to meet and bond
over shared experiences.
NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM
for such a tardy reply, Jeff shared
Charles’ note with me. It was
gratifying to know he had found
which I’d helped my dad to write
and submit.
My father was a wonderful
storyteller. He rarely spoke of
the trauma of war, but he loved
happened, such as when he
invented that hot shower system
after the Battle of the Bulge. 
Since then our two families
have shared other WWII
stories, along with digitized
versions of old black-and-white
snapshots from the front lines.  
One of Charles’ images of
his father caught my eye: two
soldiers standing side by side,
looking straight at the camera,
in a casual moment in France
in 1945. I certainly recognized
the man on the right.
So Franklin and Eugene had
been together in that picture all
along and we never knew it.
It turned out that our fathers,
both Midwesterners—Franklin
was from Michigan—had trained
together in the United States
and Europe, and then served
together in the 553rd.
Thanks to Charles’ hard work,
the writer of that long-ago
Reminisce article has been
reunited by proxy with one of
his Army buddies.
31
One Night in Cairo
Louis Engle
Conshohocken, PA
THIS PICTURE was taken in
Cairo, Egypt, in 1946. I’d love
to reconnect with any of these
men I served with in the Army.
I don’t have full names for all of
them, but I remember everyone’s
last name. With me (left) are
Bona, McCarthy, Siszinski and
Ralph Brickman.
Contact: Louis Engle
233 Roberts Ave.
Conshohocken PA 19428

Fort Dix Gang

L.K. Butch Milius
Denver, IA
THESE FIVE MEN and I were
stationed at the Army’s Fort Dix
in New Jersey in 1961. From left
are M. Jordon from Charlotte,
North Carolina; Tom Willie from
Peekskill, New York; William
“Clancy” Maguire from Chicago,
Illinois; and Frank Loeffler from
Long Island, New York. The man
on Clancy’s shoulders is Robert
Lavoie from New Hampshire.
I would like to get in touch with
any of them.
Contact: Butch Milius
2216 260th St.
Denver IA 50622

32 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

Cheers to the Six Ramblers
Sylvia Metzler • Chillicothe, OH
MY FATHER, Donald Yoe, and his Air Force buddies called themselves the
Six Ramblers. They were enjoying a drink at New York’s Ringside Bar in
April 1951 on their last night in the States before shipping out to Germany.
Pictured: William Bowers, Bob Burns, Leon Stone, my father, Wade Arnette
and Marvin LeDane. We’d enjoy hearing from these men or their families.
Contact: Sylvia Metzler, 151 Stanhope Drive, Chillicothe OH 45601

In-Flight Service
Jill Worley • Anaheim, CA
IN SEPTEMBER 1950, my mom,
Virginia Caroline Wilcox-Spence,
was a stewardess for Pan Am on a
flight out of San Francisco taking
servicemen to Asia as part of
airlift operations in Korea. Pan Am
commissioned several pictures of
the servicemen posing with my
mom to promote the troops. She has
often wondered whatever happened
to them. If you recognize anyone
here, or any of the men shown with
her on the cover, please write us.
Contact: Jill Worley
831 W. North St.
Anaheim CA 92805

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 33

 Proud Marines
Dorothy Hart Lama • Lindsay, CA
MY BOYFRIEND in the 1940s, Porter Bowen, sent me this picture,
which must have been taken during the Pacific campaign in World
War II, but I don’t recall the exact location. Porter is the one without
a hat. His message on the back of the photo made me laugh: “Save
this for your grandchildren, Dot. Tell ’em you went out with the best-
looking guy in the world once.” I’ve often wondered if he’s still around.
Contact: Dorothy Lama, 261 Fairview Drive, Lindsay CA 93247

34 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 Last Evening in Germany
Russ Sears • Baltimore, MD
AFTER MORE THAN two years in Germany,
most of that with the Army’s 94th Military
Police Battalion, it was time for me to go
home. My going-away party was at Pizzeria
Massimo in Kaiserslautern in February 1967.
From left are Master Sgt. Hernandez, Dave
Carruthers, Marlyon McNabb, our waitress
(can’t recall her name), John Fusselman, Ron
Blaske and Joe Widetsky. Earl Lawson and
I are sitting down. It would be great to hear
from them or any of my fellow soldiers.
Contact: Russ Sears
9323 Waltham Woods Road
Baltimore MD 21234

In the South Pacific

Mary R. Newsome • Milford, OH
MY HUSBAND, Thomas Chamberlin Newsome,
standing second from left, enlisted in the Marines
in 1942, and served first in the 2nd Parachute
Battalion and then the 27th Marines. He was sent
to the Solomon Islands and later participated in
the capture of Iwo Jima. He died in 1981 before
I could find out much about his service; he rarely
talked about it. I’ve tried to locate some of the
men who served with him. If you recognize anyone
here, please contact me.
Contact: Mary R. Newsome
6105 Brooktree Court, Apt. 204, Milford OH 45150

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 35

 Out of Loss, a Lasting Bond
A friendship forged in war is cut short,
but love lives on for survivors.
by
Jodi Kucera • Yuma, CO

y dad, Mike Thomson, enlisted platoon was pinned down for hours waiting

M in the Army when he was 17,

training with the 82nd and

years in Vietnam. He became

for help. The rest of the company finally
reached them and carried out the wounded
101st Airborne and serving two and dead. The platoon had walked in with
15 men and came out with four.
a sergeant and fought in many battles. He told Knowing they would have to go back the
us about getting shot in April 1968, and being next day, Dad wanted to protect Miller from
wounded by a grenade that June. But each year another attack, so he had him moved to a
around Memorial Day, Dad became withdrawn platoon that was assigned elsewhere. But
and suffered from nightmares, and wouldn’t say orders were changed at the last minute and
why. He told me once that it had to do with a the two platoons ended up fighting alongside
man named Miller, who served with him in the each other. Miller was killed that day by a
war, but he didn’t go into detail. rocket grenade.
It wasn’t until 50 years after Vietnam that Dad felt as if he had failed to protect the
Dad was ready to talk about Miller and the one thing he thought was good in Vietnam,
incident that haunted him. But my mom and Memorial Day would never be the same
and I weren’t the first people he told. for him. So he emailed the Miller family. They
Dad searched for many responded almost immediately.
years for Miller’s family and “My name is Judy M. Davis,”
finally located them in June the email read. “I am the
2017. He poured out his story younger sister of Pvt. Donald
to them in a long email. Robert Miller.”
Miller had also suffered a She went on to describe
gunshot wound that April in “our Donnie” as “a wonderful
1968 and after his recovery young man, a Sunday school
was assigned to my dad’s teacher, a loving son and
platoon. Dad liked him right brother. He was an only son of
away. “He was a gentle and an only son. His parents were
kind man who was a breath Robert Miller, a World War II
of fresh air.” veteran ... and Florence Miller,
The two became friends. the most wonderful woman in
Dad’s platoon was in Thua the world.”
Thien province in South Judy assured my father she
Vietnam on May 30 when the MIKE ENLISTED as a teenager didn’t blame him for Donnie’s
men were ordered into battle. and spent two years in Vietnam. death. “In fact, I want to
Gunfire was heavy and the thank you for trying to keep

36 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

SGT. THOMSON
was a platoon
leader in 1968
when his plan to
protect a young
private took a
tragic turn.

It wasn’t until 50 years after Vietnam that Dad would be

ready to talk about the incident that haunted him.

him safe. War is hell, isn’t it? Least that is what
my dad says when he tells his war stories. We
grew up in a wonderful loving home.”
It was an amazing moment for my father,
who finally had the closure he needed. He’d
carried the weight of guilt for so long without
being able to speak about it. I was honored
when he finally felt able to explain it all to me.
Three months later, my dad died of a heart
attack while escaping Hurricane Irma. I was
devastated and worked through the grief by
poring over his war memorabilia. Eventually,
I contacted the Miller family. They offered me
the same love and kindness they’d shown Dad.
My father left me a final gift in the form of
the Millers’ friendship. We are now close and
contact each other almost daily.
Though I never met Donnie Miller, he has
become a part of my life. Who would have
thought that a tragic Vietnam encounter would
bring two families together all these years later?
I will forever remember him for my father’s
sake. And I know Donnie was waiting with a
salute for my dad on the other side. •
NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 37
 Catalog houses gave American families
the ultimate symbol of prosperity,
health and happiness—a place of their own.

38 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 ‘Comfortable Cottage’
Naval captain’s house is shipshape after restoration.

BY JOHN POTTER • GRAND RAPIDS, MI

he house I grew up in on the had a story. The design came from Palliser,
far southwest side of Chicago Palliser & Co.’s 1878 American Cottage
was solid and spacious, but Homes catalog and was commissioned by
it seemed no different from Johan Edgren, a Swedish naval captain.
any other old house in our Edgren was in the Charleston, South
Morgan Park neighborhood. Carolina, harbor when the first shots of the
When my brothers, Dave and Dan, and Civil War were fired, and again in 1865
I moved out to pursue jobs and college, when the Union recaptured the seaport.
maintenance of the large house became He later became a Baptist missionary and
a burden for our mother, Edie, and a theology professor at the new
she reluctantly put it up for sale. Union Theological Seminary
The new owner spent many Pattern catalogs like in Morgan Park.
hours restoring it. The screened the one that includes In 1882 Edgren ordered plans
Palliser’s Design 35,
porch my father, Ray, had built pictured above, came
from the Palliser catalog for
came down, revealing sculpted out of the tradition of Design 35 (plate 25), described
columns. The owner removed carpentry guidebooks. as a “comfortable cottage.” The
carpeting, sanded and stained catalog estimates that the house
the hardwood floors, and stripped would cost $2,800 to build.
woodwork throughout the house. The Chicago Historical Society recognized
When one brother visited during the the historical significance of the home, its
renovation, the owner asked him if he knew design as an outstanding example of pattern
who in the world put so many coats of paint book architecture, and its extraordinary
PALLISER, PALLISER & CO.

on the woodwork. My brother kept quiet,
remembering my dad—year after year—
dutifully repainting the nicks and scuffs
caused by three growing boys.
Much later, we learned that the house
original owner. It was one of the first
residential houses in Chicago designated
as a historical landmark in 2000. But to us
it was just a great old home in a wonderful
neighborhood.

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 39

 Family Fixer-Upper
Makeover brings Sears Hazelton back from the dark side.
BY CAROLYN FRIEDEMANN • NORTH LAKE, WI
e had only one day to find
a home in North Lake. The
real estate agent somewhat
abashedly pulled into the
driveway of a neglected
bungalow. My husband, Scott, looked
dismayed when I leaned over to him and
said, “This is the one!”
Orange and black striped carpet was
glued to the front porch, and a metal grate
covered the front door. Inside, the house
had dark paneling, painted woodwork, green
carpeting and a dropped ceiling with faux
beams, but all I saw was potential.
We were the third family to own the
house, and paid approximately 100 times
the original cost. Decorating aside, the 1913
structure built on the Sears Hazelton model
remained basically unaltered.
Now the fun started! We planned a five-
year renovation, starting with an interim
painting project to cover the olive green
colonial-style wallboard in the kitchen
because we wouldn’t be working in there
for quite a while.
40 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
Over the next years we spent winter
months scraping, painting, stripping and
repairing inside the house. My dad, Bob,
restored the drawers and doors of the
built-in china cabinet, which originally was
a catalog add-on for $17. My Grandma Rose
and I pulled off paneling and wallpaper in
the living room, dining room and bedrooms.
Throughout the house, we refinished the
hardwood floors, and Scott worked on
making the scary electrical system safe. In
the basement, which was cool and dry, we
found a root cellar and a large cistern that
was no longer used
to collect water.
Heeding advice to
alternate indoor and
outdoor projects, we
reroofed the house
and made plans for a
garage. Andrea, our
daughter, and her
husband, Matt, both
architecture grad
students, assisted BEFORE
 with the garage design and construction. OH,
Friends helped us to put up walls and GIVE ME A HOME
trusses, and my grandma painted every
board we installed. We also repaired and Americans had
rescreened all the double-hung windows their hearts set on
a piece of the dream.
and replaced the weight ropes.
Railroads could
The little house was a sad sight when we haul freight almost
bought it, but now we have a gem. We call anywhere, and catalog
it the Pumpkin Shell of North Lake, after designs made
the nursery rhyme phrase that ends “...and building a house
there he kept her very well.” look as easy as 1-2-3.

This Sears
Hazelton, at left,
looks much
CATALOG: LEWIS MANUFACTURING CO.

the same as the

design in the
1911 catalog,
when it sold
for $828.
The Hazelton
was available STEP 1: CHOOSE
until 1922. Catalogs sold
blueprints, supplies and
even financing for an
array of models in
a range of prices.

STEP 2: ORDER
Kits arrived via rail with
a manual explaining the
placement of each of
the tens of thousands
of pieces of hardware,
lumber and shingles.

STEP 3: BUILD
Customers supplied
the lot, foundation,
plumbing, heating,
electricity and labor,
sometimes hiring
professionals. These
essentials roughly
doubled the price
Before and after photos show work done on the living of the original kit.
and dining rooms. Carolyn and crew removed the false ceilings
and paneling, repaired plaster, and painted and glazed the walls.

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 41

 American Dream Comes True
German farm boy plants roots in suburban Sears Glyndon.

BY SALLY EVANS SOVILLA • CINCINNATI, OH

y mother told me that her a chicken coop, Yorkshire pigs, goats and
mother, Marie Roeben, never a large vegetable garden.
liked “living in rent.” In 1912  My grandfather remodeled the house in
my Grandfather Frederick 1930, covering it in dark brown shingles and
surprised her by purchasing moving the front porch steps. Behind the
a large parcel of land in front porch lattice, he built
Cincinnati’s suburb of a root cellar.
Wyoming. He couldn’t  During the remodeling,
have pleased her more.  my father, Andy, was
A year later, the young courting my mother. One
parents and two daughters— day, he came to see her,
Marjorie, my mother, and coming in through the
Ruth—moved into the house back door. When he left,
Frederick built based on he dashed out the front
the Glyndon design in the door, not realizing that my
Sears, Roebuck and Co. grandfather had removed
mail-order catalog.  the front porch steps. He
My childhood home was “flew off the porch, arms
three streets over from that and legs flailing,” according
house, so I knew it well. to my mother.
Frederick grew up as a farm While I was writing a
boy in Germany, and he family history, the current
made his home in America owners invited me to visit.
into a small suburban I got to tell them that their
farm. Their house had a Sisters Ruth (left) and Marjorie house, one of the happiest
huge side yard filled with Roeben, 13 and 14, stand in front of places of my childhood,
Grandma’s flowers, the house their father built in 1913. was from Sears.

42 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 OUT OF THE
WOODWORK
With ready access to
Dad’s Fabulous Prefab lumber, Midwest firms
My dad, Raymond Messner, was a very hardworking dominated the mail-
man. In 1955, he helped construct our Lincoln Homes order home market.
ranch, a two-bedroom with a large kitchen, living room
and bath. Many of my birthday parties were held in
the large basement. Gordon-Van Tine,
DARLENE MESSNER ORBELL in Davenport, IA, sold
NORTH HUNTINGDON, PA lumber and pre-cut
houses until 1947.
Aladdin, one of
Six-year old Darlene several Bay City,
at the building site, MI, manufacturers,
at left, in Finleyville, streamlined the ordering
PA, and with her dad, process and, in 1906,
Raymond, below. became the first to offer
pre-cut lumber. It sold
houses until 1981.
Sears was late to
the game, but name
recognition helped the
division grow quickly.
Selling mortgages was
a gamble that led to
many foreclosures in
the Depression. The
company sold its last
houses in 1940.
Montgomery Ward & Co.
traded on its catalog
name to compete with
Sears. Its mail-order
home unit lasted only
21 years, but models
came with a twist:
Builders could alter
the plans.
Lewis Manufacturing,
another Bay City, MI,
lumber company, shipped
cost-effective Liberty
Homes kits until 1973,
when the company
went bankrupt.

Lincoln Homes, based in Belle Vernon, PA, capitalized

on technology to provide prefabricated houses during
the postwar boom years.

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 43

 The Pursuit of Happiness
Contemporary Liberty Home is result of hard work.

BY VIRGINIA HEFFNER • LITHOPOLIS, OH

Gail Heffner-Charles submitted this history her mom, Virginia Heffner,

wrote about the beloved house she and her husband, Phillip Heffner Jr.,
built together and lived in for the rest of their lives.

fter a long search, Phil and I lovely stone fireplace would prove to be the
bought land near Lithopolis, background for many special photographs.
in Fairfield County, Ohio. We excavated and laid the cement wall
Our dream had always been foundation, with Phil and me helping to lay
for our three kids to go to drain tile and shovel gravel around the walls.
college, and Lithopolis residents’ high Phil and his dad, Earl, built a garage and
school graduates are eligible for Wagnalls shop near the house site to store the wood
Memorial college scholarships. and flooring until the basement was finished.
The farm on Cedar Hill Road was almost The first materials arrived in a semitrailer
19 acres, with two big ditches running truck in July 1957 and included kitchen
through the front of the property that we cabinets, oak flooring, doors, windows
used to create a pond. The dike formed a and trim. The boards were pre-cut and
driveway and an approach to the house. For marked, and Phil told the carpenter and his
months, we studied floor plans, assistants to put away their saws
and we finally settled on Liberty and not to cut anything!
Homes’ Meadowbrook design Virginia During the building process,
commissioned local
from its catalog of ready-cut artist Leland
our children rode with me to
homes. We reversed the blueprint McClelland to paint school from our current house in
and added a two-car garage. a watercolor of the Groveport. I taught music half days
The dining room would be our house, above. at the elementary school and then
music room, and we thought the I brought Gwen, the youngest, out

44 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 Digging the
basement for the
house in 1957,
at right; aerial view
of the property on
Cedar Hill Road,
below; Gail with her
parents, Virginia and
Phil, lower right.

“Phil told the carpenter and his assistants to put

away their saws and not to cut anything!”

to the property. After school, the bus dropped
off Gary and Gail at the building site. Phil also
taught during the day, so we met back at the
house site to work in the evenings.
Throughout that entire fall, my electric
skillet worked overtime as I cooked supper
while we worked. The kids would bunk down
in cots in the shop, and then we’d put them
into their own beds at the Groveport house
around midnight after we finished working.
The day after Christmas, we loaded up a
big moving van at our old house. The movers
had trouble getting the chest freezer out of
the basement, and then the van got stuck in
the front lawn. A heavy-duty tow truck had
to pull the van out, which was exciting to the
kids—but we were getting discouraged.
Finally, we unpacked the moving van at
our new home, ready for the many family
adventures—fishing, cookouts, horses, dogs
and cats, growing and canning food, sleigh
rides, ice skating, posing at the lovely stone
fireplace, weddings and receptions—that we
were about to begin. •
NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 45
RETRO REPLAY

Long Shot
With a $200 custom boot
on his toeless right foot,
New Orleans Saints kicker
Tom Dempsey nails a record
63-yard field goal for the win
against the heavily favored
AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Detroit Lions at Tulane

Stadium on Nov. 8, 1970.
BLAST FROM THE ST
48 FOOD TRENDS
50 VINTAGE ADS

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 47

RETRO REPLAY

Food Trends

FROZEN IN TIME: TV DINNERS

A frantic attempt to save tons of turkey leads to the launch
of frozen meals. BY JEANNE AMBROSE
THANKS A LOT,

T
here is some dispute about who originated the very first SWANSON!
frozen dinner, but there is no doubt that executives at
C.A. Swanson & Sons catapulted the concept into consumer
kitchens. An oft-repeated story says the company turned
a fowl situation—an excess of Thanksgiving turkey—into
a marketing success. The team filled an aluminum tray with turkey
supper fixings and dubbed the frozen meal a “TV Dinner.” It was
easy to reheat and eat in front of the newfangled television sets that
were fast becoming centerpieces of American living rooms. Even the
packaging of the meals looked like a TV, complete with images of
a viewing screen and control knobs. By the end of 1954, millions of
Swanson TV Dinners had been sold. •
48 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

SUPPER BECOMES
TRAY CHIC
TV dinners took off
when Swanson marketed
them to busy women in
the workforce for the
first time. "I'm late—but
dinner won't be," touted
one ad. The history
of TV dinners is full
of similar milestones.
1930
Clarence Birdseye
launches the first line of
TV DINNER, CLARENCE BIRDSEYE: EVERETT COLLECTION/SHUTTERSTOCK (2); TURKEY: JUDITH KELLER
CLEVER
ENGINEERING
In 1953, Betty Cronin,
a Swanson bacteriologi
st,
figured out how the mea
potatoes and vegetables
t,
could be heated at one
temperature for
the same amount
of time.
1 94 0 S
Jack Fisher creates
FridgiDinners for use 1954
as convenient meals
Frozen meals take off
in U.S. taverns. big-time when Swanson
dubs them “TV Dinners.”
1945 Sales hit 25 million by
year’s end.
Extra vegetables from
his victory garden
inspire W.L. Maxson to 1960
create Strato-Plates,
one of the first complete Swanson TV Dinner
trays gain a fourth
frozen meals, designed
for reheating and compartment to
accommodate dessert.
serving on military
and civilian airplanes.
1962
1949
Swanson drops the
name “TV Dinners”
The first frozen entrees
because the meals
for the home market
are sold as One-Eyed could be eaten for lunch,
Eskimo meals by Frozen too. Or even breakfast.
Dinners Inc. in the
Grandma's
Breakfast of
Champions
TV DINNERS
hadn’t been on the
market long when I
got my first taste of
the forbidden fare
in the early 1960s.
My mother wouldn’t
let us have them
at home. But when
my brother Bill and
I went to visit my
grandparents in
Abilene, Texas, we
saw our chance.
Bill and I loved
Mexican food,
so he asked our
Grandmother
McCormick to buy
us enchilada TV
dinners as a treat.
The next morning,
I found Bill in the
kitchen eating one.
And to my delight,

frozen foods under the
label Birds Eye Frosted
Food Co. after learning
about flash freezing from
Inuit fishermen while living
in Labrador, Canada.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1986 there was one for
area. A few years later, me, too, along with
the company becomes The popularity of
Quaker State Food microwaves prompts a Dr Pepper and a
Corp., selling 2.5 million Swanson to switch from chocolate-covered
entrees by 1954. aluminum to plastic trays. ice cream bar.
What a wonderful
breakfast!
She thought
she was spoiling
her youngest
grandchildren, but
I also suspect she
was secretly proud
of her rebellion
against the typical
healthy breakfast.

PAULA
CLARENCE BIRDSEYE MCCORMICK
took a tip from Inuit CAWTHON
fishermen about DENISON, TX
flash freezing.
RETRO REPLAY

Vintage
Ads

SIDES BY SIDE ON TURKEY DAY

Foods next to the bird fill in the picture.

1934

Versatile Marketing
This ad shows the secret of Knox’s success, as conceived by the founder’s
wife, Rose. After taking over the company, Rose Knox created a test
kitchen and published new recipes on gelatin packages to show how
adaptable the product was—making Knox a kitchen staple.

50 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 1951
Corny Kids
General Foods was marketing its
frozen line to busy moms early in
the 1950s, as more women were
working full time. This ad features
commercial artist Jack Welch’s
Birds Eye Kids, which were popular
throughout the decade.

1947
Savory Gelled Salads
In the Depression, home cooks
used aspics to preserve foods
and make their ingredients go
further. Aspics were popular
in French cooking—seen as the
height of fashionable cuisine in
the ’50s—and seemed tailor-
made for buffet-style service.

NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 51

RETRO REPLAY

1947
Green Bean Vinaigrette
Campbell’s made green bean
casserole, with mushroom
soup and french-fried onions,
a must-have side at Thanksgiving
when it created the recipe in
1955. But green beans were
at festive tables long before,
as this Stokely’s ad proves.

1962
Dip it Good!
The combo of dry onion soup
mix and sour cream was first
called California Dip in 1954,
after a Golden State home cook
whipped it up. Lipton’s soup
mix, introduced in 1952, and
ridged potato chips (about
1948) form a perfect example
of midcentury convenience—
the starter you make in minutes
and eat with your fingers.

52 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 1948

Cute Little Peanut

The naked Karo Kid began appearing in the 1940s,
after the company ended a popular ad campaign
featuring the Dionne quintuplets. The picture of
innocence, the boy was meant to convey the purity of
Karo syrup. This peanut dessert, a Southern favorite,
resembles pecan pie. •
NOVEMBER 2019 * REMINISCE.COM 53
BACK IN TIME
sleep tight!
David Reimer of Windsor,
ON, snapped this cute shot
of his daughters Diane and
Helen asleep in their winter
coats in the back of the
family’s 1941 Ford after
a visit to their grandparents’
house in the early 1950s.

» MOREFASHIONS,
COOL-WEATHER
page 56

PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT

54 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

 TAKE A BREAK
56 PICTURES FROM
THE PAST
60 MOTORING MEMORIES
62 NAME THAT CAR
64 LAST LAUGH
66 CROSSWORD
70 LASTING IMPRESSION
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT
BACK IN TIME
ROBERTA NADLER’S
daughters Sherry,
Juanita, Rhonda, Venita
and Ramona show off
their new autumn
clothes at home in
Augusta, MO, in 1962.

Pictures from
the Past

FASHIONABLY WARM
Cool weather brings
cooler ensembles.

ZARELLA SISTERS Betty

and Rose stroll Seattle in the
fall of 1939 in chic style, says
SHILENE PENNINGTON of
Vader, WA, who sent in the
photo. “Note the glass-block
sidewalks,” she adds.

COMING UP: A Family Holiday

Post your photos at:
REMINISCE.COM/SUBMIT-A-STORY

56 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

PLAID-ITUDE
I took this picture of my boyfriend and future husband, Scott Hintz, one fall
in the 1980s. He was always goofing around and being silly. Here he’s posing
with a Halloween scarecrow in his front yard in Shantytown, Wisconsin.
LYNN HINTZ • ALMOND, WI
More Pictures From the Past, next page »
BACK IN TIME

AUTUMN IN THE CITY

Here I am with my friend
Dorothy Frankowski, left, in
front of our apartment house
on 43rd Street in Astoria,
NewYork, in 1952. I loved that
coat, which was a purple and
cream check. I later handed it
down to my sister Charlotte.
MARYANN HELLDORFER
KINGS PARK, NY

This is one
of my favorite
photos of my folks, Joe
and Kaye Natale, taken
in the fall of 1946. My
mom looks stylish in
her wool plaid skirt.
JULIE MANN • CENTENNIAL, CO

STRIPES AND OVERALLS

My brother Don and I were inseparable growing up
in Belle Plaine, Kansas. This picture of us was taken
in the 1960s. I still look up to my big brother. Then
•
again, I have to—he’s over 6 feet tall.
TAMMY SCOTT HADER • WICHITA, KS

58 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

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BACK IN TIME
Motoring
Memories
WINNING TRACK RECORD
Act of kindness on the speedway brings families together.
BY BILL STIERWALT • FREMONT, OH
M
y wife, Cindy, and I spent
many weekends watching
dirt-track races in Attica,
Fremont and Findlay, Ohio.
During the 1986 season Cindy
was pregnant but still managed to come with
me. Spike Schneider was our favorite driver
then, so we referred to our baby as Spike, even
though we didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl.
Billy, aka Little Spike, arrived Oct. 2, 1986.
Cindy and I continued going to the racetrack
whenever we could find a babysitter. Soon
Billy came with us and was enjoying every lap.
In April 1988, the dreams of our son
becoming the next sprint car legend were
shattered when we learned that Billy had
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that
robs children of their muscles, eventually
putting them in wheelchairs and often
taking young lives before adulthood.
A good sprint car race helped me temporarily
forget life’s problems, but Cindy lost interest
in the sport she used to love. She came to
one race and then refused to go again. Billy,
60 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
THE SIGNS on
Mark’s race car
supported the
family’s cause and
brought Cindy
back to a sport
she loved.
otherwise a normal 2½-year-old, joined
me every week. Little Spike cheered for
Mark Keegan and became his No. 1 fan.
When Mark learned about Billy, he
decided to mount signs on his sprint car to
raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy
Association. He was ready to go for the races
that coincided with the 1988 Jerry Lewis
MDA Labor Day Telethon.
I didn’t tell Cindy of Mark’s plans but
convinced her to come along for one of the
races. When Mark’s car hit the track, Cindy
couldn’t hold back her tears. His kindness
made racing a family event again, leading
to lifelong friendships with the Keegans
and many others in the racing community.
Billy died in 2005, but since then racers
and fans at Attica Raceway Park have
contributed thousands of dollars to the
Muscular Dystrophy Association. •
Share your motoring memories to:
REMINISCE.COM/SUBMIT-A-STORY
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BACK IN TIME
Name
That Car
BACK FROM THE BRINK
He couldn’t help but rescue it.
BY ROBERT SMITH • PITTSBURGH, PA
A
fter I retired two years
ago, I needed a project
to fill up my free time.
For years I’d been
interested in this model,
but the one I found online was a big
project—a really big project. The
lights didn’t light, the horn didn’t
honk, the wipers didn’t wipe and the
interior was missing the headliner
and various trim parts. The gauges
and speedometer were dead.
On top of everything, a previous
owner had painted it a glittery red
metallic with black rainbow-sparkle
enamel trim. The vehicle’s original
colors were white with chrome trim.
Despite all the cosmetic negatives,
electrical woes and mechanical
challenges, I felt compelled to save
this vehicle from an unknown fate.
I spent days and nights chiseling
ancient grease from the front
suspension, replacing cracked
62 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
CLASSIC
CLUES
The maker’s
1 1908 car was
called a “Tin Lizzie.”
cooling hoses, installing the missing
headliner and fixing the wiring. The light truck
Soon the lights, wipers and turn
signals were working again. I added
2 on a station
wagon chassis was
an AM radio and evicted the mice the first from any Big
residing in the heating system. Three automaker.
The final steps in the conversion
This design was
were a front-end alignment and
upgrading the brakes.
3 in production
from the 1957 to
The vehicle is still a challenge to 1979 model years.
drive with its manual transmission
and “three-on-the-tree” steering It began on a
column gearshift. It does have a 4 full-size chassis,
then was moved to a
260-cubic-inch V-8 engine, so it
can keep up with today’s traffic. But compact and finally
to a midsize chassis.
the single-speed windshield wiper
motor seems always to be too fast The year this car
or too slow for whatever kind of
rainy day I’m driving in.
5 was built, the
maker had a sporty
Last, if you find yourself following 2+2 coupe that was
me down the road, one word of an instant classic.
warning: I do have to stop at stop
HOW’D YOU DO?
signs to shift gears, so please don’t
Answer on page 68.
honk—I’m working on it! •
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BACK IN TIME

Last
Laugh

A COUPE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

That old girl was ready to paint the town.

M
oney was scarce around our house parents could feel their blood pressure soaring.
with a family of 12 during the It was a beat-up old coupe with a rumble
Great Depression. My parents seat and in desperate need of a paint job.
made sure we had plenty to eat Having spent all his savings to buy the thing,
and a roof over our heads, but Frank had no choice but to use paint left
if we wanted anything more that, we had to over from our bathroom and kitchen
pay for it ourselves. decorating—yellow and pink.
My brother Frank was determined to get a Mother had an anxiety attack whenever
car. So he worked in a grocery store every day she looked at that yellow-and-pink eyesore
after school and saved all his earnings for two parked in front of our house; the rest of us
years. By the time he turned 18, he had enough just tried to avoid the neighbors.
to buy his first car. In spite of his car’s paint job and condition,
He was very proud of it and couldn’t wait Frank always managed to get plenty of dates.
to show it off. With their first glance at it, my I’m sure his good looks had something to
do with it. And it
helped that not many
18-year-olds had a car
back then.
Occasionally Frank
would double-date
with a friend, but
because there was
room for only two
in the cab, the other
couple had to ride in
the open-air rumble
seat and take their
chances with the
weather. I remember
watching the four of
them drive off one
fine summer night
without a cloud in the
sky. Minutes later, a
sudden thunderstorm
drenched the two
unlucky people
perched in the rear.
I still laugh about
•
that car.

BY MARTHA MAHON • TRENTON, NJ » ILLUSTRATION BY ARI STRATMAN

64 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

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 CLASSIC MAGAZINES
BY MYLES MELLOR
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

10 11 12

13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

34 35

36 37 38

39

40 41 42 43 44 45
ACROSS
1 Classic women’s 46 47
magazine, goes with
6 down, 3 words 48 49
6 Magazine that led
coverage of civil
rights in the 1950s 50 51
and 1960s
9 Sit for
10 Magazine known for 37 See 10 across 6 See 1 across 30 Tin Cup actress Russo
its Norman Rockwell 39 Masterpiece 7 Ending for Japan 31 Break a
covers, goes with 40 On the job, 2 words and Senegal commandment
37 across, 3 words 41 Magazine known 8 Lawrence of Arabia’s 33 1942 horror movie,
11 Fashionable women’s for science and first two initials ______ People
magazine that started technology, goes 9 Golf tour 37 Make a mistake
in 1892 with 26 down 12 Actor Sharif 38 Was a burden,
14 Damage 47 Classic card game 13 Magazine magnate with on
15 Refinement 48 “I Like ___” (old Conde 42 More refined
19 Coffee alternative campaign slogan) 16 “What Kind of Fool 43 A or an, in Spain
20 Basketball org. 49 See 28 across ______?” 2 words 44 Auction unit
22 Magazine revenue 50 Wall _____ (abbr.) 17 College helper (abbr.) 45 Golf event first
sources 51 It was Sports Cars 18 Magazine bosses, played in 1927
24 Back Illustrated in 1955, abbr. 46 The Man from
26 Part of an hr. 3 words 21 Makes beer U.N.C.L.E.’s _____
28 Magazine launched 23 Fashionable criminal Kuryakin (alt. spelling)
in 1954 (with swimsuit DOWN (British slang) 49 Actress Lupino,
issues since 1964), 1 Hungarian pianist 25 O.K. Corral’s Wyatt who directed
goes with 49 across Franz 26 See 41 across The Hitch-Hiker
32 Actor Guinness 2 Romantic meetings 27 Time competitor (1953)
34 Martinique, for one 3 _____, nose and throat founded in 1933
35 Apple state (abbr.) 4 “Young at _______” 29 Jackie Kennedy’s HOW’D YOU DO?
36 Borden mascot Elsie 5 Everest, e.g. (abbr.) designer Cassini Solution on page 68.

66 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

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for stability © 2019 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.
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L A D I E S H O M E J E T

FIND HATTIE’S HATPINS I A A E T P O S E

Hattie has lost two hatpins in this issue! Tell us at S A T U R D A Y V O G U E
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postcard on page 48.
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TRIVIAL PURSUITS, PAGE 13: H S R G E M

1. Brigadoon 2. Gene Kelly 3. A Star Is Born 4. Seven A T W O R K P O P U L A R
Brides for Seven Brothers 5. “White Christmas”
N E I O U N O Y
6. Danny Kaye 7. Carmen Jones 8. “There’s No
Business Like Show Business” I K E I L L U S T R A T E D
NAME THAT CAR, PAGE 62: C K D Y E E E
Robert Smith’s rehabbed ride is a ’64 S T C A R A N D D R I V E R
Ford Falcon Ranchero.

68 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019

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BACK IN TIME
Lasting
Impression
I MIGHT NEED IT SOMEDAY!
Mother’s saving ways save the day.
BY MILLIE BAKER RAGOSTA • BELLEFONTE, PA
Y
ears before the
world got serious
about recycling, my
mother considered
it a mortal sin to
throw away anything that
might one day prove useful.
The attic of our Victorian
house was jammed with three
generations’ worth of family
discards. I loved admiring
myself in Cousin Hazel’s
silvery green 1920s evening
gown and Grandma Heck’s
1910 horsehair buggy cape.
Even after she moved
into a smaller house, my
mother clung to her saving
ways. When she learned a
government agency was
70 REMINISCE.COM * NOVEMBER 2019
paying several hundred
dollars a pop for ashtrays,
she was indignant.
“There are dozens of
ashtrays in the basement
that candidates for something
“Why would
you save all
those ashtrays?
You never smoked.”
or other gave away at the
county fair,” she said. “I’d
be happy to donate them
to the country.”
My sister Alberta, trying not
SHE QUESTIONED
her mother’s thrift, but
Millie (left) was able to
reap its benefits.
to laugh, asked, “Why would
you save all those ashtrays?
You never smoked.”
“It’s wrong to waste things,”
Mother said.
Alberta pulled open a
drawer filled with empty paper
towel tubes: “And these?”
“In case I ever have to mail a
photograph,” Mother replied.
I pointed out that I couldn’t
remember ever needing to
mail a photograph.
“You girls sound just like
your father,” Mother said with
a sniff. “He used to grumble
because I saved those twister
things, until he needed one
for an emergency repair on
the lawn mower.
“Think of the pollution,” she
went on, “and all the beautiful
trees cut down to make those
paper tubes you laugh at.”
The next day I was at
Penn State’s engineering
department, doing research
on the west of England. I
copied several maps and
managed to get them home
without damaging them. Then
I realized I needed a way to
safely store them.
I’m not too proud to admit
when I’m wrong; I picked
up the phone.
“Mother, about those
cardboard tubes...” •
Share your lasting impressions:
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“There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky.”
— Percy Bysshe Shelley

PHOTO OF STURBRIDGE, MA, BY

ELROY HARTMAN • BOYNTON BEACH, FL