From John
Playing baseball at Bennett school and climbing the school roof to get free balls. I used to climb the side of the building using the ledges and window sills. When I got older I would carry Pa's ladders to the playground to get to the school roof. That is where I got almost all my baseballs, one basketball and one football.
Do you (Marcel) recall trying to teach me to play football in the Bennett school playground? I do. But I don't remember ever actually carrying the ball much less catching a pass.
We all had some fun back then even though we had little money and our fair share of family problems.
From Marcel
I remember climbing the side of that school myself. The first time I had seen it done was by Buck Mulligan. Given the finger strength at that time it was easy.
from John
Climbing that school by the ledges seems a lot scarier today than it did when I was 10 or 12. However, I doubt it is any riskier than the rock climbers do these days (and they are old enough to know better).
From Paulette
Bennett schoolground - if we had a nickel for each hour we spent there. It was just across the alley and through a yard and across Senator. I remember that Mama was able to stand on the back porch and look for you guys and send us to get you to come home to dinner. I also remember that Mrs. Clark, across Navy from us used to holler for Donald.
I remember the guys climbing up on the roof to get baseballs but I thought it was just when one was hit up there and it had to be retrieved to continue the game.
Movie shows
From John:
Going to The Capitol (movie theater) on Vernor Highway on Saturday morning. We got to see two full length movies, a comedy and some newsreals all for about a nickel. I think Ma gave me the nickel just to get me away from her for almost the whole day. On the way home Bob Mealback and I would recreate the action scenes from the movie. I distinctly remember pretending to be Zorro (or Superman). We would get home late in the afternoon (for supper). Those were fun times.
Bernie, I vaguely recall that you were an usher at the Capitol. Do you recall the emergency exit door near the right front of the theater. The door latched on the inside and it lead out to an outdoor corridor that opened out onto Vernor. Bob Mealback and I used to sneak in to the show through that door sometimes. One of us would pay to get in then sit near that exit. When the usher was not looking he would quickly open the exit (which was shielded by a curtain) and the other(s) would run in and quickly sit down as if they were there all the time. What a thrill! We got the idea by seeing others do it first. Did you ever catch anyone doing that?
From Bernie
I WORKED AT THE CAPITOL FOR 2 YEARS. SERGEANT YORK PLAYED AND IT WAS VERY POPULAR. IT PLAYED FOR OVER A WEEK AND I SAW IT ABOUT 30 TIMES. IT WAS ON TV LAST MONTH AND I SAW IT AGAIN. IT WAS STILL GOOD.
From Monica:
So you went to the Capitol theatre on Saturdays? So that's why you were never around when the 3 of us girls cleaned the house on Saturdays and always ended up in major arguments over who was going to do what rooms, etc. And Ma would walk to the grocery store on Saturday mornings and do her shopping. Pretty sharp mother we had.
from Bernie
THERE MUST HAVE BEEN MORE ARGUING THAN CLEANING. I DO NOT REMEMBER THE HOUSE EVER BEING SUPER CLEAN.
from Paulette
I was never aware that Gabby was going to the show on Saturday afternoons. Its like the Capitol was the "boy" show and the Rio was the "girl" show. So if we cleaned house while you were gone to the show, what did you do on Sundays while we went.
Johnies Sweet Shop
from John:
Walking to Johnies and trying to talk Rita into serving me a free ice cream float. She never did. Later I tried it with Monica but she never did either.
from Marcel:
There is only one Beauregard that would do what you asked, all others would refuse.
From Paulette:
Monica worked at Johnies first and he was so pleased with her work he asked if there were any more at home like her and lucky for him there was. I started at Johnies on March 1, 1952. Rita never worked there. I don't remember you ever trying to get anything free from me, but it wouldn't have worked. I don't think I ever even ate a spoonful if ice cream that I hadn't paid for. I wish I could say I have been that honest all my life but when I used to do my income taxes while I had the house on Navy with the rental unit upstairs, I would drop to the bottom line to see how much I could get away with getting back and then work up to itemize my house income and expenses.
I loved working at Johnies. That's where I got my first taste of bookkeeping. I was working there when Social Security taxes first came into his life. It meant a lot more work in doing payroll and I was there to help him figure out the forms and the deductions. I think the deduction was 1/4 of 1 percent each from the employee and the employer at that time.
It was also during that job that I gave up the idea of ever being a teacher. Bernie dropped a comment about the time I was starting high school that we girls should become teachers and we could make as much as $2.00 per hour. Well, while working at Johnies and watching those kids from Wilson that used to come in after school, they were horrid. The day they bragged that they had made the teacher cry, and that they had thrown her chair out the window, I decided that wasn't for me.
4 comments:
The tradition continued...I too remember spending much of my adolescent years up on top of the roof at Bennet. First we started with the smaller building, I think it was called the pump house, but eventually Danny Fritz coerced me into going all the way to the top of the actual school. I think that is where my fear of heights was born. We played many a pick up game on the Bennet playground. I also recall standing on the back porch yelling for family members to come home for dinner.
It is amazing how comments from bragadocious persons like: "We threw the teacher's chair out the window." affect our lives. When young, we take words like that seriously and use them to form life long opinions. What was needed was some counseling to let you know that that experience is not the normal, many teachers do not experience that type of behavior. I don't think any of us knew how to seek counselling.
Wow, I never, ever climbed to the roof of Bennett. I am certain that I never, ever lost a ball up there mystelf, but if I needed on I could cry just the right amount and get Karl to climb up for me.
I want to know which Beauregard would have given out a free ice cream.
Uncle Marcel, we had a "career counselor" at Redeemer and he was beyond useless. We were required to meet with him once a year and it would have been quite a contest to see which one of us was more bored with the meeting. I think each one ended with him telling me I should be a teacher. I know that there are good counselors out there, but this one could have used some training.
I am very grateful that mom found her true calling (or at least something she enjoyed doing) even if it came as the result of a thrown off, bragging comment about an event which probably did not happen.
The one Beauregard that would give a free float, violating the set rules, is the same one that skipped school and went to Briggs Stadium to see a Tiger ballgame. He would also sneek in rather than pay. This is the Beauregard that would take sips out of Papa's wine bottle in the refridgerator and use water to return it to the original level. Only one was not a meticulous rule follower.
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