Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Reminisce Extra

We have a fine collection of reader memories in this issue. As we like to do from time to time, we gathered selected stories submitted to our Growing Up department and arranged them by age for a feature focused on the early school years, to around fourth grade. We call it “The Wonder Years,” page 30, because ages 6 through 9 are prime learning years for young minds. Though some stories take place outside the classroom, each highlights a moment when the writer gained new knowledge, usually about themselves or the world. I love all of these stories, but Becky Sniffen’s tale—“This Girl Allowed,” page 32—about earning the right to play with the boys in her neighborhood, resonated with me as one who enjoyed knocking a ball around with my…

Songwriter Carole King needed a babysitter for Louise, her 1-year-old daughter with her husband and lyricist Gerry Goffin, while King wrote tunes at her piano. One of the Cookies, a trio that sang backup on song demos, recommended teenager Eva Boyd. The story goes that Boyd surprised them one day by singing in the couple’s Brooklyn, New York, apartment. In truth, Boyd sang for the musical pair during her interview for the $35-per-week babysitting gig. “We knew she could sing when she came to work for us,” King said later. “It was just a matter of time before we were going to have her sing on some of our demos.” King’s and Goffin’s “The Loco-Motion” dance ditty was intended for “Mashed Potato Time” artist Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp’s label…

OTHERS MAKE BATS. WE MAKE HISTORY HILLERICH & BRADSBY CO. FOUNDED:1856 LOCATION:Louisville, Kentucky ONE FOR THE BOOKS:H&B makes about 2 million wood bats a year—50,000 for the majors. WE HAD GAME Everyone caught the fever for neighborhood pickup. Something was special about our working-class Evansville neighborhood in the 1950s—baseball. It proved to be more lasting than many fads of the era, and it forged a bond among the kids living near the viaduct on the city’s north side. On hazy, humid summer evenings, we played pickup ballgames in various backyards and neighborhood lots. We weren’t steeped in a lot of organization, and the rules were simple: Three strikes, you’re out; flyball caught, you’re out; tagged before the base, you’re out. No walks. No umpires. If you hit a fair ball,…

We moved to Lawrence, Kansas, in the 1940s, when I was 9. In fifth grade, I sat a row ahead of a certain boy in my English class. One spring day, this nice boy slipped a tightly folded note into my hand. When I opened it, I was surprised and happy to read what was inside: “Hi Sheralee, I love you. You are the prettiest girl in the class. Your face is your fortune and you have a very slender figure.” Unfortunately, the teacher saw us passing this white paper note between us. “Martin,” she said, “bring that note you just passed to Sheralee to the front of the class and read it out loud.” I was embarrassed. Poor Martin was even more so. But he got up and read…

KEEPSAKES Mantel clocks were a prized possession when the Seth Thomas Clock Co. began making clocks in the early 19th century. In 1882, the Connecticut company began using adamantine, a patented celluloid veneer that simulated materials such as marble and ebony on high-end imported clocks. Known to collectors as Black Mantel Clocks, they were very popular into the early 1930s. Seth Thomas produced many designs similar to that of Little Seth. These high-quality, functional pieces are valued by collectors. Working models can be found readily on eBay for $150-$325 or more.…

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Children’s author and illustrator Beatrix4 NASCAR vehicle, 2 wds.10 First name of Popeye’s girlfriend11 Stairway alternatives13 L. Frank Baum classic, 4 wds.15 Pound, abbr.16 Teenage sleuth, 2 wds.19 Judi Dench title21 Expression of surprise22 Extend a subscription24 Granola grains26 Imaginary nursery rhyme author, 2 wds.29 Place, abbr.30 Mighty long time31 Reiner of All in the Family32 Legal orders35 Internet domain ending for a school36 Early reader series, goes with 38 acrossand 39 across38 Connecting word (see 36 across)39 Goes with 36 and 38 across41 Great grades43 Amble44 Maurice Sendak’s Where the _____ ______ ______ DOWN 1 A.A. Milne’s bear, last name2 Chubby Checker’s “Let’s _____ again!”3 The night before Christmas, e.g.5 Mystery series with Frank and Joe, 3 wds.6 The Big Sleep author Raymond7 Top exec.8 Low-_____…

Along with the identical houses sprouting up in suburbs all across postwar America came matching plots of manicured nature. Lawns extended the indoors to the outdoors, providing recreational space for growing families. A weed-free swath of turf implied pride of ownership and marked a model citizen. Companies responded with new technology, such as lightweight aluminum push mowers and traveling sprinklers, for the army of amateur landscapers. Saturday Evening Post explored the cultural trend in an article titled “The Grass Craze” in 1962, the same year Merriam-Webster gave the compound word an entry.…

Even though my grandparents Keith and Janice grew up only a few miles apart, the first time they saw each other was at a parade in Palco, Kansas, in 1953. Janice was just shy of 14 and Keith was 15. Keith was in the parade, carrying an American flag and riding a horse that belonged to his buddy John. Spooked by the marching band, the horse shied and tried to walk backward. Janice saw the boy up on the horse and noticed his blue eyes and wavy hair. After the parade, Keith asked Janice if she wanted a ride and she said yes. The couple dated all through high school, were married in June 1957 and raised three kids, including their son Kelly, who adopted me when he married my…

One day in the 1950s in South Jersey, my friend Arnold joined me in the backyard to blast pebbles with a chipped Louisville Slugger. In our teenage imaginations, we were Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle at practice. Most of our home runs traveled far and high above the pines and oaks that dotted an adjacent lot. Just as we were thinking of calling it a day, Arnold found a golf ball on the ground. “How far do you think this will go if I connect?” He gritted his teeth and tossed the golf ball in the air fungo-style, and then smacked it with a lusty uppercut of his Slugger. Up, up and away it sailed. We were sure it would have cleared the roof at Yankee Stadium. We laughed hysterically…

Our father worked for an oil company. When I was 6, Daddy’s employer transferred him from Salt Lake City, Utah, where we lived, to Casper, Wyoming. I recall the moment we found out. My sister Karen and I were doing the dishes, and Karen burst into tears and protestations at the news. I didn’t know exactly what moving meant, but if Karen was crying, it must have warranted tears. So I started crying, too. The trip to Casper in 1959 was memorable. It was midwinter and very cold; the roads, narrow and winding, were snow-packed and icy. The going was slow. Our cat, Kiki, tucked up in a cage on the floor of the backseat, kept up a steady yowl of displeasure at the whole affair. Karen was beside herself…

Back in the 1930s, our school desks were made of wood. I had a big crush on a boy in my class and succeeded in carving our initials into the top of mine. Our school custodian took me aside one day and asked if my parents had a table made of wood. I said yes, but thought they probably wouldn’t want to lend it to anyone. Of course, that wasn’t his reason for asking me. He gave me a stern lecture. I dreaded going home that day, believing that Mother would punish me. Imagine my surprise when she gave me a hug instead, saying she didn’t know her 8-year-old was in love. The boy grew up to marry one of my best friends. They spent their honeymoon with my husband…

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in 1947, when I was 9, I wandered over to the small airport near my home to watch the planes, which were still a novelty at the time. Just off the runway was a small plane, and a young man named Red was selling short rides for $2 each. Red’s rides were popular, and he struggled to assist all the passengers to get on and off the plane. “Hey kid, want to help me out?” he asked me. At the end of the day, Red paid me with my first airplane ride.…

ALL BUSINESS After the breakthrough of the Mark I computer in 1944, IBM focused on faster machines for commercial use. Its swirling red loops forming an atom, this ad promotes vacuum-tube computers, which became payroll and inventory workhorses for big companies by the end of the ’50s. SIGNALING A CHANGE With space and long-distance communications captivating American culture in the 1950s, Pontiac puts a young couple and a snazzy Super Chief next to a massive radar antenna—a symbol of progress for “a bold new generation.” LIFESTYLES OF THE FUTURE RICH & FAMOUS The airplane represented the pinnacle of new society in postwar America. At top, a Douglas Aircraft Co. ad, touting the new DC-6 plane design, uses modernist-style graphics repeated across the page to convey the company’s global reach. Above,…

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My mother, Peggy, and I watched I Love Lucy together. I sat cross-legged on the floor in front of our black-and-white TV while Mom stood behind me at the ironing board, pressing Dad’s shirts. The show’s formula relied on Lucy’s relentless determination to make her mark. Mom and I both understood that Lucy, as a housewife, believed she was meant to do more than what her husband, Ricky, and society defined for her. Once Lucy set her mind on an outcome, barriers were merely something to hop over, crawl under or ignore. One of my favorite episodes clearly shows Lucy’s ambition. Lucy meets a famous Italian director, who offers her an audition. She takes it upon herself to learn about the culture and visits a vineyard. There, she ends up…

■ Carson follows Jack Paar, who had taken over from first host Steve Allen. Carson shares qualities with both—urbane, witty and chatty with guests. He also exudes an everyman quality all his own that viewers love. His friend Ed McMahon makes the TV sidekick a spotlight role. ■ Among the most memorable episodes is the on-air marriage of falsetto singer Tiny Tim to Miss Vicky on Dec. 17, 1969. It’s the most-watched TV show in late-night history until May 22, 1992—Carson’s last show. ■ He has profound influence over programming and careers. He moves the show to California in 1972, effectively shifting the TV industry from New York to Los Angeles. Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Louie Anderson and Drew Carey are among the many who leap to stardom…

Her parents put education first Katherine was the youngest of Joshua and Joylette Coleman’s four children. The couple moved when no grade school was open to Black children in their area of West Virginia—and moved again when there was no high school for them. She skipped whole grades A gifted student, Katherine started high school at 10. She graduated from high school at 14 and from college at 18. Dream job at last Johnson wanted to be a research mathematician but could not find that kind of work as a woman of color. After years of raising a family and teaching, she got her chance in 1953, joining the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the forerunner of NASA at the Langley Research Center. She worked there for 33 years, into…

The Shreveport native attended nearby Louisiana Tech University, where he spent two years playing backup. As a senior, he was the consensus choice for top draft prospect. Led by Bradshaw’s passing, the Steelers won their first Super Bowl title in 1975, then three more over the next five years. The former quarterback had minor roles in several movies, including cameos in Smokey and the Bandit II and The Cannonball Run. Bradshaw retired from playing and enjoys a broadcasting career as an analyst and studio personality for the NFL.…

1 This automotive brand, one of the earliest in the industry, is named for the founder of Detroit. 2 This model was a step up from the brand’s still-posh entry-level car. 3 Veteran designer Harley Earl styled this car as one of his final projects at General Motors. 4 The brand launched the tail fin craze of the 1950s. 5 Elvis Presley, a faithful enthusiast of the cars, was drafted into the Army during this model year. HOW’D YOU DO? Answer is on page 56. FIND HATTIE’S HATPINS Just for fun, we hid two hatpins in this issue! In the July issue, we hid them in the folding chair on page 16 and on the side of the station wagon on page 31. NAME THAT CAR, PAGE 52: Joe Pascale…