How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Mesa: condominium, gated community)

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by Westside Willie

Well here’s a real good oldie that I’m sure will bring it all back.
Black Canyon Highway at the Grand Ave overpass. Oh look; there it is …
the old Goodyear Tires sign in all its 1964 glory.

Several things are very telling of the times in this image.

The speed limit is 45…on the freeway.
The freeway itself is 3 very skimpy lanes in each direction.
No guardrails or fence to speak of at the embankments.
No median on the freeway except a little patch of (grass ??)
Large areas of undeveloped land behind the sign.
No overhead traffic signals.
Far fewer passenger cars than commercial vehicles.
The semi near the center left is a Navajo Freight Lines unit, which my dad used to drive for. For all I know that could be him behind the wheel!

In the instant the photographer snapped this shot he managed to capture no fewer than 5 semis a city bus and a train. Needless to say this was THE artery through the metro area in the 60’s

I remember this location...in the late 60's I learned to drive on the access road on Black Canyon...all was well until one time there I was at Grand Avenue and had to make my first left hand turn...I was scared to death...made the turn...pulled off to the right just over the overpass and turned the driving back over to the person teaching me.

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by Arizona Mike

I knew Tom (and his son, Tom Connors Jr.), both great guys. The Traco guys were a different Kenpo franchise, Fred Stille, Cliff McKinney, and Steve LaBounty were all part of a different organization, the National Chinese Kenpo Karate Association (NCKKA), which was prominent in the southwest. They all were offshoots of Ed Parker's organization.

Tom also ran boxing classes and had a full-size ring in his gym, which moved from Glendale up to the NW corner of Indian School Road and 44th St., which later became a Subway Sandiwich shop. I trained there in boxing and later fought in some smokers at local bars. Tom Sr. was an early weight trainer back in the 1950s and had some enormous biceps. He also liked to smoke cigars and I remember the taste of cigar tobacco from his hands when he popped the mouth-guard into my mouth in the corner of the ring. He also had a pretty good weight-training set-up in his gym, he got me started in lifting weights back in the 1970s, which helped pack a lot of size on my then-skinny frame. He and his son were both great boxing coaches who taught me a lot. What they taught me got me on a division boxing team in the Army.

I fell out of contact with Tom when I went into the Army and heard he died later - I've heard different versions of what happened over the years, I'm not sure what the true details are.

Great photo of Tom, thanks.

Phoenix has got an interesting martial arts history - the first karate school in the mainland U.S. was in Phoenix (Robert Trias's old school around 9th Street and McDowell, which might be the one Roosevelt is thinking of)), and we have the only known 24-hour karate dojo on 16th Street (run by Barry Bernstein, who was also a local pro-wrestler). I;ve always wondered how that place works - can you just show up anytime and spar someone???

I think I remember Cliff McKinney...I took karate from him down in south Phx...he drove an XKE...blue if I remember correctly.

[Arizona Mike]

Originally Posted by trillcatz

I think I remember Cliff McKinney...I took karate from him down in south Phx...he drove an XKE...blue if I remember correctly.

His Kenpo Karate school was on the southeast corner of 24th Street and Indian School, opposite the Tang's Market on the northeast corner. I remember that Earl Yurong was one of his instructors. Earl had some really fast hands and wore a pair of fingerless gloves (predating the MMA gloves that are popular now) when sparring that had "GOOD" embroidered across the knuckles of one hand and "NITE" embroidered across the knuckles of the other hand. He could hit really hard!

Tang's Market was an interesting grocery store, a big selection of Asian foods and vegetables and spices that made the place smell far more exotic than the Bayless store my family usually frequented, a fish tank full of live lobsters and fish to purchase, and an astonishingly eclectic selection of magazines at the newstand that made for great browsing.

I always wondered if the Mr. Tang that owned that grocery store also owned the Tang's Imports at Town and Country Mall.

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by Arizona Mike

His Kenpo Karate school was on the southeast corner of 24th Street and Indian School, opposite the Tang's Market on the northeast corner. I remember that Earl Yurong was one of his instructors. Earl had some really fast hands and wore a pair of fingerless gloves (predating the MMA gloves that are popular now) when sparring that had "GOOD" embroidered across the knuckles of one hand and "NITE" embroidered across the knuckles of the other hand. He could hit really hard!

Tang's Market was an interesting grocery store, a big selection of Asian foods and vegetables and spices that made the place smell far more exotic than the Bayless store my family usually frequented, a fish tank full of live lobsters and fish to purchase, and an astonishingly eclectic selection of magazines at the newstand that made for great browsing.

I always wondered if the Mr. Tang that owned that grocery store also owned the Tang's Imports at Town and Country Mall.

So do you think in the 60's Cliff taught at a dojo in S. Phx? That name jumped right out at me and I was sure he was the instructor. We had a Kempo school down on Southern I think...maybe about 5th St. or around there.

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

There were three Happiness Houses, 27th Ave. and Northern; one way up on 32nd Street; and Indian School about Hayden Rd. I don't know what kind of store it was though.

Totem was a big department store, plus Globe, Govway, Grant, Fed Mart and Woolco.

I'm thinking it was a toy store...I remember being there but that's it. I remember Totem, FedMart and Woolco too. Yellow Front too!

[Desertspiritsteve]

Does anyone remember Bill's Records in Park Central? I believe that was the only location. I think that was the store that had listening booths where you could take vinyl records to play. I don't remember anyone mentioning Guggy's Coffee Shops on this forum.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by trillcatz

I'm thinking it was a toy store...I remember being there but that's it. I remember Totem, FedMart and Woolco too. Yellow Front too!

Yes, Happiness House was a toy store. There were a few others in 1970, the Toy Cottage, FAO Schwarz, The Merrymakers, Websters, Mr. Kessler's.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by Desertspiritsteve

Does anyone remember Bill's Records in Park Central? I believe that was the only location. I think that was the store that had listening booths where you could take vinyl records to play. I don't remember anyone mentioning Guggy's Coffee Shops on this forum.

Lot's of Guggy's on the Chris Town group on Facebook.

Bill's records was at Park Central and also Uptown Plaza.

Some others, Augies, Bruce's, Burnett's, Mehagian's, Sandy's, Wallich's Music City, Recordland.

[observer53]

I met the Mehagians outside the furniture store context, and saw them many times over the years. Lovely people, very nice store.

[Desertspiritsteve]

I used to buy records at Tower Records in Tower Plaza. It was not connected to the Tower Records in California. It was run by a classy well dressed woman named Vera Jobe. She had a brand new 64 Mustang. All these years later, I look back on stores like this and wondered how they managed to stay open. If I remember correctly, many years later a Tower Records opened on the corner of 40th. St. and Thomas. Is there anything left of the big Tower Records chain? They had stores in S.F. and Los Angeles that were open 24/7.