Tucson of the 60s,70s and 80s (Gilbert: vacation home, clubbing)

[azmemories]

Yes, Magee was at a point of Oracle that I often referred to as "the summit". I seem to remember the intersection being the highest point of Oracle Road after motorists ascended the highway from Ina, there was a drop in elevation after Magee. There was a Fry's supermarket in a strip mall that also featured a big box auto supplies store, Eegees, Taco Bell, and one of the locations for Mama's Pizza, an eatery known for their charismatic radio commercials. That was on the southwest corner of Oracle and Magee; on the NE corner was a McDonald's. I only knew the section of Oracle north of River Road as a six-lane road, but I am pretty sure when Musicfreeq went to school up there it was a two-lane artery.

I have gone off-track in part because my memory is fuzzy regarding Casa Adobes shopping. I am pretty sure that was at Ina and Oracle. Many years after leaving I realized the section of Tucson I mostly lived in was a "census designated area" known as Casas Adobes near Orange Grove. The section covers Oracle/Ina also. You're right, Roller Coaster Road is a little bit south of Orange Grove and provided some thrilling rides!

The rock throwing was definitely in the newspaper! The story became a regular on the local news and as I have said, one time the news opened with their cameras on location with the search party. It has apparently fallen into oblivion, in part because of what I said earlier, nothing really came of it. It is all speculation and no one was seriously hurt. If you wanted to check the archives of AZ Daily Star and Tucson Citizen, I would focus on about May thru September 1983. October is when the flood started, but I am pretty sure there were more incidents until about December.

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by Stonemasonry

Hi folks.

Tucson native here, would like to start a thread for those of us who have been here a while can post and talk about some of our favorite experiences in Tucson growing up in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

I personally grew up in the 70s here in Tucson in the area of 22nd and Alvernon right behind the DeAnza Drive In. I fondly remember as a kid sitting in a tree house my brothers and I built, watching movies and eating popcorn, the original owner of the drive in even let us wire up our own set of speakers right to the tree house, I remember sitting up there watching Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta and couldnt wait till I was old enough to go out and do the Disco duck thing myself. When that time did come I recall going to the old nightclub called Cowboys. Anyone else remember that? I also recall fondly as a child playing miniture golf at Goony golf on Alvernon, anyone remember that? Or hanging out at the old Cactus Bowling alley or Rollers skating rink and every summer walking to Hi Corbet field and watching the Cleveland Indians during spring training and even getting to be a bat boy and play catch with the great Bob Feller who was always in town during those days. After school we would go to a little store on 29th street called Easy Stop and play the arcade games.

Anyone else have any neat experiences to share about our Tucson long gone?

Also, I would like to clear up a big misconception people on here have about South Tucson. You can read all the crimes stats you want to but until you actually go down there and spend some time with the people who live there you really dont know what it is all about. I have been going to that area to visit friends and family for decades and some of the finest, warmest and most welcoming people I have ever known live in that area, sure there is a lot of problems like drugs and prostitution and gangs, but if youre down there minding your own business none of that will have any effect on you, there is a lot of old culture and tradition in South Tucson that people miss because they are seemingly afraid to visit the area and I think that is very sad because the people down there are wonderful hard working class folks who have always been good to me over the years and I have never once had any sort of problem going there to visit them or spend the day walking around the shops on south 6th or 4th avenue, my father used to work at the old Spanish Trail Motel and having grown up hanging out there, which is in the heart of South Tucson, I can tell you that you are missing a lot if you simply avoid this area out of fear or misconception.

I have my own handyman/masonry business and have done a lot of work in that area and sure, all sorts of shady people will wander by while im working trying to get some money out of me or something, but if you mind your business they do you no harm and go on their way, there is no way that I would ever let people like that rob me of the opportunity to spend time down there with those old South Tucson families that I have grown to love over the years, almostly monthly they have huge BBQs where entire neighborhoods gather and eat the best Mexican food you will ever have and listen to the best Marachi music you will ever hear. Dont let a few bad apples rob you of a such a wonderful little place full of rich culture, diviersity and tradition. I am as white as they come and the hispanic community in South Tucson has never been anything other than welcoming, loving and supportive to me since the time I was a child.

In Kindergarten our class took a field trip to Tucson and then "Old Tucson". It was awesome. I have fond memories.

I remember this song was popular at the time. My parents used to listen to it. Tucson's own "Linda Rondstadt". She had the type of real vocal talent that existed without computers and "Auto-tune" software. This song always takes me back to that day in the early 1970s on that Tucson field trip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhtnB6kSCyA

[musicfreeq]

Welcome, grad_student! There are a few of us on here who have a fondness for Linda Ronstadt, me included I remember seeing her and the Stone Poneys in 1966 at Teen Town (Pastime Roller Rink) on Oracle Rd. I don't think I ever saw her again but she was great and I have liked her ever since. I have seen The Eagles several times and Jackson Browne and they all talk about "the ol' days" when they all hung out and jammed together. When Don Henley spoke and showed old pics on "The History of the Eagles" tour a couple years back, he showed a pic on the big screen of the the little house in LA they used to practice in - back in the 60's. What I wouldn't have given to be there when they did! That would have been so cool ... sigh ...

[Corerius]

Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. 4th Ave.

Lloyd's Mexican Food.

[musicfreeq]

So long since there was any action on here, I'm sad

But I did remember that I thought I would tell you O'Man, and azmemories that when I was in Tucson 3 weeks ago for my Amphi reunion, that we made a point of driving by both the high school and my old house on Windsor so close by.

Amphi looks amazing and NOTHING like it did back in the 60's or even 70's ... Same ol' Panther logo on signage was heart-warming Sports fields, bleachers, etc. looks terrific and it looks like a great school. Learned that Samantha Guthrie (NBC anchor along with Matt Lauer) is actually an alumni and attended U of A as well. Cool - I think she is great - she is a natural at interviewing!

As far as my old place at 126 E. (W.?) Windsor: GONE as someone on here informed us last year or the year before - property looks like a junkyard, with a view of the Amphi fields,bleachers. Expected Jim Croce's junkyard dog to come flying out to rip me to shreds for standing close enough to get a good look. Too junky and made me too sad to even get a pic of what it looks like now, altho' I got several of the ol' alma mater

On a side note, had lunch with my old classmate from Sacred Heart and IHHS. We were commiserating about the concerts we had attended in the 65-67 time frame and while I reminded her of The Animals, The Turtles, The Standells, she recalled Gerry and The Pacemakers (how could I forget?! one of my absolute faves!) and Ike and Tina Turner, before Tina left him for regularly beating the c--p outta her.

My friend thinks most of these were at a venue at the U of A (makes sense) and I'm wondering if anyone on here recalls any of these shows and also what that Uni venue was called back in the day?

She vaguely recalled that the local JCC (not far from U of A) was also a venue but was unsure which concerts we may have seen during that time frame.

Any ideas from you ol' Tucsonians would be greatly appreciated

[azmemories]

Originally Posted by musicfreeq

So long since there was any action on here, I'm sad

But I did remember that I thought I would tell you O'Man, and azmemories that when I was in Tucson 3 weeks ago for my Amphi reunion, that we made a point of driving by both the high school and my old house on Windsor so close by.

Amphi looks amazing and NOTHING like it did back in the 60's or even 70's ... Same ol' Panther logo on signage was heart-warming Sports fields, bleachers, etc. looks terrific and it looks like a great school. Learned that Samantha Guthrie (NBC anchor along with Matt Lauer) is actually an alumni and attended U of A as well. Cool - I think she is great - she is a natural at interviewing!

As far as my old place at 126 E. (W.?) Windsor: GONE as someone on here informed us last year or the year before - property looks like a junkyard, with a view of the Amphi fields,bleachers. Expected Jim Croce's junkyard dog to come flying out to rip me to shreds for standing close enough to get a good look. Too junky and made me too sad to even get a pic of what it looks like now, altho' I got several of the ol' alma mater

On a side note, had lunch with my old classmate from Sacred Heart and IHHS. We were commiserating about the concerts we had attended in the 65-67 time frame and while I reminded her of The Animals, The Turtles, The Standells, she recalled Gerry and The Pacemakers (how could I forget?! one of my absolute faves!) and Ike and Tina Turner, before Tina left him for regularly beating the c--p outta her.

My friend thinks most of these were at a venue at the U of A (makes sense) and I'm wondering if anyone on here recalls any of these shows and also what that Uni venue was called back in the day?

She vaguely recalled that the local JCC (not far from U of A) was also a venue but was unsure which concerts we may have seen during that time frame.

Any ideas from you ol' Tucsonians would be greatly appreciated

That is interesting that the Amphi High logo is a Panther because the middle school is a Pirate. There was the huge logo painted on the side of a building of the middle school on Prince Road.

I do not watch the Today Show, but was interested to learn Savannah Guthrie was an Amphi alum. I looked her up and apparently she got her start with the NBC affiliate in Tucson, KVOA, while I still lived there. She's been around, starting in Australia, then to Tucson and now in NYC with at least Wash DC in the interim.

[musicfreeq]

Hah-thanks for catching that, azmemories: me calling Savannah "Samantha" by mistake - haste makes waste, as my mom used to tell me - still so true, especially when typing on the fly!

I'm hoping some ol' concert junkie will happen on here and have a better memory of the concerts of the mid-to-late 60's -
I don't even recall having any tickets (to go back and refer to) - and I keep everything No movie tickets, no concert tickets - maybe we weren't given any? I think we always just paid cash at the door - can you imagine doing that these days?!

And did we pay our 50 cents for the school football game and then get into the dance after for free or was the game free and we paid for the dance? I think it must have been the dance, 'cause there was no way they could have kept people from wandering onto the field and into the bleachers in those days, right?

[Cactus Flower]

( Resident from 1950's to 1966 -Catalina graduate- Husband attended U of A - back in 70's - Family still remains there )

7/2017- Please read my memoir coming out soon entitled, "Endearingly signed, Love you, Me" There are lots of Tucson

memories you will relate to and enjoy. Loved all your familiar comments.

[azmemories]

Originally Posted by Cactus Flower

( Resident from 1950's to 1966 -Catalina graduate- Husband attended U of A - back in 70's - Family still remains there )

7/2017- Please read my memoir coming out soon entitled, "Endearingly signed, Love you, Me" There are lots of Tucson

memories you will relate to and enjoy. Loved all your familiar comments.

Your memoir is out now? I Googled the title in quotations and it did not return stories from a former Tucsonan.

[tucson48]

Did the Ramblers ever play at The State Bar town town ??