How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Glendale: nursing, learners)

[SuzanneDeAz]

My favorite character for Pat McMahn was Gerald, the spoiled private school kid.

[SuzanneDeAz]

I hope I am doing this right to get more than one post on a blog.

Quote: "
I don't remember the radio bit at Bill Johnson's Big Apple but remember the sawdust floors?) so cool! Yes, deep dish apple pies baked in brown bowls. (oh wait, did they have a radio room at the front of the restaurant enclosed in glass?)
KNIX was country music, KPHO was talk (and old people music) and KRIZ and KRUX was rock n' roll (in the 50's all genre's of music was on the charts) KUPD was what my Mom & Dad listened to. (?)
Do you remember Pete's Fish and Chips in the 50's? (the original one on Van Buren?) The BEST! Carnation's Ice Cream on Central? Woolworth's downtown with REAL Pima Indian women sitting on the sidewalk in squaw dresses all day selling little beaded things for 50 cents? Of course, Bob's Big Boy on Central and Thomas after crusing central. We rarely saw any cops! Maybe because we got picked up so fast!!"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Catholic Mexican family would each Friday go to for Pete's Fish and Chips and buy Fish for us in the 50's and 60's. I just mentioned remembering the Indian women in front of Woolworths. I loved their squaw dresses. My grandmother made sqauw dresses for a living and I always wanted one but she never made me one. The whoe crusing sceen on Central and Bob Big Boys I clearly remember as well.

[SuzanneDeAz]

I just read someone meantioning "Learners" in DownTown on Washington. I think that is where mom bought our petticoats. Is this not a store near Newsberry?

[tom85014]

Originally Posted by SuzanneDeAz

Both of my gradeschools, Garfield and Edison have their orginal buildings torn down and had cheaper buildings built in their stead. I know Garfield was a very worn out building but I do believe that Edison could have been renovated. I do enjoy seeing the Monroe Elementary school building being used for a museum. I think Kennelworth is the only old building that is still used today as a school in the Phoenix Elementary school district.

Here are some photos of Garfield - it was a beautiful building in its day. Besides Kenilworth, Dunbar (built in 1925) at 707 W Grant St and Whittier (built in 1929) at 2000 N. 16th St. are still used as elementary schools. PESD will be celebrating their 140th birthday on October 19th at Dunbar from 3:30pm to 6:30pm - The entire community is invited to attend including students, families, employees, alumni, retired employees, and community members.

[SuzanneDeAz]

Originally Posted by phoenixpat

During the 50's and 60's:
My mom would take me school shopping downtown at Penney's. There was a spiral underground parking lot there. There were no malls yet.

When Chris-town first opened there were fountains in the center court dripping down from the ceiling.
Remember the drugstore/fountain across from the library on Central? They had the best chocolate sodas and shakes! The library was pink and the tile floor was green and clicked as you walked. I remember the sound the machine made when the librarian checked out your books.

Remember A.J. Bayless old time store with the barrels of candies.

striped shirts!

Cruising down Central Ave. on Saturday nights.
There was an observation deck on top of Terminal 1. For entertainment, my family would go up there and just watch the jets come and take off.

Wayne Newton lived in my neighborhood near Longfellow School when he was about 13. I remember walking home and seeing him in his front yard raking leaves.

Nights that smelled like orange blossoms and the air felt soft on your skin.

I do not remember the smell of orange blossoms however I do remember the cool evenings in the summer and how we played outside till dark. I loved the Phoenix library and would ride my bike there when I was in high school. JC Penny's is where I would get my school shoes as my grandmother had a charge card and would lend it to my mother. Longfellow school I remember subbing in before I had my full time teaching job in Laveen. Some almost 30 years later I am subbing again. The subbing teaching certificate I received in 76 is good for 100 years so I never had to renew it as I have had to do with my other teaching certificates. My favorite school building in the Phoenix Elementary school District is "Kennelworth". I love the huge hallways.

Originally Posted by aj661

Captain Super was played by Pat McMahon. McMahon also played Hub Capp, Aunt Maud, Gerald, Boffo the Clown, Marshall Good, Amazo the Magician, and many other characters.

Attachment 18569
GERALD

Originally Posted by SuzanneDeAz

My favorite character for Pat McMahn was Gerald, the spoiled private school kid.

Originally Posted by SuzanneDeAz

Cruising down Central Ave. on Saturday nights.
-----------------------------------------------------------

I was wondering if any one would mentioned cruising down Central Ave. on a Saturday night. That was a huge pasttime for teens in the 60's. I remember getting burgers at Bob's Big Boy.

Originally Posted by BluesGal1

Hassayampa,

I don't remember the radio bit at Bill Johnson's Big Apple but remember the sawdust floors?) so cool! Yes, deep dish apple pies baked in brown bowls. Pete's Fish and Chips in the 50's? (the original one on Van Buren?) The BEST! Carnation's Ice Cream on Central? Woolworth's downtown with REAL Pima Indian women sitting on the sidewalk in squaw dresses all day selling little beaded things for 50 cents? Of course, Bob's Big Boy on Central and Thomas after crusing central. !

I remember all of the above!

Originally Posted by amatrine

I also remember thrifties drug store and 16 cent ice cream cones .

I remember in 74 taking my niece there after church and buying the ice cream cones for 5 cents.

Originally Posted by toofarr

I spent several summers at the Tempe Beach pool. It was across the street from the Hayden Flour Mill. Such a relief from the heat.
Big Surf is a wavepool built around 1968 near Scottsdale & Tempe. .

Great place to swim.

Originally Posted by luphx1

We use to go to Derwinersomething on Central and Thomas. As a teen I went to Phoenix Union H.S and we use to hang out on South Central Ave and cruise around. I would buy all my clothes over at Lerners or at Sears on Washington. It sure was a blast back in the day.

I relate to all of the above. Derweersnitchel has great polish sandwhiches. The one you mentioned is no longer there but there is one in Tempe. While my mom made most of my dresses she did buy some dresses for me at Lerners when I was ten years old.

Originally Posted by dookieboy

I grew up around 15th ave and T-bird. T-bird was a dirt road in '69 when my folks bought a John F Long home there. Great place to grow up.I remember riding our bikes to Metro Center when it was under construction and climbing inside the little buildings at what was to be Golf n Stuff. Don't know what it is called today. Haven't been there in years and years.
Could go for a Ladmo Waffo right about now.

John F. Long had a great plan for Maryvale. My grandfather and his wife bought a home in Maryvale and his wife worked at a store in Maryvale mall. I think it was a Newsberry store. Later my aunt and uncle bought a home there. We still lived in the government projects and when we visited these track homes they seemed so "modern". Now when I drive through the neighborhood I feel badly to see how John F. Long's dream has turned into a nightmare as the area is just not safe any more.

Originally Posted by Ralph Score

This is for all who've lived in the Metro area for some time. The following are all areas or locations I have lived over the years:

1957: Sheridan around 3rd street, Phx.
1959: Sheridan off 68th street, Sctsdl.
1975: Avalon off 68th street, Sctsdl.
1980: 7th street off Indian School, Phx.
1980: 28th Pl. off McDowell, Phx.
1982: Area of Thunderbird & Cave Creek, Phx.
1983: 36th Pl. & Acoma, Phx.
1983: 34th Pl. & Campbell, Phx.
1984: 10th St. & Monte Vista, Phx.
1985: 26th Pl. & Oak, Phx.
1985: Sheridan St. & 22nd St., Phx.
1986: Sheridan St. & 21st St., Phx.
1987: 19th Ave & Dunlap area, Phx.
1988: 34th Ave, & Maryland area, Phx.
1989: 16th St. & Camelback area, Phx.

Gone since 89'

Cheers

Let me see if I can give the areas in which I lived in Phoenix

50- around 3 rd street and Indian school.
51 Duppa Villa Projects built after WWII
54 Frank Luke Projects
66 16 street and Harvard
67-71 attended a private college in Alberta, Canada
68 mom moved while I was away in Canada to 24 street and Maryland
71-73 dorms at ASU
74 43rd ave and McDowell
85 Tempe near baseline and Rural
87 to now Awatukee

Originally Posted by Kentstate57

Oh Yeah - Blakely Gas Stations. They gave away glasses with cactus on them. My mother finally told my Dad and me to stop bringing any more of those @#$% glasses home. She didn't want any more. So I just saved the coupons and when I got married I had a huge pile of coupons and we drove all over Phoenix redeeming those coupons for glasses! We wanted the clear ones with etched cacti and they were stopping the program is why we had a hard time finding them then. They became collectible later. Don't know if they still are since most collectible stuff seems to have died out.

I remember when we lived in the projects that mom collected them. She did not have a car however her best friend's husband did and would buy them for her. She had them for years. The ones she had were not the clear ones and I hated the feel of the clouded glass when I washed and dried them.

Originally Posted by Arizona Mike

[SIZE=2]Al's Family Bookstore, on Van Buren near 12th Street - Phoenix's biggest used bookstore, and full of a huge variety of any category of book or magazine you can imagine - Used comic books for a dime, most of which would be worth a small fortune by now. Thousands of used paperbacks and magazines and paperbacks. A forbidden adults-only section in back, and a darkly mysterious occult section with a painted pentagram on the floor. My other favorite newstand was Royal Book Store on 32nd Street and Oak, which carried every magazine known to man, as well as a full selection of comic books and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine to sate my childhood obsessions. Both sadly gone.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Bert Easley's Fun Shop, every Halloween and before your birthday party, if you were lucky. An essential stop for Halloween costumes, fake vomit, and for every boy magician. Still there, run by Bert's family and better than ever. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]

I remember that book store. Also on the corner of 16th street and Van Buren was a drug store which now is an Adult book store. There was a store between the book store and this drug store that sold furniture and steros. My mom bought there her first tv and first stero record player.

My bother in Jr. High got very interested in Magic and would often buy items at Bert Easley's Fund shop. That was his hang out place. He is now like me in our early 60s and still does Magic tricks performing often in La Vegas.

Originally Posted by beverly boatley

Raised in South Phoenix now living in Lansing MI. I remember South Mountain. Hiking everyday in the summer. You know there are several pretty large caves up there. The old castle dont remember the name of it at the base of South Mountain. The was musuem and Legand City. Encanto park with the little amusement park in it. Celebrity Theatre and Lacanasta Mexican food and icy cold icees at circle k and the Japanese Flower Gardens. County, St Lukes, Memorial and Good Sam Hospitals. Used to go to Lake Pleasant alot too.

I remember attending a lot of picnics in South Mountain growing up. They had a place where you could skate. Loved hiking in the mountains. Last time I went there was with the Goldwater kids in the late 60's. Legand City was a blast and I worked in one of their food stands the summer of 72. My brother did magic shows there. It is sad that the park did not survive. My uncle was an investor in the park and lost $$. The same uncle used to operate the food store and gift shop at Lake Pleasant so I spent a few summers there in the late 50's. I visited the Lake a few years ago and could not recognize it as it is double its size and the food stand is no longer there. Encanto park I remember as young as 3 years old participating in an Easter Egg hunt. I have a lot of memories of this park renting canoes and other boats and riding the rides they had in kiddie land. I loved the area where you could listen to music under the stars. Close by is the fair grounds where I too visted many times and when I was homeschooling my daughter and niece we would enter our guena pigs at the state fair grounds and also their art. They are of another generation and their memories of Phoenix is so far removed from mine.

[quote=BluesGal1;5830407]

Originally Posted by Hassayampa Slim

.

Oh, Slim, so that was YOU! haha!
I loved Goldwaters! It was probably the prettiest store in Phoenix in it's time. The open air mall at Park Central was really a one stop shopping with Diamonds Dept Store (beautiful madras shirts from India) and Miracle Mile Deli and Switzers (Mom bought a mink stole there) and Kinney Shoes, Leonards Luggage and good old Lerners Store.
So exciting! And everyone went to the rodeo parade, Shriners on motor scooters, Sheriffs and Rodeo queens on horses. Best Always,
BluesGal

I already shared my experience going to Goldwater with his grandchildren. I remember Park Central Mall, the first mall in Arizona, even though it was not enclosed like Criss town. That mall is still there I believe. I remember taking my aunt there to buy some clothes in the mid 80's and eating sandwhiches at Miracle Mile Deli. I too bought a mink jacket at Switzers before I got married in 85. The rodeo parades were a lot of fun. In those days we had rodeo week at school and mom would make me a cowgirl outfit to wear to school and the parades. My aunt worked for O.S. Stapleys and she would ride in a horse carriage in the parades. I loved rodeo week.

[quote=S6Sputnik;5467989]I remember Arizona State University was a great place for me! I loved living in the Valley!

Iquote] I loved ASU attending there and living on campus from 71-76

[SuzanneDeAz]

Originally Posted by tom85014

Here are some photos of Garfield - it was a beautiful building in its day. Besides Kenilworth, Dunbar (built in 1925) at 707 W Grant St and Whittier (built in 1929) at 2000 N. 16th St. are still used as elementary schools. PESD will be celebrating their 140th birthday on October 19th at Dunbar from 3:30pm to 6:30pm - The entire community is invited to attend including students, families, employees, alumni, retired employees, and community members.

Thanks for sharing this and the pictures. The picture of Garfield with the playground brings back memories as I went there from kindergarten through 5th grade. That play ground was the Kindergarten playground where my siblings attended as well. We all had a Miss Johnson as our Kindergarten teacher. I never dreamed that one day I too would serve as a kindergarten bilingual teacher. Next to the playground was a tarred area with painted streets. We would drive little peddle cars and learn how to obey simple traffice rules. I remember in 3rd grade, I think the year 57 in which Garfield was selected to make a movie about a court case in which a person had a traffic ticket. I was part of that movie however, it was a young Mexican child, named Ofelia, who was the star of that movie and went on to make several other movies. At that time there were not that many Mexicans in our area and the ones that did live in our area were very much into education. Most of them are not professional doctors, lawyers and dentist. I often wonder what happened to the star Ofelia.

Thanks for sharing those pictures and please post again in Oct. about the reunion as I think I would loke to attend. I remember well Whitter and on 7th street there was a school called Emerson which I believe now serves as their district office.

[tom85014]

Originally Posted by SuzanneDeAz

Next to the playground was a tarred area with painted streets. We would drive little peddle cars and learn how to obey simple traffice rules. I remember in 3rd grade, I think the year 57 in which Garfield was selected to make a movie about a court case in which a person had a traffic ticket. I was part of that movie however, it was a young Mexican child, named Ofelia, who was the star of that movie and went on to make several other movies. At that time there were not that many Mexicans in our area and the ones that did live in our area were very much into education. Most of them are not professional doctors, lawyers and dentist. I often wonder what happened to the star Ofelia.

The film you mention I think was narrated by Jimmy Stewart in 1954 and can be found on youtube. It was filmed at Garfield and North High.

[tom85014]

Originally Posted by SuzanneDeAz

We all had a Miss Johnson as our Kindergarten teacher.

These are the only class photos I have for Miss Johnson - it is a long shot but maybe you or a family member are in one of them.

[SuzanneDeAz]

Bingo! I am in the first picture, the AM class. It is I, Suzanne Sode, at that time the 3rd one in the 3rd row. I am wearing one of the dresses mom made and it has a black ribbon on it. Are you in this picture as well? I remember Mrs. Bennett being our principle. I may be in this video as well. It is not the film we made as the one we made was when I was in 3rd grade. I will view it again and see if I am in it as a student. This one is more of a documentary as the one I made reference to was an actual movie. I spent almost my entire Christmas vacation making it. I think Ofelia is the Mexican girl with the short hair the second girl in the second row.

Thanks for sharing all of this as it made my day going back to the past. I looked on the Kennelworth web site and saw a video made on their 85th year. They actually have a musem in their school. I noted that Garfield was built before Kennelworth. I thought Monroe school was the first in the district? Do you know?

Did you have Miss Johnson as your teacher. She had an older sister who too was single and taught at Edison, 7th grade. I did not have her but my brother Bobby did.

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by SuzanneDeAz

You are right. It was a Newberrys and not a Walgreens. Do you remember their Parakeet display? That is what I remember the most. I also think this store had a basement and an escalor that went to the bottom floor. Near Newberry's was a store which sold chidren's clothes and mom would buy my petticoats there. There also was a cafeteria there that I remember being quite formal with cloth napkins. I remember my grandmother taking me there sometimes to eat. Mom usually took us to Woothworth to eat at their lunch counter. They used to sell Pizza by the piece. I remember Indian woman would sit outside of Woolworth and sell their beaded jewelry. Korricks was one of the first stores to go and it was converted into one of the first Jr. Colleges.

I maybe remember parakeets...something about birds anyway and yes there was an escalator...my friend and I used to play on it. Two kids could split one of those big pieces of pizza and still have money left to go over to the candy store next to Phoenix Stamp and Coin. Anyone remember the name of the candy store? Was it See's? I don't remember. My friend always bought white chocolate and I think I bought something called chocolate covered sea foam...a chocolate covered molasses flavored 'styrofoam' type candy that would crunch and then just melt in your mouth. We also loved the elevators in the old Hotel Adams...they still had elevator men back then.