I attended Memphis from 1955-1961, then went on to Wm. Rainey Harper.
For some reason, today, I thought of my homeroom teacher, Ethel F. Baker. I Googled her name and that's how I found this blog.
I can remember how stern Ms. Baker was in Room 301. She was always impeccably dressed and I remember her silver chalk holder with the little stone flower setting on the side.
I remember we had Cloak Room Monitors.. whose job it was to raise the doors in the cloak rooms just before the bell rang. I remember Mrs. Mildred Wurch, the Science teacher. In the summer when school was out, they had a program where you could opt to grow a garden at your house. Mrs. Wurch would come around to your house in late August just before school started, and she would grade your garden and give your a certificate. We always waited anxiously for her arrival.
It's amazing how many memories are retained after all these years... I'll jot down a few.. to see if anyone else remembers them.
The boys played marbles in the school yard under the monkey bars. You would scoop out three holes in the gravel, and see if you could knock your opponents marble out of one of the holes. (If you did knock your opponents marble out.. you got to keep it) Some boys had large bags full of marbles they carried around.. cats eyes, boulders, etc.
I remember walking home for lunch everyday. I lived on W.48th, so I got to walk.. (in all types of weather). We would watch Capt. Penny (Ron Penfound) on Channel 5, WEWS, while we ate our lunch. We knew it was time to go back to school when Capt Penny was over. Remember his closing statement everyday? "Listen to your mom ... she's pretty nice and pretty smart.."
There was a small corner store at 45th and Memphis next to Kirchners German Meat Market. We would stop in on the way home and buy penny candy and pretzel sticks from a big jar.
There was also Novak's Home Bakery on the corner of 48th & Memphis where you could get fresh cream-filled lady fingers for a dime. (a lot of money in those days but worth it!)
I was a school crossing guard... got to wear the nifty shoulder harness with badge and carry my Greater Cleveland Safety Council Yellow flag.
I remember rotary dial phones.. my phone number was "Shadyside 9-7458."
What was the television commercial with the lady who sang the Jingle "Garfield 1-2323... Garfield 1- 23...23"? Jimmy Dudley.. the voice of the Cleveland Indians.
I can remember one ice cold snowy morning in January.. going into the basement of the school near where the Janitors worked. They had a big coal fired furnace in there and we would stand by the door of the room to get warm. There was a boys bathroom right near where the Janitors office was. Schools were much different in Cleveland in the 50's. I think they were better,.... meaning ...that they were more tuned into student progress and well being.
Many students at Memphis Elementary will remember the dentist and assistant that came in once a year, and evaluated students teeth. We would all have to march down to the Principals office on the first floor, and wait in line as the dentist examined each and everyone.
The Dentist would have a wooden tongue depressor, and he would call out all the cavities and problem areas.. with numbers like 24-35-16-
I later learned, that he was mapping my teeth and noting areas of cavities. I never knew what they did with that information, but I guess they gave it to the parents who would take their kids to the dentist.
At one time.. the doctors came in and gave shots for whooping cough, and tetanus. Good luck in this day and age even getting a doctor to come into a school. And who could forget SOS? (Sabin Oral Sundays)
Sabin Oral Sundays were series of weeks where the families could go to various places around Memphis Elementary School, and get a sugar cube, which contained a dose of medicine to prevent Polio. As I remember.. it took 3 doses of sugar cube, to properly vaccinate you.
Hard to believe that we defeated the deadly disease of Polio as late as 1960. But we did.
More to follow... Many great memories live on.. thanks for sharing and best regards to all in 44109... Old Brooklyn.
James;
ReplyDeleteWould your mom yell at you because your shoe heels were all dirty and worn because that's the way you scribed your game boundaries in the gravel of the school yard? Mine did.
We girls had a hopscotch-type game that consisted of a large spiral. That took a lot of shoe leather to make!
Nancy Moeller
Wow!! Blast from the past. I went to Memphis from about 1959 to about 1964. Great memories...and I'm dimly recognizing some of the names; Ms. Volk, principal; Mrs. Goodnight, Kgarten, Mrs. Miller, 1st Grade. I lived over on W. 36th. Captain Penny at Noon and at 5PM, (Barnaby at 4:30); Brookside Park; The Zoo. We moved away in 1964, but to this day that is still my old neighborhood...I sometimes drive through there, park the car, walk and reminisce.
ReplyDeletewe were probably classmates.
DeleteGarfield 1-2323 was the Culligan Man
ReplyDeleteThat phone number was the Aluminum Siding Corporation of America. They sold aluminum siding to residential customers in the greater Cleveland area.
DeleteHere's another tidbit: When I went to Memphis there was an elderly woman who was the crossing guard across Memphis at the light in front of the school. Her name was Bertha.
ReplyDeleteOne day we went to visit my grandmother who lived on Garden (off W. 25th), and who was sitting with my grandmother in her living room? You guessed it. Turned out, Bertha and my grandmother we good friends. (I think they may have been in Eastern Star together...not sure about that, though. I know my grandmother was in it, not sure about Bertha.)
I entered Memphis in 1955.... thanks for bringing back the old school. I lived on Henritze, a half a block from the school, but still remember walking in the cold weather in skirts...
ReplyDeleteAmazing, My son went to the Zoo today, I asked if he seen the swimming pool? Needlesstosay, there is none, by the look I wonder if he beleived there was one, so I looked it up and came across Memphis school too where I went. My goodness how interesting. Wish there was more pictures. I was in Memphis 1951-1958 then William Rainey Harper. Teacher that stands out for me at Memphis, was Mrs walzak, Mrs Gerome Mrs Wurtz with her Indiand signature. This is so fun!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the memories! Mine were almost exactly the same except I went to William Cullen Bryant Elementary on Oak Park. The home garden, the dentist, the furnace in the school basement, Capt. Penny, ALL OF IT was my life too! Thanks so much for helping me to remember!
ReplyDeleteWow...I went to Memphis in the early 60's...I watched Captain Penny while eating my lunch at home too! I remember the corner stores too! In 1963, we were in the auditorium, practicing for the Christmas concert, when the news of JFK's assassination was shared.
ReplyDelete