Richard C. Beck Remembers Lorain

The trailer park just west of Chris’ Restaurant was home to Richard Beck

I got an nice email a few months ago from Richard C. Beck III, who called Lorain home for a while in the 1950s. Although he now lives in Georgia, Richard has fond memories of his short time in Lorain, and decided to share a few of them with me. 

"My family lived there in 1957- 1958,” noted Richard.  "I was in school there at grade six. My 6th grade teacher was Mr. Davidson.

"We lived in the one row small trailer park on Rt. 6 & 2 just west of the (now gone) Howard Johnson's Restaurant. 

"My dad worked as a painter/sign painter for Brady's Restaurant, the Ohio Theater, and the Lorain Drive-In. My dad paid me 25 cents an hour as an apprentice during the summer break.

"Mr. Dick Kline managed the Ohio Theater and the Lorain Drive-In.  We painted and made signs for both of them. Now they both have been gone quite a while.  

Richard remembers the Drive-in well. "Lorain Drive-In had "Buck Night" on Fridays; the total cost was only one dollar for everyone packed inside a car. 

"At the back of the parking lot, there was a fish pond,” he noted.

Biking was a passion for Richard during his time in Lorain.

"From Sears and Roebuck on Broadway Avenue in Lorain, I bought an English Racer 3 speed bicycle.  I pedaled it on West Erie Ave/Rt 6 & 2 quite often.”

He remembers, however, that the streets weren’t always bike-friendly back then.

"In those days, all drivers considered bikes as toys – not allowed to legally use Public Right-of-Ways.”

Nevertheless, Richard’s still an avid biker. "At age 71, I still pedal a bike here where I live near Atlanta,” he noted.  

Richard’s lived in a lot of places, but knows which one he liked the best: Lorain. 

"Before we moved there, we lived in Massilon, Lima, Defiance, Hicksville, and Toledo. Lorain was/is my most favorite town. It's made me depressed when I learned about all those big businesses that disappeared from Lorain."

Richard sums up his affection for Lorain quite eloquently.

“That city – at the mouth of the Black River on Lake Erie with the Coast Guard station – was always the place I wanted to move back to."