Masson Class Photos – March 29, 1966

Recently I received a nice email from one of my old classmates named Frank Zabrecky. Frank went to Masson School as well, and some of his high school years were spent at Admiral King (my Alma Mater). I remember his sister Monica was at King as well. Frank commented that he enjoyed my blog and that it brought back some pleasant memories for him.

"In regard to the Masson section, I especially took note of the picture showing your first grade class with Mrs. Pierce," he wrote.  

Here's the class photo that he was referring to. That's me in the second row, second from left. (Mom helpfully drew a little arrow on it.) As you can see, it was taken March 29, 1966 – 59 years ago tomorrow.

Frank continued. "As I recall in a past site visit," he noted, "you had stated that Mrs. Pierce and Miss Duskey were somehow related.  

Yes, Mrs. Pierce and Miss Duskey were cousins (and the subject of this post).

"I was in Miss Duskey's first grade class, and I happen to have the picture of the class taken on the same date.  It is in good condition, and I thought you may possibly be interested in a copy of it to post."

Here's Frank's photo of Miss Duskey's class, taken the same day as mine, and with the same classroom as the backdrop. That's Frank in the front row, second from left.

It was neat to see kids in Frank's photo that I instantly knew. Frank felt the same way about my photo. "I was even able to recognize almost all of the people in your picture as well," he commented. 

It's funny how even though I might forget people that I worked with over the last forty years, I can almost always remember classmates from elementary school. I certainly remember all of my teachers, such as Mrs. Pierce, who were all terrific. And although I didn't have her as a teacher, I remember seeing Miss Duskey at Masson and thinking she was pretty, with her distinctive hairdo.

My thanks to Frank for sharing, and letting me take a peek at who was in the classroom next door.

Lorain Auto Show – March 25 - 27, 1955

Seventy years ago today, Lorain was enjoying the third and final day of the Lorain Auto Show. Above is the front page of the Lorain Journal of March 27, 1955. Held at the Lorain Arena, it was the city's first auto show in 25 years.

The Lorain Journal included a special Auto Show section that day. Here are a few select pages. (I made sure to include the page about Oldsmobiles.)

The page above about the Jeep reminded me of something that happened at work recently. A co-worker had recently purchased a Jeep, and I asked her if she was going to get a wheel cover with Popeye's pet Jeep on it. She had never heard of him. In fact no one in the room had. I guess it doesn't take very long for a once, well-known cartoon character to slip out of the public consciousness.

It's kind of sad that the ninth-largest city in Ohio has no venue for an Auto Show these days. In fact, there aren't any new car dealers in Lorain, since the last two vamoosed out to Avon.

Ridge Hill Memorial Park

Have you given any thought as to where you'd like to be buried when you, uh, depart this earthly realm? 

It's something that most of us have to deal with sooner or later (preferably later). I know where I'm going to be – right next to my parents in Elmwood Cemetery. 

(After my mother's graveside ceremony back in 2023, I was complimenting the minister on his lovely speech, and pointed out that I was going to be buried right next to Mom. After suggesting that perhaps some day he could do my service as well, I joked (as John Wayne did as Rooster Cogburn in the cemetery scene near the end of True Grit), that I hoped he wouldn't mind that I "don't move in too soon.")

Elmwood is a nice cemetery. It's well-maintained by the City of Lorain and has a lot of history, making it interesting to explore. Most of my father's side of the family that lived in Lorain are buried there; the rest are across North Ridge Road in Calvary Cemetery.

But what about Mom's side of the family?

Well, as Mom used to point out, her mother was a little bit snobbish. Rather than being buried in Elmwood with the rest of the Lorain rabble, she and Grandpa Bumke are buried in Ridge Hill Memorial Park.

But I can't blame Grandma too much. I recently found some articles and ads from the time when Ridge Hill first opened, and the concept behind it was very appealing. Here's an ad from the Lorain Journal of October 19, 1929. The cemetery was still under construction at that time, so this is somewhat of a teaser ad.

It's got some well-written ad copy that positions Ridge Hill as a unique, uplifting alternative to regular cemeteries like Elmwood. The ad notes, "We are creating at Ridge Hill a great park, devoid of mis-shapen monuments and other customary signs of earthly Death but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, sparkling lakes and lagoons, cheerful flowers, singing birds, and noble memorial architecture."

And here's the special section from the Lorain Journal of November 25, 1929, when Ridge Hill was a few weeks away from opening. The lead article notes that 57 acres of the property was previously a farm owned by the late Edward Straw, with another 12 acres "obtained from an adjoining farm."

Here are some ads and articles from 1930.

Jan. 25, 1930

This article from Jan. 28, 1930 reveals that the well-remembered house at the entrance to Ridge Hill was the former farm house of Edward Straw.

Jan. 28, 1930

May 1, 1930

There was a lot of publicity in 1934, the centennial of the founding of the village that later became Lorain.

June 7, 1934

July 14, 1934

July 14, 1934

Remember the old farmhouse at the entrance? It's gone now, but continues to haunt old Google Map views.

Here is a recent photo of the entrance gates. They pretty much resemble the architectural rendering seen in the article from Nov. 25, 1929.

The memorial park itself is still beautiful. It's shaking off the effects of a tough winter and a windy start to spring, but its natural beauty is evident.

It is a different feeling than Elmwood. Good choice, Grandma!  

****

While preparing this post, I was saddened to discover that Bob Cool, Jr. of Boyer & Cool Home for Funerals recently passed away on March 14, 2025. Bob coordinated Mom's wake, and was the minister who spoke at the ceremony at the cemetery. He did a great job and made the day uplifting and memorable. Over the years, Bob's company handled the funeral arrangements of both my parents, as well as my grandparents. 

My condolences go out to his wife and family.

Mom & Dad Make the Society Page – March 25, 1950

Remember when the Lorain Journal had a Society page?

You probably don't. Going back to the early 1920s, the Journal included a social column that reported marriages, social club news and fraternal meetings, calendars of events, and small briefs about the local citizenry, such as who was ill or who was visiting another city, etc.

By the early 1930s, a true formal "Society" column had evolved, that featured more detailed accounts of weddings, engagements and parties. It was part of the Women's page, with advertisements, recipes, advice columns, short serials and anything that might interest the members of the fair sex.

This approach carried on right into the 1950s, which leads us to the subject of today's post: my parents' wedding plans that appeared in the paper on March 25, 1950 – 75 years ago today.

Grandpa Bumke (Mom's father) was working at the Lorain Journal at that time, so perhaps that's why Mom and Dad got the primo spot on the page.

I like the "Open Church Observed" announcement. Apparently it was "an old English Custom" in which anyone who wanted to attend the ceremony could attend. It was a charming way of announcing to the community that everyone was welcome to witness the vows, and seemed to be pretty common in Lorain back then.

These days, I'm not sure how engagement and weddings are announced. 

The Chronicle-Telegram publishes 'milestones' twice a month, but it seems to consist mainly of wedding anniversaries of the senior crowd. The Morning Journal has an online wedding form but I don't see a price listed, or any information as to whether the announcement will appear in the paper or on the website. 

Perhaps a reader who still subscribes to the Morning Journal or Chronicle can provide some information. 

****

Here's the Lorain Journal's coverage of my parents' wedding. It appeared in the paper on the same day as the ceremony, April 20, 1950.

One-Year Anniversary of Comet Celebrated at Ford – March 1961

Back when the Ford plant on Baumhart Road was running full steam, it was a big event when the first or last vehicle of a specific model being manufactured there came off the line. The media was there to cover the event, taking pictures, interviewing executives, and the whole thing ended up on the front page of the Journal. It was a source of pride for the Ford workers and the whole community.

Other events were celebrated as well, such as the unique event described here involving the Mercury Comet, made in Lorain.

Sixty-four years ago this month, the one-year anniversary of the Comet was celebrated with a unique cake that rolled off the assembly line, as noted in the Journal article above from March 16, 1961. As noted in the article – since it was the day before St. Patrick's Day – "A group of "Irish colleens" were on hand to serve the cake to visiting dignitaries, newspaper, radio and television representatives and hundreds of plant employees."

How did they bake a cake as big as a car?

"A base was built from an actual car chassis complete with wheels and scrap body stampings," noted the article. "The actual baking of the cake took place during the last two days. The top third of the entire car was edible cake."

The company that made the car was the same food services company that was the supplier for the Lorain plant. They used 166 dozen eggs, 193 pounds of flour and 482 pounds of sugar as the main ingredients.

I wonder what that cake would cost today?

****

A year earlier, the introduction of the Comet played out in local car dealer advertisements. S. W. Becker Motors was the Mercury-Comet dealer whose ads featured it.

March 16, 1960

March 17, 1960

March 21, 1960

And Meyer-Goldberg made a 1965 Mercury Comet the prize in a contest celebrating the first anniversary of the Oberlin Avenue store (here).

As I've stated many times, we were an Olds family. But I do like the look of the Comet.

Meet Harry Wade of Amherst – May 1970

We'll close out the week here on the blog with an article that I found after I did my post about the iconic Lorain Journal clocktower. It's one of the popular "Bill Scrivo's People" features that ran in the paper regularly for years. In this edition, we meet 64-year-old Harry H. Wade of Amherst.

The Journal clocktower is behind him in the photo for a reason: he climbed it so that he could take panoramic views of the city from it (photography was his hobby). The article reveals much more about him, including his long career at the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel, his deep religious faith and his opinions about what was going on in the country at that time.

In the years following the publication of the "Scrivo" profile, Mr. Wade contributed the occasional Letter to the Editor or question for the Hot Line column. The letters were always interesting and always reflected his keen interest in the subject at hand.

Feb. 12, 1979

He passed away in September 1992.

March 20, 1965 – First Day of Spring Sampler

Well, Spring is finally here. In a few weeks we'll see if March truly goes out like a lamb.

Apparently it didn't seem to be going in that direction sixty years ago. Above is an editorial cartoon that ran in the Journal back on March 20, 1965 by the great cartoonist Vaughn Shoemaker. That's a terrific drawing of a lion, representing March.

Let's look at some other items found in that same edition of the Journal. Elsewhere on that page was a pretty good pair of editorials – one about the confusion caused by Daylight Saving Time, and the other one a charming homage to Spring.

Also on that same page was the daily dose of Dennis the Menace. 

I like him as he is here, young and saying outrageous things to adults (love the pained look on the old lady's face). But in later years, Dennis was drawn to be older and taller, like on the later Little Rascals when Spanky and Alfalfa weren't cute anymore, and were literally growing out of their clothes.

That same edition of the Journal also included a very early The Passing Scene, appropriately welcoming Spring in one of the panels.

Also on the cartoon circuit of the paper were two visits by our old buddy, Reddy Kilowatt. 

Reddy was still in his heyday in the mid-1960s, not yet rejected by hippie-types who preferred 'flower power' to the kind he promoted.

Another local utility with an ad in the March 20, 1965 paper was the Elyria Telephone Company. But its ad doesn't feature the anthropomorphic phone mascot. Instead, we get an elegantly dressed woman yakking on her phone in her fancy bedroom. Sadly, the days of a land line on a nightstand are over. Now we get to wonder where we left our cell phone, and if we remembered to charge it overnight. 

Elsewhere in the Journal was this ad for the well-remembered Steve's Shoe Repair on Oberlin Avenue, just a little down from Yala's Pizza. 

It was always interesting going into Steve's to drop something off or pick something up. The store reminded me of the one in the old fairy tale about the Shoemaker and the Elves, with every kind and size of shoe piled up in rows, waiting to be repaired. Some of them looked like they had been there for years.

If you were in the mood for dancing, there were several options to be found in ads in that Journal. For adults, my old trumpet teacher Alex Visci and the rest of the musicians that made up his Quartet were appearing at Lincoln Park. 

For the teens, there was an upcoming dance at The Hut at 3709 West Erie. Lee Abel's Red Ryders were the featured band.

Lee Abel and Walter Rothgary were leasing the restaurant at that address as "The Hut," as well as the Lorain Arena behind it for dancing.

The movie screens were also catering to the teens. The Lorain Drive-in was about to reopen for the season, with a triple feature of popular Beach Party flicks.

The Palace had the T.A.M.I. Show – Teenage Awards Music International – with "the Excitement, Entertainment and Music of Teenage America."

I see one of my favorites on the bill: Gerry and the Pacemakers. While I was at Ohio State, 610 WTVN played "Ferry Cross the Mersey" a lot on their "Million Dollar Weekend" radio program. The tune came to be a real reminder of my college days.