Kids That Grew Up Together

[berwyn senator]

We would play softball at Lincoln School during the 60's,all went to Morton East a few went to West.The 70's we were all married, by the eighties some divorced, some deceased, some remained others moved out.I have been in berwyn almost seventy years with no plans on moving, love those bungalows!! have a Yellow Octagon Bungalow second home all refurbished great neighbors.As much as I bitch I love the area and all the bull shit.Where can one find anything better?

[berwynson]

A relative youngster, compared to Senator and I! The '60s were a great time for us in Berwyn. I finished a 2-year degree at DeVry Tech up on Belmont Ave., worked for Motorola in Forest Park for three days, and quit, having spent drudgery-like shifts moving slowly sideways adjusting the color electron guns in T-V sets on a conveyor belt, summer, 1963.

Victor Mfg. & Gasket Co. on Roosevelt Rd. hired me as a Development Technician on Sept. 23, 1963. Best job I have ever had. Quit
in '72, moved to desert southwest, finished college, wound up divorced, took a job in Colorado, then returned to Victor as Facilities Engineer at the Oil Seal Plant in Indiana. There I met a little lady in '78, we married, took a good position in Phoenix, AZ. We are together today, still, almost 40 years later.

I've missed Berwyn, because it represents my youth. Born & raised there, lived there for my first 30 years.

berwynson

[moose]

I think my mom may have worked at Victor Gasket, but not until the 70's, that name sound familiar. Like I said, I grew up in Berwyn in the 60-70's, graduated from Morton East.

Got married, moved to the western suburbs, got divorced, moved back to Berwyn, sold the family house and moved further out into the western suburbs.

I still go to the Larry Dominick, I mean houby parade! Stop at the bakery to get some hotdogs in a bun.

It's not the same Berwyn I grew up in!

[berwyn senator]

Funny thing mentioning Victor Gasket, my grandmother worked  there for many years, she used to car pool with a group of women from Lyons. Haven't been to a Hobby parade in years'used to be all Czcek not any more, which I find is a bunch of bowlshit. But the Czechs moved out so what can we expect.Berwyn is just fine, people are people, I have been here for years so far everything is good.Where can a person move and not find something wrong? Veseckys Bakery is still in business, at times the bakery can be old, my neighbor owned Jim's Meat Market across from Freddie's on 16th.Street used to make good hotdogs for Veseckys.Next time in town try Old Fashioned Candies on Cermak road north side west of Lomdard.Do not waste your time going to any of the Czech restaurants in the area all are bad!

[berwyn senator]

Many of the kids we played ball with had younger brothers and sisters who would come to Lincoln School.Most of us were all from North Berwyn,we played in the alleys, rode bikes together and played tag.

[moose]

I lived on the south side of Berwyn, closer to Ogden. We had a lot of kids on our block and surrounding blocks, played kickball on the corner or in the alley, we new everyone's name on the block. I still see a couple of them, and have found a few more on Facebook. We spent plenty of summers at the pool at 31st and East, we could walk there. My mom would send me there with 25 cents, .10 for the locker, and .15 for a snack afterwards.

Since Ogden was in close proximity, I remember Winkies on the corner of Ogden and Ridgeland, next to the Convenient Store. There was a Texaco gas station on Ogden and Gunderson, then it was a Pepe's, and now the laundromat. I remember Golden Rexall Drug store. The old White Castle, and then building the new one in the parking lot while the old one stayed open. Sitting outside the McDonalds eating cheese burgers. The Big Boy drive in, then restaurant, that ended up burning down, my parents always thought that was suspicious. I used to go to Vern's when I was old enough to own a car, and smart enough to fix it on my own.

Then the was Uptown, going to Schoen McAllisters to buy Cub/Boy Scout supplies. Going to the toy section at Raikes, the Blue Fountain restaurant for cream of chicken soup. And the hobby store to buy American Flyer train stuff.

Sheesh, I'm old!

[berwyn senator]

Everything you say brings back memories,Texaco station owned by two brothers used to by auto parts from Vern at Chicago Auto Parts.I worked for Vern delivering parts during the summer up and down Ogden Ave.Kenny was the other driver.Big Boy was a hang out for drivers setting up drag races,White Castle was the same.East of White Castle was another drive in we used to cruise through then east down Ogden to Henrys Hot Dogs,last I think was Dog and Suds across the street.Windsor Hobbies was a favorite spot,Bob Soucek was the owner and new all of us kids.During the summer we used to hand out there and Colonial Camers bought all our Cameras from a model Railroader who worked there by the name of Karl.

[berwyn senator]

Everything you say brings back memories,Texaco station owned by two brothers used to buy auto parts from Vern at Chicago Auto Parts.I worked for Vern delivering parts during the summer up and down Ogden Ave.Kenny was the other driver.Big Boy was a hang out for drivers setting up drag races,White Castle was the same.East of White Castle was another drive in we used to cruise through then east down Ogden to Henrys Hot Dogs,last I think was Dog and Suds across the street.Windsor Hobbies was a favorite spot,Bob Soucek was the owner and knew all of us kids.During the summer we used to hang out there and Colonial Camera bought all our Cameras from a model Railroader who worked there by the name of Karl. Been in South Berwyn 45years

[berwynson]

On Lombard and 16th. St., NE corner, there was a Texaco station long ago, owned by a retired vet named Herb Felthouse. He called himself a "wooden-shoes", and walked with a limp, war injury. His two bays had pits to work under the cars. I don't recall any other stations with pits, which eventually were outlawed. Herb's Texaco had no lift for cars, that I remember. My brother in law worked for him awhile, when I was 6 years old, 1948. Across the street was a Shell station, north side.

By that time, there were few vacant building lots left in Berwyn. Two were on Harvey, NW corner of 16th. St. New homes were built on them. One snowy slippery night, George took the corner too fast off 16th. onto Harvey, slid his Imperial up on the grass in  front, got stuck. As I heard it, Berwyn Senator was shoving & pushing, while George tried to get moving. Owner came out front door, raving, Senator yelled back, "Don't stand there bitching, help us push!" Poor George is now dead, I hear.

Remember that one, Senator?

[berwyn senator]

I will never forget, remember Herb my parents used to go by him.The lots we used to play army in soon new homes were built they were a magnet for kids. George passed away 2 years ago heart attack, hell he was in better shape then all of us.We meet once each year for dinner with his wife,Charlie,Ted,and I. She now can laugh about some of the stories about the Imperial,She was going out with George and did hang with us all before they got married, best thing that happened to George! That Imperial spent just as much time on the curbs as it did on the street. One evening we were looking for George,he wasn't home we new something was up.Drove two blocks from his house cops all over,we spotted the Imperial up on a curb smashed into a house.George was laughing, cops couldn't get a straight answer from him as to what happened, we parked and got out Charlie was laughing like only he can.There were several girls in the car finally we helped get the car off the curb, we convinced the cops to give him only one ticket if he paid for the damage on the house. Lucky for George the home owner was not home.When we got back to Georges house he told us one of the girls was driving{no license no  insurance under age} Over to foremost back to his house pulled the car in the alley George started putting roof cement on one of the big dents.We were soon off riding around!!! We never worried about anything except wine and wheels!





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[berwyn senator]

How about the 54 Pontiac? Straight Eight, four doors, four kids fit in the back seat, three in the front.We would cruise the neighborhood turning the ignition key off and on back firing the tank.The sound was like gun fire, we went down Riverside drive bang, bang.all the way up until the tracks Uh!Oh! the police were waiting for us!Charlie started cussing in the car, the others laughted.The police approached pistols drawn, we all put our hands up, asking what is the problem officer?  All of you punks get out of the car we obeyed,where is the gun they wanted to know? Officer there is no gun we were just having car trouble and trying to get home,search the car if you like.The cop stuck his head in the car and backed out smells like vinegar! we forgot George had tossed his cookies after too much wine and tried to use vinegar to clean up the smell the day before.None of us could hold a straight face, officer can we go now ? His exact words get this piece of shit out of Berwyn if catch any of you again your going to the station.In the car ready to go the battery was dead so I begged the officer for a  jump.Bitching and swearing he helped us the car started with a bang and off we were.Over to Foremost  then Burcals on Roosevelt for cheap gas 24.9 per gallon. headed into Riverside car back firing all the way! George was 15 no drivers license,we were younger, the car was bought for $25 dollars. No way this could happen today!!!!

[berwyn senator]

When we were very young, cowboys and indians were played in the vacant lots.We would strap on our holsters and six guns and off we would go.For hours we would run around the lot firing our cap guns, can anyone imagine doing this today?

[berwyn senator]

I am most interested in what happened to the kids we used to hang around with? I did receive a note from a Patricia Stuart whom we went to Grammar school with would like to reconnect with her but misplaced her address! the mind is not as sharp as it was.Have been in touch with several High School pals but none from Lincoln school.

[berwyn senator]

I had previously requested that any kids we played ball with contact me, well unfortunately I learned George Krejci pass.Also Rich Kennedy and most recently Bob Vashinko also passed. It seems like yesterday we were all at the ball field playing our championship game!!!!!!!!!

[berwyn senator]

Every time I pass Lincoln School on 16th. Street,I think all the ball games and kids we hung out with.I hate seeing the huge addition taking up our old ball field. Most of us walked to Lincoln while older kids drove every evening, we played until dark leaving the game to be continued the next day. These games continued until the weather stopped us. When spring came back we were playing baseball at Lincoln.I can still remember all of the kids, positions each played, who could hit the ball on the third roof. I guess such memories don't matter to most which are much younger. When we took our bikes, baseball bats were held across our handle bars others carried the softball riding with one hand. Later on Berwynson would drive up with his 1955 Mercury, bats and 14 inch rubber coated soft ball. A new type of game came into play!!