Gary, Indiana, ghost town

Robert,
You're right Dad never said a word about WW2. It was only after he passed in 1986 that I petitioned the Navy for his records and duplicates of his medals. From the records I put together his Pacific travels culminating in the sinking of their ship in May of 1945. it was quite an ordeal. They still have reunions every year for the Okinawa veterans. He was quiet, unassuming, PTA President, Church treasurer, Little League Coach and even made the coffee everyday in the accounting department at the Gary Sheet and Tin Mill for 28 years. He never had an unkind word or gossiped about anyone. I didn't appreciate all that at the time. He just did his job as Father and employee/volunteer and never boasted... barely tipped a alcoholic beverage as well. Good role model for all of us kids. All the Fathers were that way in our Little League/Churchgroup. Paul Hills Dad, Carl Yurechco, Don Knutilla, Mr Torres, Mr Collins, Gus Teitge. Fine group all of them.

I went to college at Indiana University Northwest in Gary, IN. I've lived a few places between Laporte County and Lake County Indiana. When I graduated from college in 2008, our comencement was at the Gary Civic Center, which is right noext to the old Methodist Church. I've only recently heard of the term "Urban Exploration", and I figured I must be one, since I love going to run down building and learning the history. I'd love to explore more of my area. I wonder if there are more people in the great Northwest Indiana area. If there are, please pont on here so we can chat and see what places need exploring. I'd love to build a community in our area who are looking to explore.

Jay W,
Your father was one of the unsung hero's of WW 2. Most likely he didn't talk too much about it, but if he is still living get him to tell you about his time in the service so you can tell your kids, and etc.

I wasted all my baseball cards fixing up my bike for the Edison homecoming parade...not sure if we were in it or chasing it. lol Then I got a Mattel Varrrooom. Which I loved, it was mounted on the handlebars. I think I ran the batteries down the second day and they were hard to come by. I snuck fresh ones from my Dad's flashlights. he was always wondering why they were dead when he wanted them...usually when we spent the night (many Summer nights) in the southwest corner of the basement due to tornado warnings. darn that PJ Hoff on channel 2. Seemed like we lived in the basement. Dad was always worried about us. He was an old Navy man, earned a Purple Heart at Okinawa. His missle cruiser was hit by kamakasis and he spent 3 days in the water waiting for rescue. I think it affected him later in life. He felt more comfortable staying at home.

As previously mentioned he had a Ford tractor and an old dump truck. He sodded nearly all the ball fields in Gary, I remember Glen Park and Junedale he mentioned. He was a farmer from Sterling Illinois originally. He came to Gary and rented what is now Southlake Mall property. We grew tomatoes and cantalopes in the early days. I plowed the fields with him riding on the tractor fendor. I feel bad I wouldn't eat the tomatoes only the cantalopes...I had a bad sweet tooth. lol He always took me to the truckstops (Black Cat) and the one in Miller on the way to get black dirt in Chesterton at a place called Good Earth.

After the land was sold to build the mall, he worked with his best friend Dave Froman. Froman owned the Phillips 66 station between Clark Rd and Chase. I used to help plug tires, but mainly drank the 6 oz cokes and ate Payday bars. That was a great time. There was a little store (that's what we always called them) nearby and I got pork rinds and Jay's Shoe String potato chips.

He was a bowler too and I think he bowled in the Optimist league. I remember when the Sportsmans restaurant at Tri City Bowl caught fire (grease filters). The first time my Uncle Jim McKeigan helped put the fire out. The second time it burnt to the ground. Some of you older guys may know Jim. I'm not sure if he graduated Horce Mann or Tolleston, I think he gradusted before they moved to 11th and Hanley. There were the Brannons and Rodreiguez families around that corner.

Grandfather won either the BLL or Optimist drawing for two weeks use of a 1963 Ford XL 500 convertable. We styled and profiled back an forth to school and LL. Paul, you may remember that. I think the car came from the Ford dealer next to the Anco Wiper plant...also across from Peerless Chip Company. It was hard to give that car up. That was the closest both my Dad and Grandfather got to owning new cars. It was different generation for sure.

Best regards, Jay

Charles, Your father was just one of the best men any young boy could be around. That cigar, walking through the stands to collect donations, and that dark blue shirt with the gold script lettering on the back. BLL is so far and away my best childhood memory, and I have it thanks a great deal to your dad. You know, my dad umpired a lot back then, and sometimes even my games (Community Club/VFW Post 7237). You'd think I'd catch some grief from my friends for favoritism, but never an unkind word to me or my dad. Probably cause I hit about .220. I virtually lived there from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Remember how much fun opening day was, and the parade from Edison down 5th Avenue?

Jay W.
I remember Your grandfather, Ed Linton very well. I was a life member of the Optimist Club of Glen Park for over 21 years. Ed as I recall had a tractor and did some grade work at the Optimist ball field. The bike rodeos held each year was just a part of the Optimist work. Good to see all of you bringing back the memories.

I have mixed memories of the Glen Park Bike Rodeo. Good and bad. If I only knew then what I know now! It was for the Bike Rodeo that I put an Ernie Banks Rookie Card on the front spokes of my bike!!! Who knew that it would be worth something later?? And the gum was like leather!!

Charles: We all remember your Dad and his generosity. My Dad Fred Williams (353 Hovey), Carl Yurechko and Don Knutilla all coached at one level or another. I loved my Green and Grey VFW Post 7237 (previously Community Club) hat, Mr Collins coached us in the Majors. Dad coached us at Lud's Motor Parts and Yellow Jackets.

Dad was Brunswick United Presbyterian Church Treasurer (and we cleaned the church on Saturday AM) our duties included going to get the Superior beverages company to fill the the machine in the basement, always loved the Chocalate flavored drink and an Orange Crush.

Mom brought Peerless chips home from Brunswick Bowling Alley and at one birthday took me to the Peerless plant and picked a box of the dime bags to take to school to share with everyone.

Someone asked about a record store...when I read that Comays immediately came to mind.

Grandfather Ed Linton (11th and Hanley with the huge garage, tractor, dump truck and 53 Olds 88) was an Optimist member and we had buffets at Beauty Spot. Also I helped him do a Bike Rodeo in Glen Park. Anybody remember that? We gave out reflector stickers for the back fenders after the men inspected the bikes for safety. Seven Up on Broadway donated a machine and pop. I got to pour and give out the stickers. Those were great times.
Warmest regards. Jay

Robert & Wayne: How sad that some of the homes on Lincoln are gone. I see that my grandparents' home still stands (thanks to Google Earth), but there are no street views. My hope is that the area endures for many years. If Mr. Combs' grandfather lived at 546 Lincoln, he probably lived next to my Grandparents. I will ask my Grandfather about him and report back to you.

I will always remember grabbing bottles of warm Waverly soda pop straight off the bottling line. There is nothing on this earth as incredible as freshly bottled Dad's Root Beer, Waverly Cream soda, or my all-time favorite, Waverly Strawberry. Freshly bottled soda is warm, super bubbly, and ultra-sweet. Observing the bottling process at work on television shows such as "How It's Made" presents a good view of the procedure. However, watching the process in person was an intense, ear-splitting experience. Thanks go to all of you who enjoyed Waverly over the years. My Grandfather was the one and only bottler of Waverly, so dig through your basement to see if you still have a bottle lurking in a corner!

Mr Stokes was a truly great man in the history of Brunswick. When I was playing LL at Anderson, the Babe Ruth was TE. Tolleston Edison. Games were played at THS and at EHS. Wayne, one of my teammates at Anderson was from your neighborhood, Bob Dulla. We never would have run off anyone at the minor league field, we would have tried to get as many to play as possible. 7 on 7 meant no right field out. We all learned BB by playing hour after hour. I'm sure you got broken bats from Mr Stokes also. A nail and tape and you had a bat that wouldn't sting your hands. Its amazing we didn't ruin our arms with some of the balls we used. The ones that got soaked weighed about 3 lbs and the ones we taped because of the lost covers got heavy too.

THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS ABOUT MY DAD. I DROVE AROUND BRUNSWICK LAST FRIDAY. IT BROUGHT BACK OLD MEMORIES. BOBS RESTAURANT BURGERS THAT WOULD SLIDE OFF THE PLATE. OPEN THE DOOR AN HAVE TO WAVE YOUR ARMS AROUND TO MOVE THE SMOKE.HOLLY ROSARY CHURCH ,FATHER SMITH YOU COULD HEAR HIM BREATH WHEN YOU WERE IN THE CONFESSIONAL. GOING TO THE MOONLITE DRIVE IN AN PARKING IN THE LAST ROW. GOING TO THE PALACE THEATER AN LOOKING UP AT THE CEILING. THEY HAD LIGHTS IN THE CEILING THAT LOOKED LIKE STARS,EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE A CLOUD WOULD COME BY. SOMETHINGS ARE NOT WRITTEN DOWN BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT WAS IS NO MORE. DAHM WE HAD FUN

Andy K.

My grandfather , L.I. Combs lived at 546 Lincoln for many, many years. Sadly the house has been torn down, reasons unknown to me. The neighborhood was comprised of upscale (at that time) homes, mostly brick and two story. The streets were all tree lined. There was a pharmacy called Markmans on the corner of 5th and Lincoln and the 5th Ave. theater just down the street. The owner at that time of many theaters in Gary was a man called V.U. Young who lived next door to my grandpa and he gave us tickets whenever we visited. I grew up on the east side at 733 Tennessee.

Hello Charles Stokes! I will second what Al B has said..... your father was very instrumental in helping to further the lives of MANY young boys. I remember quite well all the fathers gathering on Saturdays to build (and better equip) BLL. I remember whenever Joe Eckhart (District Manager) would show up to inspect the BLL operations Mr Stokes had everything working TOP NOTCH. Yup, that cigar! Who could forget it! Mr Stokes, Mr Bush, Mr Radke, Mr Collins, Mr Grcevich, Mr Zak, Mr Hudak (dad!), and all the others who elude my memory! We were associated with BLL from about 1958-63. I remember them building the pressbox with cinderblock. I remember when they started building the Babe Ruth Field. The FIRST electronic scoreboard for a LL field was designed by my brother's best friend's father, Oscar Huycke. I do want to apologize for constantly being a pain in your father's rear end for trying to get in the press box during games! LOL Ohhhh, he would through us out in a heartbeat when he caught us! Cherished Memories Indeed! According to what i see on Google Street View, the field is still there! At least the light towers and equipment building are!

@Al B..... we too played home run derby or "Right Field Out" on the minor league field in the summers. Maybe you guys ran us off sometimes! LOL

@Andy K..... Waverly POP! wow! A friday evening after mom shopping at Edmar provided my taste buds with a huge bottle of Waverly Cream Soda and a bag of Peerless Chips! WHO COULD FORGET!? Oh, and then watch Home Run Derby at 6:30.

Last but not least..... what was the name of the record store downtown in the 60's, was on the west side of Bdwy near Busch Jewelers?

My mother grew up in Gary, IN, and my grandfather owned Superior Beverage (he just turned 100 years old!!!). He bottled Waverly soda, Crush, Vernors, Dad's Root Beer and Schweppes (to name a few). Eventually my grandparents moved to the Mansards in Griffith. I was just a little kid when my grandparents still lived on W. 6th Avenue and Lincoln, but I seem to recall that the entire neighborhood was breathtaking. I'd love to see the house forty-plus years later. You can see the inside of Superior Beverage on Flicker (do a Google search). Incredible memories.

Hi: I hung out in a bar in Gary, Indiana, in the year 1963, maybe it was 62. I was very young and stupid. The bar was extremely rough. Lots of loud music, and fights. Ladie fights, and men fights. good grief. I cannot remember the name of it. They also had good music. I can remember the Red Barn in calumet city, but not the one in gary. I was from cedar lake. Thanks if you can help me. Sue Tucker

It has to be a source of pride for you to know how many young men from Brunswick were positively affected by your father. He helped so many boys start up the road to maturity. I personally know of some guys who for whatever reason could not afford the LL fee who were allowed to play by your father out of the goodness of his heart. He was a truly great man. Who can not remember the updates and innovations he brought to BLL. I'll never the cigar and BLL officials shirts he wore. A true man of great influence.

My father George Stokes was the founder of Brunswick Little League. ITall started in back of edison high school. My dad an BILL fisher head of Gary Park Board back then leased the property for a 1$ a year. George and his friends built 3 fields.Dad was the president of Brunswick Little LEAGUE FOR 20 YEARS. I STILL REMENBER SITTING DOWN UNDER THE TREES ON A SATURDAY HAVEING A DRINK WITH ALL THE COACHS . THOSE WERE THE DAYS!

Wow, Wayne - that was some video. Way cool. I view a couple others while I was there on YouTube. Sure wish I could've gotten close enough to shoot some of my own pix. I'm still thankful the crashes didn't occur in town - the CSX tracks pass less than 1000 feet from my house.

I remember your dad and Mr Collins also. I watched you all throughout your 12 year old season. I always thought the difference between ya'll and cloverleaf was pitching. There's was a little better. I remember my coaches Mr Erdelac, Mr Freeman, Mr Burson. The 2 toned hat was a definite Babe Ruth or Senior League hat. Ours were Maroon and Blue. You are right the concession stand was awesome. The hamburgers were world class. It was a great place to hang out. Sneaking into the press box, or getting to run the scoreboard, top of the line. In the summer some of us old dudes-me, steve t., dennis s., biff, george d., john d., and my little bro. used to go to the minor league field in the early afternoon and along with others who would show up would play home run ball. This was mainly between my 8th and 9th grade year. It was a blast. After the dfrivers license th LL became less enticing. We spent a lot of summer evenings at Griffith park or Glen Park school shooting hoops. Miller Beach, and cruising anywhere became the norm.

Here is a flyover of the Valpo area train wreck. A real innovative individual had a remote control plane with a video camera on it. neat! The wreck was cleaned up when this video was shot but you can see wrecked tankers off the side plus 3 damaged locos on the rails, ready for movement. I used to take photos of trains from that old rickety bridge in the late 70's. I was amazed when i returned there some years later to see the new bridge, thinking i was lost! It's a good thing i wasn't down in that cut taking pics of trains that day!

www.youtube.com

Al.... that's interesting you remember my father, some how i do not remember you from the LL (being 4 years ahead of me). Your brother Don i knew well. We were out to crush the ball anytime we had a bat in our hands! I was in the shed the other day and located a Brunswick All Star cap and a grey cap with maroon bill, also BLL. I THINK that maroon cap is from when my brother played for Sokits Bakery in the Babe Ruth League. Community Club hats were grey with a green bill. Ahhhhhh, i can still smell those chopped onions from the concession stand waiting on a hamburger! Those were great times.

Hi, Sarah! I haven't been here for a while.

The train crash occurred on Toftes' farm. What a mess. Billy and his wife live very close to the site and had to evacuate. Laurie's son, Aaron, and his family live a few houses away as well and had to evacuate. Roads were still closed in the area on Sunday when I tried to get close enough to get some photos. I couldn't get within 2 miles of the crash site. A friend of mine from church has worked for CSX for 40 years and has been heading up the cleanup and accident reconstruction. Thank God, the crash did not happen in town and there were no serious injuries.

Sarah, I remember picking wild strawberries, morel mushrooms and wild asparagus in the vicinity of that old, rickety bridge. Those were the days! The bridge is long gone, replaced by a large overpass, and the intersection has been completely redesigned. You wouldn't recognize it at all if you saw it today.
_______________

Danny Joe Malone -- I am NOT a BRAT!!!! Perhaps this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black!

The original Palm Grove was on the south side of 5th avenue at 5th and Porter in Brunswick. It was kind of strange to find the new Palm Grove on Industrial Highway (4th avenue). Wayne, with my ears that flattop made look like a car with its doors open. lol I knew Mike Bajza when we small kids in Tolleston on west 10th place. I remember when they moved to Gary Heights. Hesek was a great pitcher. He hurt his arm when we were Freshmen. He was never the same after that. He served in Vietnam. Cathy Grecevich was the dream girl of our class. She married Jack May-he was from your neighborhood. He played minor league baseball with th As. George became a heart specialist. He was almost incredibly strong. I saw him body slam Eddie Torres at Edison when we were choosing up for a weekend FB game. You have brought up familiar names, but I can't place all of them. I remember your dad from BLL and the Community Club team you and Don played on. It is incredible that is almost 50 years ago. Boy time moved fast. It always seemed when I was teaching that I should have been in one of the desks instead of teaching. GO BLAZERS!!!!!!

Well hello to you too Ms. Sarah!! Just so you know. PJ IS STILL A BRAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I grew up in Indiana Harbor and remember going to the Palm Grove Restaurant with my parents when I was very young which had moved west of downtown Gary (I think it was originally in the Gary downtown area) and close to the border of East Chicago. I remember the green and pink neon sign of a palm tree surrounded by the industrial dregs of the area. And I remember pink banquettes inside and such great dishes as Shrimp de Jonghe. Does anyone else know anything about it? For some reason the place haunts me.

Great Website by the way.

PJ been thinking about you tonight. I have nothing to add to our Glen Park discussions. After seeing the national news tonight about the 3 train collison south of Carr's, I just wanted to say HI and Happy New Year!! We spent many afternoons and evenings at this collison site and the old rickety bridge!!! Danny Malone. . . Happy New Year to you also!!!
Sarah English Lilley

Al, i borrowed my sister's 1962 Edison yearbook. That's a real neat crew cut you have! LOL You were in the same class as my sis, Susan Hudak. Others in the class of '65 that i knew were:

Mike Bajza....... he moved near us in N M'ville, i knew his kid sis, Mary, in M'ville
Christine Flynn...... she was a good friend of my sis
Karen Gergacz..... i went to school with her brother Dave and sis Peggy in Gary and M'ville
Cathy Grecevich..... she knew my sis, i played at BLL with her Bro Mark and her Bro George played with my bro Tim Hudak
David Grant..... worked at the Main Gary P.O. with me for years.
Randy Haslett..... lived down the street from me on 11th n Baker
David Henke.... hung out with my brother
Bob Hesek..... a GREAT pitcher in the Brunswick Babe Ruth League.
Linda Skager..... lived down Baker St from us, i think. There were a bunch of Skagers!
Jeff Sudroff...... bullied me and my sis when we attended Washington Elem School

Oh, by the way, i was in the class of '69.

MORE TO COME!

Thanks for the heads up on the web sites to check out Tri-Cities. I think we have stayed in Guntersville at (what was then??) a Holiday Inn. I remember it being right on a lake. We were doing the "shopping in Boaz" thing if I remember correctly. Is Boaz still a shopping "mecca?" Do not remember buying a whole lot in Boaz, but on the trip back we stopped at a shop in a place called Lacy Springs, found an unusual set for my dining area. Had to pay for it, get all the way back home, borrow a truck, go back, pick it up & then had to have the seating pieces re-upholstered!!! Still using it. AND is probably the reason I cannot get my husband back to Boaz/Guntersville! I too loved Peerless potato chips & Jay's. Tried the mailing thing but always got crumbs. Maybe the shipping is better now. For awhile we could get Jays flavored chips here, but have not seen them lately. These new Kettle chips satisfy my yen for the thick, crunchy Peerless type chip (but is still not just like a Peerless!). SO, we just eat A LOT of potato chips AND Gyrros while in Poratge visiting. (PARAGON restaurant & Pub - Portage edge of Hobart). We bought pizza from a place about a block off Broadway in Glen Park & I think it was a Flamingo... and there was another place, I cannot remember the name of. Actually there are a LOT of geographical facts, etc., that I have trouble pulling out of the old mental files. Old memories...even older brain! By the time I was old enough to get around on my own, we were in Glen Park. So we (friends & I) took the buses wherever we wanted to go outside of Glen Park & the (then) South Shore to Chicago Loop area. My favorite teenage eating spot in Glen Park was Beauty Spot & Miner-Dunn. Downtown was the Hoosier Grill (my best friend's grandmother was hostess there, so we ate chaep or free) & also a place called George's (he also had a place in Hobart). A typical Saturday with a few dollars (from babysitting or ironing) found me on a bus headed downtown to the beaty schhol (hair done by students for 50 cents!!). There was a record shop (that I cannot rememer the name of) & the Palace Theater & all sorts of stores for window shopping. My favorites were Goldblatt's, 3 Sisters (or was it 2?) and Woolworth's. Thanks for sharing! Think I'll go check out google.com & bing.com. By then it will be time to go get the grand-brat from school & do the supper thing. Later.

Hi Ms. Kerry! I'm TJ's "little" brother! So on my next fishing adventure into Bama you're going to tell me where the fish are biting at Lake Guntersville???? Right????

TJ, I almost forgot. If you go to bing.com and click on "maps" and then search for "waverly drive, gary, indiana" you will get an even better view of Tri-City Village (be sure to select "birds eye" at the top of the screen .. this gives you the satellite image).

TJ, I drove through "Tri-City Village" last year when I visited my Mom for Christmas. While I certainly wouldn't go there at night it wasn't too bad during the day. It was really cold outside that day so there weren't many people outside. Like I said, the apartments look just like they did when we lived there. I'm sure they have been refurbished over the years and while some areas of Gary have really deteriorated Tri-City has not. As a matter of fact it looks like all of the units are filled. Unfortunately Horace Mann High School was closed down and boarded up several years ago as well as John Vohr and Chase Elementary School. The first pizza I ever tasted in my life was when we moved to Gary and a friend of the family bought a pizza from Flamingo Pizza. We loved it and I still think it's the best pizza I've ever eaten! I also learned to love Peerless Potato Chips (which are only manufactured in Gary). Peerless is still in business and I still sometimes call them up and they ship me a box of chips here to Alabama! Oh yeah, you mentioned the Boys Club .. me and my brothers all went to the Boys Club. It was located in one of the old units at Tri-City and it was located on the end of the projects close to Chase Street. Mr. Charlie Bell ran the Boys Club and years later I would see him at Inland Steel (he was a Plant Guard). I mentioned the google website. Actually, if you go to google and then click on "maps" and then search for "Waverly Drive, Gary, Indiana" Be sure to click on "Satellite" in the upper right corner and you will see a perfect overhead picture of Tri-City Village and you can zoom in, and even rotate the picture, and see great detail. I live in Guntersville, AL (about an hour south of Huntsville). My son and his family live next door to me and my daughter and her family live about a mile away .. all the grandkids are close. I'm planning on going to Highland, maybe next week, to visit Mom. I didn't get to go during Christmas Holiday because I was under the weather. Have a great day TJ .. it's good hearing from old neighbors!

Indeed, the world is smaller! Thanks for the feedback. Don't know if I EVER knew the name of the apt. complex-much less remember it! alb - Not to worry about health issues. I deal with a couple of my own, plus those of the others in this house. So, whenever you are up to getting out just holler. No, life is not exciting in Hardeman County! You want excitement OR EVEN EXCELLENCE in a cup of coffee, we will probably have to meet in Jackson. My home is always open, not glam or magnificent, but I make a decent cup of Joe & can rustle up a snack. KERRY! I cannot remember exactly when we moved from "Tri-City Village." Was around 1958. That is when parents bought a house in Glen Park. We were probably neighbors! If even for a short while! When I think back on those 2 apts. we lived in & then consider the undeveloped area of Glen Park & the house that we moved to, I wonder what the folks were thinking. The subdivision (being developed at the time by someone by the name of Tony Montrose??) was being built on one big ocean of sand. And the house was tiny. My memories of the "Tri-City Village" apts. are equal to or better than the area & house in Glen Park. I remember them as bigger than the new house & there were playgrounds & Girls & Boys clubs. I have wanted to drive through the Tolleston area, but the family members that I visit when I return assure me that it probably would not be a good idea unless I have access to an armored vehicle!!! Kerry, you have apparently done this...was it THAT BAD?? And where in Alabama are you?? We go through Alabama whenever headed to the beaches or when we take an alternative route home from South Fla. Love the Sikes & Cohen Mall in Pine Level. Have a friend from former State service who lives in the Wetumpka area. And we go to the Florence/Shoals area some just as an alternative to the Memphis/Jackson shopping scene. One of my sisters lives in Iuka, Mississippi. We say that we can spit into Alabama from her house! So good "talking" to you folks!

You were near 5th and Chase across the street from the Budd Plant. If I remember the Chase Street Baptist Church was a large building. `Dr Duncan's office was above the Roosevelt Grill. He was my Dr also. The world gets smaller doesn't it? Danny and TJ we should get together sometime. Right now I'm not sure when. I'm still having some health issues but maybe in a week or 2. Of course I know we live much less exciting lives in Lauderdale County than Hardeman County. LOL.

TJ, I just read your comment and I wanted to let you know that I too lived in those apartments off of Waverly Drive. The complex was then known as "Tri-City Village". My Dad moved us there, from Alabama, in 1957. We lived there for a couple years and then moved just a few blocks over to a house on Taney Street which was across from the Budd Plant which was on Chase Street. I originally went to Horace Mann, then John Vohr School and then Chase Elementary School. We then moved to Highland, IN in 1963 and I graduated from Highland High School in 1968. The Chase Street Baptist Church was pastored at that time by Rev. Steele (he was a neighbor and I went to school with his twin daughters). Oh, by the way, "This Is It" is still in business! I've lived in Alabama for about 16 years now but my Mom still lives in Highland and I have two older brothers who live in NW Indiana with their families so I travel there about 2 times a year and I sometimes drive through Gary to look at some of the old sites. If you go to www.google.com and search for "Waverly Drive, Gary, Indiana" you will see a great overhead view of the apartments. I drove through there about a year ago and they look exactly like they did years ago.

We lived in that massive complex of apartments on Waverly Dr. Not exactly sure what part of Tolleston that would be. We lived in 2 aprtments during our "tenure" there. The 1st was on Waverly Dr. The 2nd apt. was in the same massive collection of apts., just on a different street. Do not remember that street name. There were railroad tracks behind us, there was a playground. Not remembering much about the geography of the area, but I do remember it was somewhat close to something called the "Budd plant." I attended church at what was then called Chase Street Baptist Church. I remember a downtownish looking area, probably the business district of Tolleston or Tarrytown. There was a building there that was a retail business of some sort on the ground floor & offices atop. The physician & dentist that my parents used were there. All I remember is that the physician was called Dr. Duncan (and that he was ancient in the middle & late 50's) & he had a nurse (??) called Alice. The dentist was a Dr. Sposeep (sp??). And he is the reason I still hate dentists! I began school at Horace Mann. The year I started school, John H. Vohr was under construction, so the elementary age kids went in the mornings & high school went in afternoons. I think 2nd grade was John H. Vohr. The parents patronized something called "This IS IT!" in Black Oak???

I spent my first 5 years on a Dyer Co farm. All my life I viewed west tn as heaven. While growing up in Gary was enjoyable, I always knew where I would end up. My first step was attending UTM. Therewere 2 transplanted Garyites besides me there for a while. One from Greenfield and one from Wayne County. I still have 4 cousins in the Gary area. All of my family that once lived in Gary have now moved back to TN. My chief regret is that my father passed away shortly before he was to move back. Where did you live in Tolleston? We lived on west 10th avenue when we were in Tolleston.

If Al B. is finished watching the paint dry over in Halls I wouldnt mind joining you 2 for coffee. Hey AL B. TJ is my wonderful big sister!

My memories of Indiana aren't all THAT bad, just not as many good ones as some of the others on here. Maybe I just didn't "apply" myself! I too have wonderful memories of our neighbors in Tolleston & Glen Park. But I was in a terrible big hurry to get back South. I was born here in Hardeman County & lived here, in the loving care of my maternal grandparents for most of my first 5-6 yrs. I believe those are referred to as "formative" years. So, in my heart & mind, I was already a SOUTHERNER by the time I wound up in Indiana at age 6. Weird that you are in Halls. About a year and a half ago, I was contacted by a gentleman that was born & raised in Gary and in fact, graduated from Lew Wallace the same year I did! (1968) While in Glen Park & in school,we NEVER knew each other. But after one thing & another, he left Gary & is living in the same town as I am and has been for over 20 years!! He & I are living proof that all people in small towns DO NOT necessarily know every one & everything that is going on! He is also loving life in the South . I agree with you...I too have been blessed to live & retire in the South, with my Southern family & our Southern ways. I only get backto the Gary area about once a year. But it never fails to occur to me before I ever get back that, even with the good memories I have, I am glad NOT to have to live there! Some of us "transplants" need to get together over coffee & compare notes. {I am retired from the State of Tennessee- Pharmacy Technician. Retired about 3-1/2 yrs. ago. Spent 24 years at Western Mental Health (formerly Western Stae Psychiatric Hosp) & 10 years at Arlington Developmental Center}

TJ, I too left Gary after graduation from Edison in 1965. I went to college in the South, returning each summer to work at Wonder Bread in Tolleston. I always knew I would return to Tn, but as much as I love the South, I still enjoyed my time in Gary. The times in Tolleston and Brunswick were great. Beveridge and Edison were good schools. We had phenomenal neighbors. One thing about Gary, you got away with nothing. My friends mothers would correct you for wrongdoing and depending on the seriousness woul either inform your parents or deal with it themselves. I lived, laughed and played my young years away in Gary. I treasure the memories. Upon graduation from college, I started a teaching career at Halls High School in Lauderdale County, TN. I am now retired after 35 yrs at HHS. Rural life in the South- it doesn't get any better. I have had truly been blessed.

Terri,
You brought back a memory that had left this old 82 year old mind, about the sock dolls. What was you last name when you lived in Gary? And where did you live? What was your great grand-fathers name? And a Merry Christmas to you, Terri.

Merry Christmas to everyone. I have gone through and read everyone's post WOW.

All I know is the people of Gary came from all over; my great-grandparents came from Czechoslovakia to provide a better life for their children. They worked very hard at any job they had and were very proud of ther work.

People like my great-grandparents made Gary what it was, unfortunatly people no longer sit on their front stoops. Now they're in their fenced in back yards.

Speaking of people Mr. Combs my aunt remembers the argyle sock dolls your mother made for her. She had them for many years and cheriished them. She told the story of the lady who made sock dolls for many years. I thought you might want to know that.

There still is a Lure on 20 in Portage and it is very good.

Once again Merry Christmas to all.

I remember NOTHING about country & western at Washington High (unless Washington was in Hammond?). I remember folks going someplace in Hammond for C & W "Caravan of Stars" shows. Lake Eliza is the only venue (if that's what it could be called!) having C & W shows, and they weren't all that big a deal. Merry CHRISTmas to all you INLAND Steel descendants, Tolleston & Glen Park baby-boomers & all you other walkers down this "memory lane" of the Gary/Glen Park area. Having been back in the south since 1969 & subsequent trips being to the Hobart/Portage/Duneland/Chicago Loop area, I now have MORE memories of THESE places...maybe some of you others can relate?? Apparently, I wasn't as enamored of the Gary area as some, so, I returned to Tennessee as soon after graduation (Lew Wallace '68) as was fiscally & physically possible. But still try to return 1 or 2 times a year to visit a sister who has yet to make the reverse migration.

I remember Shoppers Fair very well. It opened around 1962. It had a section of pinball machines. Everyone to play Tropic Isle. It was a hangout place. We took a shortcut through Clark Woods to get there. Shortly after Shoppers Fair was built Clark Woods was cleared. That messed up Clark Pond, a favorite ice skating place.The Lure had great Burgers and Fries. Their shakes were really good too. We always thought Lure Burgers were better than MacDonalds. Dog n Suds was on one side of the Lure and Chuck Wheeler's KFC was on the other. TRI City Plaza was across 5th from them. 5th and Clark had the service stations. Falcone's was one of them. First Federal Savings and Loan was on the north side of 5th and Porter with a Cleaners on the other side of Porter. Club O and the old abandoned Palm Grove Restuarant were on the south side of 5th. There was a little white block building that had a barber shop. Between Hovey and Mount there was a small market and Paul's Barber Shop. Ther was also a contracting business. Anybody remember Dr Senics the
dentist. The only way he could have been more painful waa if he didn't use novacaine at all. Sokits, the storefront library, Smiley's, Dairy Castle, Bob's, and Brunswick Drugs all 5th avenue businesses. Grillo's Toy Town was the greatest toy store ever. I knew Mr Frank Grillo from his Tolleston toy store before he moved to Tri City. The Tri City Lanes Bowling Alley was tremendously popular. Jewel and National Super Markets were big in east Brunswick just as Edmar was to west. There was a Drive In called the Starlight west of Edison on 5th and of course the Moonlight Drive In Theater at 5th and Cline. Going down Clark toward the Little League there was the Community Club, Holy Rosary Church and School, and of course Lud's. Brunswick was great place.

* Your name
* Your email address (will not be published)
Your website
Your location
Remember me All comments
Subject: I remember Shoppers Fair very well. It opened around 1962. It had a section of pinball machines. Everyone wanted to play Tropic Isle. It was a hangout place. We took a shortcut through Clark Woods to get there. Shortly Shoppers Fair was built Clark Woods was cleared. That messed up Clark Pond, a favorite ice skating place.The Lure had great Burgers and Fries. Their shakes were really good too. We always thought Lure Burgers were better than MacDonalds. Dog n Suds was on one side of the Lure and Chuck Wheeler's KFC was on the other. TRI City Plaza was across 5th from them. 5th and Clark had the service stations. Falcone's was one of them. First Federal Savings and Loan was on the north side of 5th and Porter with a Cleaners on the other side of Porter. Club O and the old abandoned Palm Grove Restuarant were on the south side of 5th. There was a little white block building that had a barber shop. Between Hovey and Mount there was a small market and Paul's Barber Shop. Ther was also a contracting business. Anybody remember Dr Senics the
dentist. The only he could have been more painful waa if he didn't use novacaine at all. Sokits, the storefront library, Smiley's, Dairy Castle, Bob's, and Brunswick Drugs all 5th avenue businesses. Grillo's Toy Town was the greatest toy store ever. I knew Mr Frank Grillo from his Tolleston toy store before he moved to Tri City. The Tri City Lanes Bowling Alley was tremendously popular. Jewel and National Super Markets were big in east Brunswick just as Edmar was to west. There was a Drive In called the Starlight west of Edison on 5th and of course the Moonlight at 5th and Cline. Going down Clark toward the Little League there was the Community Club, Holy Rosary Church and School, and of course Lud's. Brunswick was great place.

1

Does anyone out there remember Shoppers Fair on 5th ave across from Tri City? And what about the Lure? I can't remember if the food at the Lure was good or not I just remember going there alot. There was also a White Castle on 5th ave but it closed when I was still very young.

I think I remember Inland sponsoring a few country western shows at Washington High School too. It's where I developed a crush on SkeeterDavis! TJ------HI SIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My dad gave me a pair of "real" toy wood skis for xmas one year. He had a '47 desoto with snow tires on the back. He tied a rope to the back bumper and would pull me 20 feet behind him up and down Souers Ave. When he put on the brakes I would have to head for the drift on either side of the road in order to stop. I was covered in snow by the end of the day.

The first time I ever had tacos was my friend, Joe Garcia's, house. His mom made tortillas by hand and The meat filling made your nose burn. I was all of ten years old. His dad worked at Inland, too.

Next to friend's food at Christmas, Smiley's Taco Ranch gave us great Mexican in early 60s Brunswick. The hard Tacos were good, but the soft tacos were incredible. Smiley's was a great postgame hangout.

And thank you Bobj. Last time I had good Mexican food was last year in Hammond. I now live in Tampa which is a beautiful place but the Mexican food I can get out here is better than any I can get in Tampa. Tampa is big on Spanish, Cuban or Italian foods, but Mexican, not so much. Unless you include Taco Bell. Taco Bell is to Mexican food what Cracker Barrel is to southern home cooking. By the way, Taco Bell is big on this side of the planet, second only to KFC. But I don't believe that even these people believe that Taco Bell's soft tortilla, in a taco shell all wrapped up in a pita bread is actually "another authentic Mexican dish" like it says in the commercials.

Rick,
I just realized I haven't thanked you for your service to this country. If you ever get to The east coast when you get back I'll take you to some great Mexican food places to eat. I used to stop at a little joint on the way in to work at the 14" billet mill at Inland almost fifty years ago. They would wrap three or four tacos in aluminum foil to take in for lunch. Al Rupp, the plant superintendent, asked me one day what I was going to do with my life. I told him I was only working temporarily there until I could get back to college. He pointed to all the guys around us and said, "See all these guys? They are only working here temporarily, too! I retire in five years and I want you to come to my retirement party because you are still going to be here in five years just like all these guys." Three months later I joined the Navy. (Side note: six years later I would regularly go into to Inland and Gary works both as a Customer Engineer for IBM Corp.)

Rick, Bob and all others,
You seem to be very proud of your fathers. With good reason. They were the hard working men who made Gary what it was. I don't have statistics about the number of fathers, brothers, uncles, etc who worked in the mills, Inland, Gary Works, Screw and Bolt, Bridge Works to name a few but there are many other sons, like yourself that can stand tall and say MY dad worked in the mills.
Some of your fathers might be of thw first generation of people who passed through Ellis Island or they might be the ones who did. The point I would like to make is the word "immigrant" was not even in our vocabulary. We were all one big gigantic ethnic group working and playing together. That is what Gary was all about. All of the things that these posts bring up, hot dogs, Christmas time, Village Shopping Center, down town Gary were just bonuses to us, at the time maybe we didn't realize it but it seems as though, reading all of the posts, that we enjoyed them as children.
Merry Christmas to all of my Gary friends.

Bob my father worked at Inland for 34 years and was very proud of the fact that in all of that time he only took one unscheduled day off and that was because one his kids ended up in the ER; I think it was time I nearly cut my nose off. I bet there aren't many people who take pride in something like that. There is still this place called Zel's on Chicago Ave that sells the best roast beef sandwiches and they'd lay the sandwich on a bed of French fries. There was also a hot dog or maybe a chicken joint on Main Street in the Harbor that sold the most delicious greasy French fries. I thought about that the other day when I was eating what I think was camel intestines. It didn't taste bad but it's a long cry from the hot dogs from the Village on Grant Street in Gary. I actually ran into a guy last night who is also from Gary and I told him about this site and we got to talking about things. He was from the Aetna area but he said his mom would drag them all to Glen Park to grocery shop. I often tell the story of the time my father bought us kids a monkey from somewhere downtown, maybe it was Montgomery Wards or Goldblatts and they think that I making it up. Does anyone else remember being able to buy those organ grinder monkey's downtown?

T.J. & Rick
My dad put in thirty-two years at Inland; my uncle Walter forty-three or four. My Dad was out of work for several years during the depression of '29 to '33 (not the current depression). My uncle Walter, who was somewhat younger and didn't have two small children, gave my dad the ticket from the union that he used to get the job that he retired from years later. A few months later uncle Walter got a job at Inland. They were always proud of the fact that they worked at Inland, also. They used to talk about Gary works wouldn't give you the time of day unless you bought so many tons of steel. Inland would sell you steel no matter how small the order was. You may have to wait longer until they could schedule you in, but you could always get it. They seemed to really care about the little guy.

I used to listen to them talk about work in the mills when they were visiting my grandmother who lived on Grand Boulevard in E. Chicago. That was when I first heard the quote supposedly given by the CEO of U.S. Steel, "Most people think we make steel, what we really make is money."

Did anybody ever turn a coal scoop backwards and sit on the waxed steel scoop to slide down the viaduct hill all the way to and across the frozen Clark pond?

Thank you T.J. Now that you mention it, it might have been a union thing. They would do it at Washington High School, which I understand was torn down a while back. Going into the Harbor was always such a big deal for me when I was a kid. It was like two worlds, actually three worlds, East Chicago Harbor was like little Mexico, and then a couple of blocks west was the other East Chicago which I think was predominantly Russians and then back home to Brunswick which was a pretty good mix of everyone. I remember those yearly Inland picnics very well. My father who will be 94 years old in a few weeks stopped going to the picnics about 5 years ago. I went with my brother in law who still works at Inland, and I was so proud to be around so many people who worked at the mill.

How good were the dipped cones at the Dairy Queen? I think Ace's garage was the greasiest place I have ever seen. I guess they had all wrecker business for the city of Gary. They had the biggest wreckers. Wintertime walking to school the 8 blocks from Porter St to Edison in ear muffs and watch cap left chilled cheeks and nose. 4th avenue was a solid line of kids trekking to school. If you wet your hair before you combed it it was frozen by the time you reached Edison. Entered through the Gym doors. The candy machines in the Gym lobby had totally unknown candy bars. Remember the Edison book covers we put on our textbooks. Carl Hellman or David Hoskings playing the trumpet for the flag raising after the 1st bell. oh the memories.

Bob,
That gigantic Great Dane was named Thunder. He was great and I could get him to follow me home on 7th and Porter Street with a cone from Dairy Queen. He was the greatest dog ever. They would come pick him up in the wrecker truck from my house, right before they'd close for the night.

Thanks for your reply & remarks. First, let me THANK YOU, Rick, for your service to our country. As to the INLAND thing, I also remember butt loads of toys being given away at CHRISTmas, but could not remember if it was INLAND proper or if it was a union thing, so did not mention it. That tree was SO big there were individual vignettes arranged all around it with music playing. This was all done in such a way that one scene did not interfere with the other (but then MY memories are old & maybe all this was not as grand as I remember??). Dad took us to see it most years. He was proud to work for INLAND Steel. I also remember huge Labor Day bashes, and there again, I seem to associate this with the union Dad was in. Incorrect memories?? Or old brain??

TJ. I remember the Inland Steel Christmas tree very well and every year Inland Steel would give away a ton of toys. Bob I remember the Normandy Cafe very well, not long after it burned down, my uncle purchased the property and started his own truckkng company there and lived in Mr. Filipowicz's house. I met him when he was very old, I remember him wearing a cowboy hat and was wearing overalls. That entire property has been flattened out and is now part of the Gary Airport. My family attended Holy Rosary Church for many years until we moved up to Glen Park. The Redina was turned into an autoparts store in the 80's but I have no idea if the building is even still there today. The Redina is now on Cleveland in Merriville if I'm not mistaken. Down were the casino boats are now, as you approach them, you go under some railroad tracks and to the right there is a very impressive stone building, very ornate, I was wondering if anyone knows what it is.

Rick,
Did you know the family on the corner of 11th and Ralston? There was an empty lot and then a two story house on the north west corner.

Bob

Does anyone remember the HUGE Christmas tree that INLAND Steel would erect each year? I lived in the area (first, Waverly Drive/Tolleston area then to Glen Park) the entirety of my school years (1955-1968). Left & went back south in 1969. I have a few GOOD memeories of the area. The lake, the Dunes, etc., but, the Christmas decorations downtown Gary, the Loop in Chicago and the INLAND Steel tree remain with me.

On 5th and Durbin there was a Mom & Pop liquor store. Right next to it was the 5 Star Super Mart until EdMar Super Market opened across 5th Avenue from Edison High School. Down from 5 Star was the Dairy Castle. Marylou, my wife to be, worked as a carhop there. Henry was the older man who worked there. Gene and Erika were the couple that usually worked there in the evening. Gene made this great Italian sausage sandwich with hot banana peppers. Across the street from the Dairy Castle was Bob's Drive-in. Many an order of french fries with ketchup eaten there.

In the other direction on 5th Avenue from Durbin Street was the Dairy Queen. Further down the street on the North side was an IGA store; little one family enterprise. Across the street on the south side was Windmiller's 5 and 10. Further East yet was the Palm Grove restaurant. On the North side of the street--the Texaco station with the great Dane the size of a Clydesdale was owned by the Negrelli family. I believe Jeep Negrelli played fullback for Edison.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas

Wayne, I did not know Dottie. My wife of 46 years, Marylou Zaparucha, lived on 11th and Ralston. One of my old friends (that I just talked to last week) was Charles (Duke) Kalina who lived on 13th and Porter or Hanley. We often rode our bikes to his house for lunch of grilled cheese sandiches and tomato soupand rode our bikes back.

The bar north of the Calumet River and on Industrial Highway (Rt. 12 and 20) was called the Normandy Cafe. Old man Filipowicz with a mop of snow white hair would attempt to play the violin for all the truck drivers drinking there. His son, Tommy, stood up for my wedding.

I was baptized and married in Holy Rosary Church. My father and mother were buried from Rendina Funeral home across the street from Holy Rosary where the services were held.

When I went to Boot Camp at Great Lakes in '63 I kept waking up at 2:30 in the morning whether I was tired or not. I wondered about that until it occurred to me that I was missing the 2:30 freight train that went by my house. We were a block from the South Shore.

As a kid, there were gravel pits on north Clark Road (north of Industrial Highway). You had to cross I don't know how many railroad tracks to get there. It was almost to old Buffington pier where the cement plant used to be (still there???). We would take an old wash tub and try to jump into the water with the tub upside down to see if we could breathe under the tub. We also took cherry bombs, taped them to a rock, lit them, and threw them into the water to see an underwater explosion.

More to follow.....

Thank you Mr. Combs, and I too live in Florida these days, in Tampa. I'm assigned to the Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB and have lived in Florida for many years now. The majority of my family are still in Gary and unless I'm on this side of the planet, I am in Gary each year for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I grew up in the yellow house right on the corner of 11th and Burr where my family lived from roughly 1954 to 1976 when we moved to 44th and Madison in Glen Park. My oldest brother and sister graduated from Edison in 68 and 69 and the rest of from Lew Wallace from 76 to 81.

Wayne Hudak

We heard from another part of the "City of the Century" Let's keep it rolling. Astrip to Jack Spratts's was worth the .35 per gollon trip.

A Very Merry Christmas To All. Welcome newcomers Richard and Bob. Bob, did you know Dottie Skager? She lived in the 1000 block of Baker St and according to family, she graduated in '59 from Tolleston. Everyone who lived on Baker St went to Edison, well sadly she passed away a month ago. Ironically, about 2 weeks ago Dotties next door neighbor Mrs. Kankowski passed at age 92. Many of us posting here wish to remember (and share) our GREAT childhood memories of the city we grew up in. I myself seem to be the only lonely Gary Heights poster (West Tolleston), even though our family was just as well associated with Brunswick. We lived on West 11th Ave and Baker St from 1950-1963. My cousins Marilyn and Steve Hudak lived in what i considered Brunswick, 1160 Durbin. From Brunswick LL to ping pong balls dropped from a helicopter at Tri-City, the baby chicks sold at Grants that were dyed colors for Easter, to the FABULOUS train layouts in the Downtown store windows at Christmas. The smell of roasted peanuts at Goldblatts (and that ringing "boong-boong" sound from the elevators?) Walgreens Stawberry Pies! Mom buying my school clothes from Lyttons, with the monkeys and birds at the back door! TOYTOWN! Oh Frank Grillo had EVERY model train made in the world and i wanted them! All of the Brunswick people i knew were from Brunswick LL, (my parents knowing many from Holy Rosary Church) many others i knew from Tolleston as i attended Washington Grade School on 13th and Wright St. Interestingly, i went through my Merrillville High yearbook and counted as many as 31 students who lived in Brunswick or Tolleston that eventually moved to M'ville. 33 counting my brother n sister! I have a list of names i will post later. Some one asked about the Wysocki's, that's where they went...M'ville! I never went to Edison as we moved away the year i would have attended there. We were also "outcasts" in M'ville! We moved to N M'ville on 54th and Lincoln with a Glen Park (Gary 46408) ZipCode, Gary telephone # and had to play LL baseball at Junedale!

Now, does anyone remember the Tastee Freeze on 11th and Chase? They had the first mobile Ice Cream truck that i knew of, it was a large step van painted a light pastel green. They served Custard Cones! ......and who could forget Jack Spratts in Miller????? NO ONE! Anderson Little League, Cloverleaf Dairy, Phillips Ice Cream, Peerless Potato Chips, 4U Truck Stop, and of course, The Lure! Dog n Suds on 5th, A&W on 15th and Wright. White Owl Tap on about 15th and Durbin for their great Friday Fish Dinners.

Am I rambling? YES! Like Robert Combs said, lets hear from other neighborhoods or our own and rattle our memories!

Wayne Hudak

Hello all,
I was born in Gary on Sowers Avenue between Mount and Mathews Streets one block North of the South Shore tracks and one block South of the Calumet River in 1941. I graduated from Gary Edison High School in '59. Some of the teachers I had:

Mrs. Anderson, Kindergarten
Mrs. Jenkins, Third Grade
Mr. Poropat Mechanical Drawing
Coach Sparks Gym (lived on the corner of 4th and Durbin)
Coach Braesmle Gym
Miss Scheddel Band & Orchestra
Miss Long Art
Miss Connor Biology
Miss Myer Spanish
Miss Briley Geometry
Miss Leskow Algebra

I went to IUNW off and on until the US Navy in '63. I was sitting in a dentist's chair at Bainbridge Naval Station when the Bay of Tonkin incident happened. I had a number of jobs until the Navy; including stockboy at Jarabak's drug store on 5th and Burr katty corner from Edison; stockboy at EdMar Super Market down the street; laaborer at Calumet Flexicore in Cudahy on old Cline Venue; heat chaser in Inland Steel; and once in a while I worked for Tommy Filipowicz at his bar on Industrial Highway about a block North of the Calumet River.

It has been interesting reading some of the entries in this web site. Merry Christmas to everybody!

Richard from the middle east

You have offended no one. Your comments are yours to be expressed in any way you see fit. Christmas in Gary, was a trip to Broadway to see all of the store fronts decorated in their (and His glory). When you return from the middle east will you again reside in Gary? I lived there for 40 years, from 1930, the year of my birth, until we relocated to Fl. A bitter sweet move. I loved Gary and the east side is dear to my heart. So many fond child hood memories and the best school ever, Emerson. Come on now you Brunswick, Tolleston, Ambridge, Miller, etc folks, let's hear from you. Toot your horn. And a very Merry Christmas (I will say that til I die) to all and Richard, stay out of harms' way.

You are right, I do have a tendency ramble so. If I hurt anyone's feelings or offended anyone, it was not my intention and I do apologize from the bottom of my heart.

And to answer al b's question; No, there was never a better time in Gary than Christmas. Just my opinion, but no Christmas anywhere has ever been better than the ones I spent in Gary. GOD willing, next year in Gary.

Merry Christmas everyone and GOD bless each and everyone of you and your families.

Richard, I admire and thank you for your service and committment to our nation. Now to change the subject to Christmas. Does anyone else remember the film we were shown each Christmas at school in the 50's. It had the Christmas Story and Twas the Night Before Christmas on it? Can you you remember the Steel City Carolers? Tri City Plaza decorations, the awesome downtown Gary. The sounds, the store windows, everyone you met wishing you a merry christmas. Porter street kids even got together and went caroling. Pre PC Christmases were great. Last thoughts was there a better time in Gary than Christmas.

Richard,
My how you do ramble. I read your post a couple of times and still come out. What did he say? By the way who are "those" people you talk about. I don't believe there were too many displaced people on the shores of Lake Michigan where the greatest little city sprang up in 1905 the year my grandfather came to Gary. I admire you for being in uniform for over 30 years,which puts you at what 50 years plus or minus. You don't and will never know what Gary was in its infamacy. I can't figure out who you are being hard on. "those" people or others????????

Mr. Hill, for the life of me, I have absolutely no idea what you are going on and on about. Having spent the past 30 years in uniform myself (actually wearing it as I type this), believe me when I say that I am grateful to people like your grandfather, father and to my father for that matter, for answering our nation's call. But I don't see the correlation between what I wrote and your response. But I will say one thing, that regardless of how much your family or mine have done for this country, and no matter how much class we have or don't have, never believe for a moment that your family or mine are above or safe from being used by people in power to stay in power or to gain more power or money. You, me our parents and our great grandparents could all freeze tomorrow in one of those unheated houses downtown Gary, and the best we can hope for are 12 lines in the Gary Post. If they needed our family’s homes to finally build that Chicago/Gary Airport, they'd buy it out from under us for less than you'd pay for a ten year old barely running car. Don’t like the term social experiment? Call it what you want, Urban renewal, urban renaissance, white flight, urban decay, racial polarization, the Magic City, the City on the Move, The Children of the Mills, for our own good, eminent domain, etc, etc, etc, it all comes out the same way; none of us combined added up to enough to make a difference. Did any of us really want it to end up the way it did? No, bottom line was that we simply had no say in it. Look at what happened in Cabrini Green or was it the Robert Townsend homes in Chicago. Does anyone really believe that after decades of those people living there that way, (many of them war heroes too) that the city of Chicago finally decided that the crime had gotten too bad and that the decent thing to do was to give those people a fresh new start in the wide open spaces of Valparaiso Indiana? Heck no, it happened because they were sitting on prime real-estate. Real-estate prices had hit an all time high, and the cost of moving these people and any political fallout simply did not outweigh the money to be made. You don’t think that those greedy dishonest politicians or local governments wouldn’t do that or haven’t done that to us? Why wouldn’t they, they have war heroes in their families too. Regardless of what happened to our homes or to us, it could never be as bad as what they did to the people who were there before your grandfather ever heard of Gary; think about it, when is the last time you’ve seen two Indian’s at the same time. Oops, I meant Native Americans.

Paul Hill and Richard from the middle east.
I can not add a single phrase to your very well put comment. See my comment of Nov 5th.

"A social experiment?" You act is if people were dragged to Gary in chains to work here, or as if my father and grandfather worked their because they were too ignorant to do anything else. My grandfather (mother's side) was one the first U. S. Army tank commanders in WWI, and went to work at U.S. Steel, retired after 30 years, with great fanfare. I have the 48 star flag that covered his casket in 1956. My father was at the Battle of Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, AT SIXTEEN YEARS OLD, was wounded, and spent months in recovery. He had raised himself from poverty and fatherless, in rural Arkansas. Working in the steel mills in Gary was good enough for them. THAT is the kind of people that made Gary what is was, and certainly not the kind that destroyed it. I grew up from birth in Gary, and have no shame in it. Class is not designated by wealth, or race, or politics. It is designated by CHARACTER, which was much more common in your "working man's town" then it is today. By the way, if you couldn't speak English when you got here, you learned pretty fast, especially in the schools Gary had at that time. I saw it every day. It was also taught at United States Steel also. Today, you'd get sued for trying to teach someone their country's native language. Politics have been a part of any union town, but at 8 years old I could ride a city bus from my home in Brunswick to downtown Gary and walk to the Palace Theater to watch movies all day and do it ALONE, safely. I didn't care as to why I could be so safe, it wasn't part of my life, it didn't have to even be thought about. These things don't change because of politics or race. They change because people change, because people care less about the world around them and only about themselves. That is why when I was a child people along my way home from school looked out for us, cared for us, and kept us out of trouble. By the time I left, people would close their doors on a child if they saw one getting the crap kicked out of them for their 35 cents of lunch money. That has NOTHING to do with race, politics, or the mills. THAT is why people left. I, my family, and my friends were never part of your idea of any "Social Experiment". We had a great life and a great place to live and work, and those who didn't care threw it all away, and ruined for the rest including you.

Since its inception, Gary was designed to be a working man’s town, steel mills, railroads, docks and slaughter houses; never destined to be a classy place. It’s a working man’s town, no better just bigger than your typical coal mining town or fishing town. People who do the work that Gary had to offer were tough. They didn’t have to speak English and in fact it’s probably best that they couldn’t for the type of work they signed up to do. The work was hard and dangerous so they recruited people from places who would dared the danger in return for an income of any kind. Gary was the melting pot within the melting pot. It could have been a lot of things but all it ever really was and will forever be is our home. Poor people lived there that didn’t know they were poor because they had everything. The only time anyone sees something wrong with Gary is after they leave it and are gone for a while.
We were kids and kids remember the fun and relate everything to a time when we were with other kids and nothing worried us, not the WWI or II, not the Cuban missiles, or the Vietnam War and not this war that I’m currently in the middle of.
Some neighborhoods were great, others not so good but it was home. Now none of them are a worth a crap, but they’ll be forever home. The politics destroyed the city as much as every other thing that occurred. The crime was always there, you just had to be in wrong place at a particular time. Look at your history books, you’ll see pictures of the city with Army troops on Broadway to keep the peace around 1921 and you won’t see a single black or brown face in the crowd, but blacks certainly lived there back then. The earliest records of the region show a freed black man living as a trapper in the late 1800’s near 5th and Cline. I saw a photograph of hundreds of Mexican having lunch in a large circus tent circa 1919 on US Steel property. They were brought up by the train load to work at US Steel. My father was brought via train from Texas in 1947 as soon as his Army enlistment was up. My uncle is in the books as the first Mexican resident of Gary, around 1915. So anyone who says that crime started in the 70’s when the city started turning black or brown is just giving their opinion. Which reminds me of another time when the National Guard came in to stop the violence; the 1970’s and that was due to a trucker strike, not because of black people.
But I digress. Bottom line up front, the nation needed a black mayor due to the social unrest of the times and “they” figured that Gary would be a good place to try it out. If it went bad who cared, it was already headed down hill anyways. And if it worked that would be nice. Hatcher was more a political appointee than an elected official. Whether he is honest or not, doesn’t matter or whether he was capable or not doesn’t really matter either because he never stood a chance anyway. By the way, about a year ago I was in Iraq and heard on CNN that Hatcher was found guilty of income tax evasion but I never heard another word of it. Has anyone else heard of this? Rudy Clay I remember as Congressman Clay or Representative Clay or something like that, back in the old days. He’s always been hanging around waiting for his turn. Now he’s the lawyer for the East Chicago Mayor who was indicted a year ago for something. They’re just one big incestuous group who take turns driving the bus. But just between us girls, everyone knows that if they are taking what is not theirs, it’s only because they are allowed to take it. They only get thrown under the bus when they take too much or forget the they are being allowed to take it.

I was born at Methodist Hospital in the summer of 79' and Gary was already in trouble. The steel industry was well on the way to the dramatic decline in production that was one of the deciding factors in what the city has become. I grew up there in the 80's until my mother in her eternal wisdom decided to pack up and head West. I am not going to bash the city, it's just a place. What I will say is that they need to run the political coups out of town. Richard Hatcher = Joke. Scott whatever his name was= Joke. Rudy Clay= Bad Joke. Stop promising things that you can't deliver on. Develop a plan for infrastructure that isn't based on things that will only get graft greedy politicians and their cronies paid. Don't hire a Mayor that doesn't give a damn about Black people because those are the only people that stay and kill one another. Hire more teachers like the women who taught me at Washington Elementary.

Mr Combs, as we remember all the great times we had in a city that no longer exists, I think we all cry for the town that was. Glen Park, Miller, Aetna, Central District, Black Oak, Tolleston, East Side and BRUNSWICK were all great places to grow up. The beauty that once was Gary is no more. It leaves a heavineas in the heart.

Kevin Rayner,
Although I don't remember you, if you are an east sider, welcome to our site. I also cry for my city. When were your born and where did you live on the east side? From your answers we will communicate more.

I 'm from the east side of the city, born and raised in Gary! I am a vocalist trying to make it. As many famous people to make it out of Gary, you would think there would be allot more of us out here right now. You don't have to worry about what I will do when I make it. I cry for my city and famous or not I will always be there for my people. Love you all! 4ever my family-the entire city of Gary!

Hi Everyone,
Brunswick was indeed a great place to grow up and let no one down it! Perhaps some of you remember my father, Steve Gurgevich, from Little League days. He was a coach and really took the game seriously. I remember being down in the dugout when I was a kid. Little did some of you know that you were babysitting as well as playing baseball. I also have great creative memories, writing and directing plays not only in the neighborhood but at Edison School where I went from K-7th grade. Much later when I was at the University of Michigan. I contacted my Dad's old friend Karl Malden with a proposal for screenplay. Karl called me right back saying, "You don't know me but I'm your friend and I really am your friend." That's a Gary man for you! He asked if I had been writing in childhood and I responded "yes". He told me he could always tell and jumped right in to help me and my friends with the project. Deborah Wysocki was my best friend as a child and she and her brother Michael used to rehearse with me in their backyard. We used anything we could find to act out including Mad Magazine. I have a very funny memory with the Wysockis'. We started a bonfire at night in the middle of Durbin Street right in front of their house. The fire got large and started to burn down a tree on the Wysocki's property by the curb. Mrs. Wysocki was on the phone when we all went in to the kitchen. Michael innocently asked her if she had any hotdogs that we could roast. Looking out the window, she scramed at the top of her lungs at the blaze going on outdoors. She dropped the phone, ran outside in her curlers and turned the hose on it. The sidewalk was forever blackened by our 'innocent' prank. Does anyone know where Debbie and Michael Wysocki are? They also had a very cute little sister named Cathy. Debbie and I were always 'up to stuff' and Michael usually took the blame! By the way, I graduated from Lew Wallace and my brother did also, Dr. Steven Gurgevich. His close friend, also of Tucson, is Dr. Roy Flores. Roy is from Brunswick too and it's very close to his heart. He is the present Chancellor of Pima Community College in Tucson. Henry Sanko lived next door to us on Durbin Street. Karl Malden loved talking about Gary and he'd always say, "It's a great place to be from." I remember Brunswick as a place of high creativity and freedom. I had fantastic parents who showed us great love, and a mother who fostered writing and creativity like no other. My Dad was President of the Brunswick Community Center at on point and I also remember him coaching "Biddy Basketball". We were not just members of a community but of a beautifully courageous, innovative and creative 'tribe'. The place where we chose to begin our 'soul's journey' is 'sacred ground' no matter how it looks today. I'm so very grateful for the vitality, love of nature and 'luxurious' memories and feelings that I will always carry from Brunswick. It was a special place and time to grow up with the most colorful and individualistic people one could every meet in life. Pamela Gurgevich

Hail to the Green! Hail to the White! The Homecoming parades were great. Neighborhood baseball was great. We played in the street on Porter, on 4th ave at Hovey, and played fast pitch with either First Federal or Rendina Funeral Home as our backstop. We somestimes played against the old Palm Grove Restaurant, but that occaisionally resulted in a rubber ball going in the side door of Club O. We also staged Indy 50 bicycle races. You could stay out til 9 and somestime later playing in the street safely. When people started to go to bed, it ended a days play. Remember what we called Rugby. It was a pass anytime touch football game. As we got older there was Basketball at Samson's. Later we would go to Griffith Park to play BB against tough comp. Brunswick was a mayberry of its time.

Jay W.
What is Green and White? Gold and Grey ruled. lol We were all proud of our schools colors. Next to the American flag they were our emblem of our place in life. Wish I could be 10 years old again. Way too many street games to even mention. What fun!!!!!!!!!!!

Dean Watson
Terry did do the incubator and the chicks, I think I did the volcano that was supposed to really spit lava. We've all been chatting about the Brunswick memories here and have started a Brunswick Elementary Class of 1965 group on Facebook. Check it out. You're right most of us were gone after the Summer of 65.

Robt Combs/ Al B
You're both right Gary was the place to be as a kid. We biked everywhere and no one was a stranger. We were just kids then. No one ever mentioned ethnicity. At home, school or on the street we just biked and played baseball in Summer and rooted for Green and White (in my case) every Fall. Oak leaves smoldering on the corners. Homecoming bonfires.
Best regards, Jay

Terri,
My brother, Tom Combs graduated from Emerson in 1950. He dated your mom. Jennie. We moved to the west side in about 1947 and we both continued to go to Emerson. I rode so many street cars from 8th and Broadway ALL the way to 45th and Broadway, then got out and helped the driver (maybe Leon) get the street car ready for the long return trip. Coming down Broadway the car would sway back and forth. Mom would give us a quarter and we could ride, transfer anywhere the cars went on a Sunday. What a great "baby" sitter the street cars were. Later we graduated up to the South Shore and would ride into Chicago by ourselves. Try that today. Terri I remember the smell also. On Saturday morning I would help mom bring the wet, heavy basket of clothes up from the basement to hang on the back yard clothes line (driver of the day) but first we had to wipe the inch lol of coal dust from it. During high school football we all walked to Gleason park and would watch the game. The highline, E J & E railroad went right by the field and the engineer would stop and watch the game with smoke from the engine drifting down on all. Just another of the fond memories. Keep the memories coming. Great website. Go to www.emerson65.com.

Jim Gogolak
Amazing what you can find on the internet. I was wondering about my old home town of Gary and stumbled across this website. Jim, I don't know if you remember me but I remember you and Terry Liesch, Alex Rolland, and some of the others, Vikki V, Marilyn H, and Georgen C. Sorry to hear about Terry L. passing. If my memory is correct, I remember Terry doing a science project at Brunswick where he make a chicken incabator and had a bunch of little chicks. Can't remember what my project was but I remember that Terry's was pretty cool and he did well with it. Did'nt you and Terry live between 5th ave and 7th ave on Gerry Street with Alex Rolland closer to 7th Ave? I lived on Tomkins street just off of 4th ave. In 1959 we moved to 420 Hamlin Street. After Brunswick I went to Edison for my freshman year and then to West Side for half of my sophmore year. By 1967 so many of the kids from Brunswick were gone to other places, really sad we all could not stay together but that's the hand we were dealt. We moved to Portage in 1969 and I graduated from there in 1971. Great bunch of memories from Brunswick and Gary. The Diary Queen with the guy pedaling the ice cream cart in the summer, Tri-City plaza with the toy store and Lytons, Goldballts and downtown Gary at Christmas time, the pipe fencing at Edision with the cold water running through it in the summer time to water the yard, the big scary great dane at the Texaco station, Edmars across from Edison, and the blizzard of 67, what memories we have. Thanks to all for sharing them.

Mr Combs, you are absolutely correct. We were not viewed as part of Gary, but we had a great little section, just as ypu did. That was the beauty of Gary. Each section was its own autonomous little world. We all had our great memories. Brunswick was the smallest neighborhood in Gary and we were isolated from the rest of the city by the bare spaces of W 5th avenue starting at the Budd plant on Chase to Clark Road. It was a great place to grow up. We lived in Tolleston until 1959. I went to Beveridge until 6th grade. We lived on W10th Place between Taft and Gary Heights. Summertime in Gary was bicycle time. We made rides to see the pillars at Dixie Dairy, Froebel HS without fear. Later in Brunswick we would ride to the old Clark Station schoolhouse and beyond to the US Steel property lines. It was a serene, and wondrous time.

Mr.Combs you are so right about the neighborhoods but their is one thing I do miss that nobody brings up The SMELL from the mills. When we are traveling back to Ind. to visit relatives and the wind is blowing just right I have everyone roll down their windows. My kids and now grandkids want to gag and think I'm crazy but I take as much in as possible and tell em that that is the great smell of home. Along with grandmas kitchen. Terri

Mr. Vargas the name Espinosa rings a bell. Mr.Combs I moved from Gary in the early seventies was not yet of graduating age but did attend Emerson. My mother Jeannie was a 1950 graduate from Emerson. My aunt Holly graduated in 1962 as a matter of fact she is in the process of planning their 50th reunon. Was talking to her and told her about this site. She was so surprised. She is my east side expert. My grandfather Leon was a street car driver. That might of been before your time. She did however bring up Fisher Store, Snow White Bakery umm umm. Who could forget. Lynne's, Nan Schultz, Ruperts, Price, Carrabines. Just to name a few. I don't know if any relationship but my mother dated a Tom Combs I believe they lived on the West side but because Emerson well was Emerson need I say anything more. The Gold and Grey. Nothing could be better. Terri

al b
Is Brunswick still or was it ever a part of Gary. Just kidding of course.
Each segment of Gary was an individual part of the greatest city ever in our day. When I went to Emerson starting in 1937 there were maybe at the least 16 different ethnic groups in each class room. We didn't know the difference, because we were all Americans, not Polish/American or Italian/American etc, etc. Never once did any one call me a Limey (OK I'm and English) and I never called another by any other name. What a great time we had growing up and playing and working and learning from our neighbors. All of the neighbor ladies knew all of the other neighbors kids names and shooed them home when they heard their mothers call them (for the third time most likely). You show me another place in this country where we had this type of camaraderie.

Mr Combs U A NO GOOD EASTSIDE LIE!!!!!! Brunswick Ruled!!!!! I don't lie either. HA! HA! HA!

Terri, Good to see an eastsider back. What year did you graduate from Emerson. I graduated in 1948 and I think Jeannie Dunsworh was in that class. Am I right? We most likely slid down the high lines side by side on the old scrap of cardboard. I lived at 733 Tennessee, born there. Corner stores, Ted's shoe repair. No part of Gary beat the east side. Now I don't want all of you Brunswick, Tolleston, Ambridge etc folks coming back at me, but I don't lie. lol

Terri, do you remember the Espinosa's, they lived on 8th and Kentucky and all but the youngest two graduated from Emerson. Alex, David, Lucy and another sister all graduated from Emerson.

Three generations went to Emerson school. Leon and Marie Dunsworth,daughters Lois, Jeannie(Doloras) Holly, Grandchildren Lynn, Debbie, Pam and Terri. 8th and Kentucky. Remembers the lil corner grocers thinking the bank building was so tall. Neighbors helping neighbors. Mels Rexall drug store. The highlines taking cardboard boxes and using them as sleds year round. Ah the pride in your school and neighbor hoods. Box o Chicken and cherry cokes. Its nice to remember those days.

Does anyone out there remember Gordon Foddrill? He attended Washington Elementary on 13th and Wright St with me in the late 50's and early 60's. I think he lived around 1100-1200 Lane Street. We were both in the class of '69. He may have attended Edison, i'm not sure as we moved in the summer of '63.

The Standard Liquors Building has been renovated and currently has tenants. The architect and contractor has done a splendid job of bringing the building back to life. There is hope for Gary and there is hope for the buildings featured on this website. Let's stop painting the city as a completely desolate ghost town people thousands of people actually live here. These photos generally focus on one concentrated area, don't believe the hype. www.thesterlinggrp.com

Meredith, I would guess you were in the class of 62.

Meredith, I read you post, and wondered if when you referred to Speedy, were you referring to Richard Gonzalez who used to go by Speedy?

Paul,
I posted all my class pictures and Little League as well last night. The Barb's and I have had a grand time chatting. Kathy Evion, Rick Bozich and Jim Gogolack have been posting too. As Joliet Jake (John Bulushi) said in The Blues Brothers movie, "were putting the band back together". lol
Best regards, Jay

Thanks for the nice words, Paul. Yes, I lived on the corner of 7th and Hovey. The house looked wonderful years ago when we drove past on a rare visit to northwestern Indiana. My favorite oak tree in the front yard was gone though. I spent a lot of time on Porter Street with Kathy, Dawn, and Angela. My last summer in Brunswick (1967) was quite lonely since all of my close friends had moved away by then. I remember fondly a few mothers of my friends and yours is one of them, Paul. She was intensely active in Girl Scouts, which was a big part of my social life then.

I just created a group on Facebook for us! Search for "Brunswick Elementary Class of 1965" and click the "Ask to Join Group" button. I am still relatively new to Facebook so may not have done it correctly, but hope that many of our classmates are on Facebook and will join the group. I enjoyed reminiscing with everyone this week after Barb Holevinsky found me on Facebook and Jim Gogolak sent a link to this page. After reading the posts here, I am still craving a hamburger from The Lure or that Dairy-something place on 5th Ave which served finely chopped fried onions on their burgers. Yum!

If anyone does not have (or want) a Facebook account but wants to reconnect, send me your email address and I will start an emailing list to bridge the gap between Facebookers and the other folks.

My email address is c o c o @ t r a c k s c h e d u l e . c o m
(Remove the spaces, of course. I was warned by this site when I tried to enter my email address normally.)

Who would have ever thought that the playground of our delightful childhoods would have turned up on Forbidden-Places.net many years later?

Fond Regards,
Barbara Milheiser (on Facebook as Coco Strayer, my longtime nickname + married name)

Hi Barb,
If I remember correctly, you lived right on the corner of 7th and Hovey. Kathy knew so many people through Girl Scouts and school. She hung out a lot with Angela and Dawn until they all grew out of Barbie Dolls. We spent many summer nights playing games under the street light in front of Dawn's house until 9:00 p.m. It was a great time. I wish I had known it then. I have been back home in several years. You always had a really good laugh, and my mother thought the world of you. Hope you are well.

Danny, I don't have to reply right now. There's some pqint starting to dry. I want to get a good seat.

This is Zakk ,Son of Kathy Hill Sister of Paul Hills so He was my uncle by Birth & Brother by Adoption , PAUL All I have to say is I hope that your family is Well and I hope that your health is ok , I still do not think the last meetup of ours went well and was handled Wrongly by both us but ..... Like I said , I hope the family is ok , YES I do see Dad (william) from time to time but it is DEMENTIA not Alzheimers , and he mistakes me for you so I tend to get upset cuz Like Kathy , We got the Looks , U got the Smarts.
SETH THOMAS was one of my best friends in the world , and I miss him daily , He was coming to hang with me the day of his Accident , I always remember him being the educated young one in crowd and I respected him more than words. His artwork was great , The buildings we explored together were awesome. One thing Seth and I shared is the love of Electronic Music as I dJ dANCE mUSIC and his favorite track was Derrick May /Rhythim is Rhythim Strings of Life , I have since retired my copy unless I feel that he is there with me , But I am known to break out in tears while i play it due to the fact its my Seth song , So in closing I will include this link to the Track Seth & I use to listen to daily as we watched Bladerunner Strings of Life - RIP SETH and this one also to remind you all that even though we are from GARY INDIANA We can still Enjoy the time we have here and Thank God for the Good Life inner city - good life