"Bomber Memories"
September 11 & 12, 1998
September 11, 1998
Barbara Seslar
Brackenbush (60)
No one has mentioned Mrs. Georgia Burns. Mrs. Burns was one of my favorite teachers at Col. High. She taught shorthand. I earned a good living using the skills she taught me and I'm very grateful. She not only taught basic skills but also work ethics which proved very helpful. Another teacher I remember was in Carmichael. He was married but no children. He had dogs. I think he is the one I remember sending a student to his home to feed and water his dogs (during class time). Does anyone remember him? Maybe it was Mr. Ingersoll? I think he was my home room teacher. I could be mixed up in my memories. (It could even have been a Col. High teacher. I am sure of one thing: he was a man!)
Jim Hamilton (63)
Re: These radio memories, have nothing to do with dashboard lights
Not too sure, but me thinks the Cinnamon Bear and Big John and Little Sparky were broadcast in the afternoon as part of "Uncle Ben's Club House" I think he was some "Kansas City Star" who also went by the name of Cousin Ben Roscoe when dealing with adults and serving as a shill for Bunch Finnigan or the Mad Turk.
Whew, all that no comma, thank you Mrs. Boswell.
When TV came in about '54, Ben was sent to dry out and/or the showers and our world expand to include "Uncle Jimmy" Noland and Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse, followed at 5:30 by Montana Tom soon to be replaced by Bert Wells. My bride, "The always Lovely Miss Nancy" made her TV debut on his show with her brownie troop. I think that's when she stole my heart. I could see that red hair on a black and white TV. Good thing she was on before we got cable, or I might have made a run for Annette. Annette was on at 5, following Pinky Lee (and people complain about Barney) and Howdy Doody. I remember the times, 'cause the wednesday night fights (and countinggggg forrrr the knockdownnnnssss) came on at six. Meat Loaf and Ezzard Charles every week along with the Ol' Mans Roi Tan Bankers.
jimbeaux
P.S. Back in 1968, while a young lieutenant in Italy (defending the last bastions of freedom, from the Godless hordes from the North) we used to get Big John and Little Sparky every saturday morning on AFN
Danny Raddatz (64)
A comment about fizzies made me think of an experiment I performed to see if things are as good (or as bad) as we remember them.
A month or so ago, I was in the local grocery and there in the impulse buy area were fizzies. They were at least repackaged, since they had bar codes, so I knew they hadn't been pulled out of a bomb shelter somewhere. Since my granddaughter was coming to visit, I decided that I would see if they were like I remembered, figuring if not I could pawn them off on her. Got home, opened my prize and dropped one in a glass of water. Got a lot of nice bubbles, a nice sound, a not-so-nice accumulation of scum around the edge, and a strangely familiar aroma. When I downed the drink, I suddenly realized why I hadn't seen them in so many years. It was so bad, that I couldn't give them to my granddaughter for fear that they would define our relationship for years to come.
Is there anything else that is that bad? Tang, Ovaltine, Flavor Straws, Bosco? Do they even make Bosco anymore?
"I love Bosco, that's the drink for me.
Chocolate flavored Bosco is mighty good for me.
Mommie puts it in my milk for extra energy.
Bosco gives me iron and sunshine vitamin D.
Oooh, I love Bosco, that's the drink for me."
Before you moan, just remember somebody got paid to write that.
Danny Raddatz
Carol Converse Maurer
(64)
These are all such great memories that we're all having. Hope we can keep this up for a long time.
Re: Ralph Koontz: Thanks for helping me remember the name of the streets that Campbell/Mayfair Grocery store was located at. As soon as I read it, I remembered. I've been able to picture it in my mind the whole time. I remember walking to the store when I lived on Benham most every evening. I do remember a lot of the ones you mentioned as working there. I wouldn't even tell my folks that I was going to walk to the store, I'd just leave. I remember talking with you most times that I was there. Remember going for a motorcycle ride out at the old prison camp? That was such fun. We took many of motorcycle ride, but going out there was fun.
Re: DBoehn9644@aol.com: You didn't say your name, so I don't know who this is. I remember the car hops at A&W Drive In. That was my favorite place to go and eat.
Re: Tony Sharpe: I am also very proud that my dad worked out at Hanford and on the bomb. What you said is so very true.
Re: Rick Maddy: I, too, remember seeing Sputnik going across the sky. I thought that was so very neat to see it way up in the sky moving. You just didn't see things move like that then.
Someone mentioned the old Richland High School by Lewis and Clark Elem. I remember playing there on recesses. We all thought it was the neatest place to play. Seems to me that we could get inside also. Perhaps not. I remember having dreams of being in there and getting lost. For a little kid, that could be a pretty scary place to be in. I have the newspaper picture of the school and the graduating class.
Does anyone remember making and taking May Day baskets around to your friends and neighbors? You'd leave them on the front porch, ring the door bell and run and hide before they saw who put it there.
That's all for my memories today.
Carol
Richard Twedt (64)
Greetings from an aging Bomber, Class of 64. Have been reading the "Weekly" and now the "Sandstorm" for several months and felt compelled to add a few of my "fond memories" to the nostalgia bank.* Spending entire summers swimming at the "Islands", and 35 years later not glowing in the dark.
* Fry cooking at Zips and loading the cop's burgers with salt and pepper
* Delivering the Tri-City Herald at 5am, from Jadwin to Cottonwood
* Sleeping out and rendezvousing with four or five girls and then being chased by one of their fathers
* Sunday picnics at Sacajawea State Park with family and friends, and checking out the artifacts in the "Museum"
* Skiing the Columbia River "Shoot" and not missing the rope
* Seeing Theartis sink one from mid-court
* Being "mooned" on your first date
* Riding your scooter in the desert, and the smell of sagebrush
* Jumping from the top of the train bridge into the Yakima
* Being asked to Tolo and having a curfew of midnite
* Being caught skinny dipping at the "docks"
* Singing folk songs in Mark Browne's basement with his brother and buddies
* Watching people do the "gator" at Adrian's nite club, what trashy statues!
* Hitchhiking up the Yakima Valley to pick fruit and floating back to Richland in the irrigation canals
* Making out at Inspiration Point and watching the lights
* Having five cheerleaders teach me to jitterbug in their basement
* The satisfaction of launching a paper clip into the ceiling fan in study hall and watching the expression on Mr. Anderson's face, rolling steelies was fun too!
* Watching the Pasco "Gang Girls" dirty bop at the Kennewick dance hall
* Crusin East Pasco late at nite and the overwhelming sense of "danger"
And,
* How many of you Bombers ever tasted my mom's cookies and cinnamon rolls?
David Rivers (65)
Big John and Sparky and the Cinnamon Bear were my favorites! Also "Johnny Dollar"...We didn't get TV till '58 and I can remember everyone being in love with Annette... and Having no clue... who she was. I actually bought the Cinnamon Bear tapes a few years back and still have my autographed picture of Big John and Sparky. I guess life goes on no matter where we are but for Richland kids... memories are forever!
David Rivers
Bob DeGraw (66)
Our family moved to Richland in 1951. We stayed at first with my Grandparents, the Andersons, (George, Diane, Linda, Ken, do any of you remember or know any of theses former Bombers) who lived I believe, at 1101 Cottonwood. There were 19 of us living in that 4 bedroom Ranch House at that time. My Dad found a little 2 bedroom house out at the "Y" and so we moved there until our name came up for an A house on 1502 Goethals. We lived on the right half of the house and the Woodcocks lived on the other side. I attended Jason Lee from my Kindergarten year to 2nd grade. My teachers had the best names in the world. Mrs. Askew in 1st grade and Mrs. Hogsey in 2nd grade. Anyone remember them? In 1957 we moved from Goethals to 647 Cedar and another Ranch house. My parents still live there. Mrs. Swain lived two houses down from us and I used to mow her lawn. The Berkleys lived next door. Anyone remember Barbara and Kathy. Margy May lived about 3 houses down and Harold Davis and his sisters Jean and Janet lived on the corner. Eric Gerber lived on the other corner. John Cole lived at the end of Lee where it ran into Cottonwood. Chuck Lange lived up the alley and Carol Futur lived down the alley. All of these are former Bombers. I went to Marcus Whitman and had Mrs. Fisher in the 4th grade and Mr. Dudley in the 6th. I went to Carmichael Jr. High from 1961 to 63. Now lets be truthful kids. His Name wasn't Mr. Chitty but "Shitty Chitty" Am I right or am I right! It was in the 9th grade that I had what I consider to this day and for all time to be the best class I ever had in any school at any time. Mr. Anderson's Mechanical Drawing class. We had so many episodes in that class it was unbelievable. If anyone cares to hear or if anyone was actually in that class and want to rehash some of those, just drop me a line. I became a Bomber in 1964 and I am finding it pretty amazing that I remember many of you 63 and 64 grads. I remember all of the places and people that have been brought up. Muscles and his bike, Sonny, The Pasco swimming pool with the rope, dances at the Roller Rink. How many of you remember the Richland/Davis basketball game, I believe in 64, when Ray Stein and Gary Webb led the #2 Bombers past Jay Bond and the #1 Davis Pirates? BFD (Beat Fierce Davis) was born at that time. I remember Doc Meacham and her bra, Cryin Cal (Gentle) and Mr. Unruh and his coffee pot.
Bob DeGraw
David Odom (69) AKA
Dave Mars
Cool stuff. This sure has brought back memories I had misplaced. I forgotten Muscles, and the Pasco Plunge. I was satisfied with just lurking until I ran into Larry Reid mentioning my name. We worked at Zips together in 1967. By the way the mayonnaise Chubb for the Zips tarter sauce recipe weighed thirty pounds.
My family moved here in 1954 from El Paso, Texas (Ft. Bliss). My Dad was a Professional Soldier. He first saw action in W.W.II on Omaha Beach. He was wounded on day three. He was shot through neck by a sniper. The bullet missed his arteries and his spine. He was shipped back to England to a hospital. (Saving Private Ryan made me tear up big time) After he recovered from his wounds he was reassigned to one of Pattons' Tank units just in time for the battle of bulge. He was wounded in the left thigh, by another bullet it went through one side and out the other. My mother hated Patton. I think she felt that he saw his men as nothing but pawns. I bring this up because at the end of the European campaign. My dad had reassigned again to the 82nd airborne for the assault on Japan. I'm probably getting to write this because of the BOMB.
When we first moved here we lived in a Quonset hut out at Camp Hanford. I remember going to the commissary to by groceries, the bag boys were paid only with tips. I seem to remember the officers club was near the trailer park in North Richland. That Fall we moved to a house on Camden St. That winter I saw snow for the very first time. 54-55 was a very snowy year. In the spring we moved to 705 Coast. The older boys in the neighbor hood showed me how to catch scorpions. I kept them in a jar in my toy box so my mom wouldn't find them. One morning my mother wouldn't let me play outside because she spotted rattlesnakes in our back yard. The Hill north of us was called rattlesnake hill. It would later become a Mobile home park with Streets named Proton Lane, Nuclear Ln. The only Kid I Remember from that street, was Johnny Trumble. The fall of 55 we moved to an A-House at 1314 Farrell Lane. Larry Reid lived Down the Street on Symons. The Wiaters lived up Street. The Rhotens lived across the street. Paul Paige lived next door and the other side of our A house was occupied by the McGilbreys(sp?) who were full blooded Indians from Oklahoma. They had three daughters that were no longer living at home. I don't remember their names. The dad's name was George he was a guard out on the site. He would take me fishing with him. My impression of them was that they were completely assimilated into the White Anglo Saxon Culture. One thing nobody seems to have mentioned was the strong smell of coal smoke in the fall and winter. When I smell that odor now it reminds me that it was time to plan your Halloween Costume and the route for the evening. Of course the obvious route was through neighborhoods with A and B Houses for more candy per blocks traveled.
From my bedroom window I could see the NBofC sign in Uptown Shopping Center. For Thanks Giving the family would have dinner at the Nike Missile base at the foot of Rattle Snake. We would get to watch them raise and lower the missile's and then take a bus ride to the top of Rattle Snake Mt. to the Radar Station, that is where my dad worked. Man it was windy up there. I thought I was going to blow away. My mom was very active in USO shows and I ended up in quite a few them. I would have rather been sleeping with my scorpions. I noticed that a couple of people mentioned the Borgward car. My parents bought a brand new one in 1958. It was red. I always sat behind the my mother when she drove it and would bug my sister until she would freak out. My mother kept a switch in the front seat, which she would use without hesitation when there was commotion behind her. My sister always took the brunt of these punishments because she sat in harms way. I don't think she ever figured out that I wanted sit behind the driver for tactical reasons. The schools I attended were Sacajawea, Marcus Whitman, Jason Lee Then C.J.
September 12, 1998
Marilyn Peddicord
Whitley (53)
Hello all you Bombers,
My granddad's farm bordered the Old Richland Hi property. They raised asparagus. My sister, Kassie, and I both went to Lewis and Clark. I was the student body president when in the 8th grade - the same year everyone moved to Carmichael. We were 4-Hers - remember the County fairs and the state fair too. We did lots of sewing - and cooking - won many ribbons. Mrs. Liggett was the leader and later Ronnie Yates's mom. We lived in our tract house on Lee Blvd. until I graduated from H.S. - Mother and Dad and Kassie moved to a street off Hunt Point - Gilliard drive while I was away at college. Mother still lives there. I'm enjoying all the memories and, like the rest of us, realize what a special and historic place we all grew up in.
Marilyn
Robert Kennedy (60)
Finally, someone mentioned Mr. Ingersoll at Carmichael. He kept big dogs (boxers as I recall) in a backyard kennel. He was the basketball coach, assistant football coach and track coach. His long suit was discipline. He could take some pretty talented players like Pat Crook and Kenny Ryan and beat a team of very talented players like John Meyers and C W Brown.
He also maintained discipline in the classroom, but it relied heavily on a mahogany paddle. I remember receiving only one or two hacks from him and they hurt - please tears don't overflow. He used a long paddle with holes drilled in it. Said holes prevented a cushion of air from absorbing any of the force propelling the paddle. One day in 8th grade health class (the very quarter when our vocabulary of the reproductive system was dramatically increased) we were, as a class, being noisy and could not stay settled down. "Everyone come after school for 20 minutes."
"But Mr. Ingersoll I have to who knows what after school."
"Anyone who can't come after school may take 10 spats now."
No one in their right mind budged. Don Llewellyn had an event that he couldn't miss or he would be cut from the team or something equally dire. He took the punishment, didn't wince. He won much respect from me and I'm sure several others on that day. I don't recall that the rest of us had to stay after school, either. Don went on to become one of a few good men.
Bob Ingersoll was my homeroom teacher in 9th grade. It was a good experience and I don't remember any paddling that year. He was one of the first teachers who actually seemed human and who would talk to us at our level. He could tease us a little and certainly could acknowledge the effects of hormones on our daily conduct. (Don Llewellyn might disagree.) At the end of the school year, he and his wife hosted a class party for his two homerooms at their ranch house on Cottonwood. It was a gala event with lots and lots of those little 6 oz Pepsis (not Cokes). I can't remember anything else about that party except chugging Pepsi.
Mr Ingersoll and his wife (the band teacher when we were in 8th and 9th grades) moved to southern California in the summer of '57.
Anne Jochen Dowdy (63)
I was born in Richland, WA. in 1945 at Kadlec Hospital and was named Anne Jochen. I went to school at Jefferson Elementary, Chief Joseph Junior High School and Columbia High School. I have a sister Betty Jochen who graduated from Columbia High School in 1946, another sister Marlene Jochen who graduated in 1954, and a brother Clark (Buzz) Jochen who graduated in 1951!
Earl Bennett (63)
If you want to expand your biography a bit ( and maybe make him wonder how you knew), I lived across the street from Terry Davis from 1955 to whenever he and his mother and older sister Judy (maybe class of '59 or '60) moved, probably 4 or 5 years later. I don't remember if his dog Bandit was still alive when they moved, but he was a cute mutt and I remember liking him. I wonder, does Terry remember painting designs on Bandit with lipstick? I was 2 years older than Terry, but small for my age, so we were roughly the same size until about '58 or '59, when he passed me. There were quite a few kids in the neighborhood about our age, and we played a lot of hide-and-seek, guerilla warfare games (I was good at concealment, cover and ambush, he was good at frontal assault), swimming in the 6-12" deep water down the street when the storm drains couldn't handle the rare heavy rains, riding our bikes all over town (chasing the jeep spraying a fog of mosquito spray that I'm told contained DDT), building tumbleweed forts among the sagebrush, and numerous other normal childhood pastimes.
Terry was a scrappy kid who could handle himself well in any confrontation - still reflected in his confident air. I remember being quite surprised when I heard about his marriage to Sue Knox, since they came from totally different backgrounds - in fact, her father was my folk's dentist for a while, and I admired him for his high standing in Washington State seniors tennis - he and his brother were apparently unbeatable in doubles.
ecb3
Greg Boyd (63)
To: Tony Tellier (57)
Perhaps you proclaim you innocence too loudly. However, it is true that you were not a party to my early adolescence use of your old trench periscope to spy on Carol Burt and Sharon Tate. As I remember your parents gave the periscope to me well after you had gone off to WSU to do "adult things" in engineering school.
Interestingly enough, the memory of spying on Carol and Sharon was more about doing something that I "wasn't supposed to" rather than ogling girls. Sorry, gang, but I can't remember much about what either Carol or Sharon looked like in their bathing suits (which you could see without threat of bodily injury at the swimming pool).
To: Tony Sharpe (63)
Nice rebuttal about Hanford's purpose and intent. I agree with you...
Regarding Sputnik, which in fact served to establish the "Military/Industrial Complex" that drove our economy well into the late 1980's, I was so impressed that Halloween I went tricker-treating as Sputnik. My dad helped me fashion a set of antennas which were attached to a tin foil wrapped (probably real tin in those days) football helmet. My mother then sewed some stars on an old black jacket of some sort and that was the whole costume. Man, was I proud...
Regarding things that we weren't supposed to do, one of my fond memories was going watch Larry & Richard Tews launch a really cool rocket that they made. Unfortunately, on ignition it fell over and exploded. Fortunately, and thanks to a bunker of sorts and Tony's periscope, we were saved from a rather large "bang."
When we got home (Richard and Larry lived across the street on Torbett), however, we discovered a hole in the front fender of their mom's volkswagon. It seems that in the explosion, the finely crafted nose cone, turned out of a single piece of steel, had gone completely through the fender.
Can't remember how that turned out.
Finally, all the foreign car comments reminded me that we actually managed to put fourteen (?) folks into Kurt Johnson's Fiat 600 D. The real test came when he managed to drive from the "Senior Parking" lot to Zips and back, fully loaded! (Was the class of 63 the last year to have a Senior Parking lot?)
Oops, an other memory magically appeared. Remember when we thought we were being cool and actually brought our boats to school with us. (Gee, how did Mr. Haag ever figure out that we might actually be considering skipping out to go water skiing).
For those of you who remember that particular incident/challange, Barry Bristol's boat was faster. Afraid that the old 27 horse McCullough just didn't make the grade against a 40 horse Merc.
Kathy Rathvon (63)
O.K. Here's one NO ONE has mentioned. How about the tax tokens. They came in green plastic & aluminum. The tax must have been 1/3 of a cent on a dollar, because you could get a piece of penny candy for three tax tokens. When I wanted some candy & my mother didn't have a penny, she would give me three tax tokens. Also, during the summer, my mother wouldn't buy watermelon until it got down to 1& 1/2 cents per pound.
Kathy Rathvon
Peggy Sheeran Finch
(63)
Remember thinking the smokestack was the tallest structure in the world (and think I even told people outside of Richland that whenever I traveled as a kid.)
Remember a pole sitter at the car dealership (?Ford) on the corner of Lee (think that's the street that goes down the hill past Carmichael) and Stevens?
Remember an incident at a basketball game in which a certain player from the class of '63 accidentally pulled not only his warm-up pants down, but his shorts, too, in his rush to get out on the court?
Peg Sheeran Finch
Bob Mattson (64)
Well, Richard Twedt (64) mentioned study hall, and Mr. Anderson. Clipboard, hawk eyed, moving, then an egg just missed the clock to the left of the stage. Even a penny's clink was enough of a distraction to made the time spent there bearable. The egg's stain lasted a long time, about 35 years I'd say.
Carol Converse Maurer
(64)
To all the people who responded to my inquiry about the drug store being named Downtown Thrifty, I thank you. I do remember it burning down now. Gee, how one forgets until someone mentions something. And then, how quickly it all comes back to you.
Carol
Gary Behymer (64)
This is from the HillTopicsOnline -- WSU newspaper/ClassNotes:
Francis W. "Fran" Rish (’42 Phys. Ed., ’46 Educ.) was inducted into the Washington State Football Coaches Hall of Fame in June. He played football at WSU before serving in WWII, then went to Richland High School where he put together 12 consecutive winning seasons, beginning in 1948. From 1946-66, his teams compiled a 106-63-10 record and won eight league championships. The Bomber Bowl was named "Fran Rish Stadium" in 1983. Rish is a past recipient of the WSU Alumni Achievement Award.
Joe Large (68)
Speaking of Cinnamon Bears. Does anybody remember Mike Howell (class of 68 (I think)). I think he was the owner of a pet-live Cinnamon Bear. I remember seeing it one Halloween at a Spalding School Halloween party. The bear was on a chain and was about 3 feet tall, really cute and tame. Other than that, that's all I can remember of it.
I remember Helen Skogen VERY WELL! She was one of my Jr. High math teachers. I remember she gave me an IQ test once. She seemed extremely kind and I enjoyed her immensely as a teacher.
I remember David Harry very well! Man, what a class-act. He was a fabulous musician! If I remember rightly, he was a graduate of WSU. I believe he was the one responsible for getting us the WSU Fight Song for Richland High.
Our band teacher after him was Armand Boatman. He played piano for Henry Mancini. Wonder where he is now. He was probably the one teacher that had the greatest effect on my life. I still play music (Trumpet) (first chair for practically 2 years) (I fought for first between me and Roy Simonis (wonder where he is now.)
I remember going to hear Mr. Boatman's quartet once. His Jazz was really GOOD!
CIAO For Now, all you Bomberites!
Joe Largé
Mina Jo Gerry Payson
(68)
Re: the RHS on the Gym entrance: What I heard was that those sneaky Bulldogs sawed off the leg of the R and rather than get it fixed, the district just took it down. Seems it disappeared right around the time the gym was dedicated to Art "Daddy" Dawald, the most interesting government teacher I ever had. Sleeping through those boring films, I wonder how I ever learned enough to pass the class.
Lois Clayton Colton
(72)
I loved making May Day baskets. Made them out of paper and filled with white flowers and lilacs. Those were the kinds of flowers I could find in my yard. We lived at 904 Davenport and we had several elderly ladies all around us. Those were the ones I "surprised."
Carolyn Polentz Burnham
(74)
It seems that the 50's & 60's have been well represented on your web site, but I rarely see anything from my era!
I certainly have many fond memories of basketball games in the Art Dawald gym and regional tourneys at Spokane (The Davenport or the Ridpath were the place to be!). And the bleacher bums - the "bench warmers" with their routines. I think they finally got into trouble because we started watching them more than the basketball games!
And no one has mentioned the boat races - I don't know when the hydroplanes first came to the Tri Cities (we moved there in '69) but I have many memories of spending the night in line, walking up and down and seeing all kinds of unspeakable things. If my parents ever knew what went on they would never have allowed it!
Carolyn Polentz Burnham
