"Bomber Memories"
September 27, 28, 29 & 30, 1998
September 27, 1998
Betty Johnson Bennett (46)
To Don Winston:
Yes, squishing the red stuff in the white margarine was a big deal. It was in fact, pretty "uptown". Until someone came up with the idea of putting it all in one bag, we had yellow "powdery" stuff that we sprinkled on the white margarine and mixed it with a spoon or fork. Thought the bag that you squished was great!!. And it WAS cheaper than butter. Sometimes you can't be too choosy. Now I opt for margarine because of the cholesterol!
To Dick Wight:
I'm glad to hear the real story about your step-mother's murder. Over the years there have been so many rumors. Now we have the real story from the one person who would know the truth.
To Matt Crowley
Yes, I remember the Elite Shop and Hughes. In fact, my sister Rosemary Johnson Eden (48) worked there after she was married and was raising her children. But when we moved here in 1944, there was no "Uptown" District. That was built after we moved here, but can't remember the year.
Betty (Johnson) Bennett
Tony Tellier (57)
TO: Denis Sullivan (62)
RE: I don't remember all the call letters for the radio station, but I think the rival station (KALE?)
And don't forget Lloyd Amon and the Kale Korral C&W show ....
And don't let anyone cap on you about carp hunting ... as if this should be a CNN Forum rather than a Big R site.
Richard St. John (65)
To: Don Wilson:
You are correct concerning the legislation surrounding the "red dye" margarine. I remember my folks buying the stuff at the old Wild Bill grocery store (one block south of where the old Safeway used to be) back in the 50's. We'd take it home and take turns kneading the color into the margarine and then cutting a corner off the bag and squeezing it into a 4-section rubber mold to make four sticks of margarine. I'll bet those molds are in antique stores now.
Now that I mentioned it, who else remembers the Wild Bill grocery?
Richard St. John, Captain, USAF Retired
Rick Maddy (67)
I had an opportunity to play war ball in PE one day in my Sophomore year and on the opposing team was Jim Van Wyck (66) and Mike Fowler (67). And they used the little red rubber balls. That was fun. I took a shot on the right side of the face and looked like the Two-faced man from the Barnum and Bailey Circus for the rest of the day. Lucky I didn't detach a retina, huh? Mike Fowler went into the NY Yankee farms. Like Van Wyck, Mike too had a fast ball that you could hear the wind pass through the strings (there are those of us that knows this sound). One afternoon Mike's dad wanted me to put on the catcher's mitt and let Mike practice a bit on his pitching. Mike's dad played for the Cinn. Reds during the war years, I believe. So, I get on most of the gear; chest protector and mask. No cup. No batter. He could throw a knuckle ball that was impossible for me to catch. It was all over the place and then the bottom would fall out of it. Hey, I played left field. I needed more time to think about it. I don't remember catching one pitch. Mr. Fowler just slowly shook his head and never asked me to do anything baseballish again.
Out there by the go cart tracks, and just north of them, certainly no more than a quarter mile from the track (insert fading recall here), there was a small earth room (for lack of better word) , or someone's root cellar/cold storage dug into the hillside (when I was 12 in 1961, this room was pretty big to me, but probably small in reality). Had to have been there a long while. This small place even had remnants of a rotted door around a rock frame hanging on it's front. No windows or side view. I stuck my head in the door once, but I never went inside of it because it was dark. I just knew there was a small city of rattler's in there - ha. I would pass this place going to the Yakima R. to fish.
Does anyone recall what I am talking about, or what it was, or who built it? It always reminded me of a hermits residence, or at least what I visualized as such.
ENOUGH ALREADY
Come to think of it, Rob Williams, you caught Mike Fowler's pitches for our Freshman year at Carmichael - Mr. Yonce was the coach. Just how wicked was that knuckle ball?
David McAdie (79)
I remember the Thrifty Drug very well. My folks brought us here from L.A. (a great place to be FROM) when my dad bought Sunland Camera in Uptown (they still own/work it - they will probably die there - and that's O.K). It is on the G.W. side of uptown and we used to go in through the back door to get to Thrifty.
When the theater roof collapsed, I got the "dubious" honor of climbing a Richland Fire Department truck ladder and taking pictures of the damage. I remember the theater wall leaning on Thrifty.
Oh, and somebody back there mentioned Beer Falls. You actually used to "swim" there, I thought it was only used for keggers.....
How about cruisin in Richland. I think me and my friends were the last of that era. I had my old 67 GTO and we loved Payless parking lot. A few of RPD's finest actually use to visit with us (Cleavenger, Panther, et.al.) before they decided to run us out. It kinda died in the early eighties...... You can live a little of that nostalgia at Stinky's (old Kennewick Ave. A&W) - takes one back to a better time.........
Dave McAdie
September 28, 1998
Joan Eckert Sullens (51)
To Ralph Myrick (51):
Of course I remember you! And I sure remember Jimmy Earp and Herb Borg. George Richardson was another favorite guy of mine. We were all at Marcus Whitman as I remember. That's where I first saw tennis being played. It looked like so much fun.
When we moved over to Van Giesen Street, we transferred to Sacajawea School. Remember the old quonset huts where we had our classes? They got pretty miserable toward the end of the school year!
Jerry Spears (64)
To Gary: Read the part about longest home run you ever saw..... Chris Fletcher hit one off of me in little league that I'll never forget. I gave him a low fast ball - about 6 inches off home plate and he golfed it right over my head. By the time I turned around, it had cleared the scoreboard in center field and was half way up the flag pole!!!! I believe that it actually was in orbit before sputnik!!!!! tsk. tsk.
You mentioned Ray Stein and his ability to jump..... How about Ray's ability to do everything on the basketball court. He was always at the right place at the right time. Unbelievably consistent. Did you know he was our leading rebounder also?
You also mentioned Don Parsons... Don was the most improved basketball player over a short span of time I have ever played with or against. He was nearly unstopable after his first year of college play. He had tremendously long arms and a soft touch around the basket.
Jerry Spears
Robert Shipp (64)
I've been reminded of a lot of things from our high school years and before - too many to put into one letter.
Several people asked about the Arctic Circle's recipe for secret sauce. I always thought it was just ketchup and mayonnaise, but I'm not sure. If anyone knows where Rita (Fretwell) Bennett (64) is, we could get a definitive answer from her since her parents ran the place for several years, and she used to work there.
The stories about Mrs. Wight struck home with me. Nine years ago, when my wife and I were looking for a house in Richland, we looked at that house and might well have bought it if someone hadn't beat us to it. It wasn't until afterward that my Mom reminded me of what had happened there. I think I'm glad we didn't get that one. We ended up buying another "R" house just a few blocks away.
Robert Shipp
David McAdie (79)
Was it the "Old Book Shop and Movie Theater" on Stevens? They used to have midnight movies of the Rocky Horror Picture show - and they usually showed some offbeat movies. It eventually became a card/coin/collectibles shop and burned down one night killing the owner. Or are we talking about a time long before that, in which case that would be the 4th "indoor" movie theater.
Dave McAdie
September 29, 1998
Jane Rollison Hightower (52)
Yes, I remember Frontier Days (where you could always meet friends you hadn't seen for a year) and Muscles and the little cedar box from Bell Furniture (like Jan Mulroy I tossed mine out and wish I still had it) and the record booths at Korten's and the Spudnut Shop and Dupus Boomer and the Termination Winds.
My family moved from the midwest to Hanford in June 1944. We spent our first night in Richland at what is now the Hanford House. The hotel had no name, just a small sign on one wall:
"This building designated TRANSIENT QUARTERS"
All the public structures in Richland had those signs originally:
"This building designated MOVIE THEATER"
"This building designated DRUGSTORE"
After all, the whole town was built by the Corps of Engineers.
Does anyone remember the Japanese fire balloons which blew over the Pacific Northwest sometime in 1945? I believe I was in fifth grade at Sacajawea. The authorities (military?) sent home notices from school to our parents that we were not to mention these balloons to any outsider and not to discuss them in letters to our relatives back home. I saw two of these balloons during daytime from our prefab on Perkins Ave. and one at night while my family was driving back from Kennewick. This was a scene straight out of a war movie. In the sky over Richland, a balloon was caught in the beams of at least three searchlights. There must have been some interesting military installations around Richland in those days.
Jane Rollison Hightower
Marguerite Groff Tompkins (54)
One big memory I have about growing up is that all the kids in our had a victory march when Victory in Europe was announced. My mom called the newspaper; they took a photo of us and we were published. We were very proud of this. Then another time a boy in our neighborhood, Mike Godfrey (don't remember how old he was) had contracted polio. Several of us kids decided we needed to do something for him so we had a lemonade stand to raise money. At that time, the bus lot (for city and Hanford buses) was on Wilson St. (a block from where we lived). We took our lemonade to the bus lot and sold to the bus drivers. Some of them didn't bother with the lemonade, just gave us money. We thought we had made a lot when we turned over nearly $11.00 to his family that night. Once more we were published (mom called the newspaper).
About celebrity's coming to Richland. Years ago when Kirk Douglas came it was to give Richland an award for selling U.S. Savings Bonds. He made his presentation in Howard Amon Park at the old bandstand. I, along with several other girls sat on the ground, right in front of the bandstand and couldn't take our eyes off of him. However, there were some gals from class of '54 that beat us all out. Early on Saturday morning they arrived at the Hanford House (only hotel in town) and had a call made to Kirk Douglas's room to tell him that reporters from the local high school newspaper wanted to interview him. If memory serves me right, it was Debbie Holden and Pat Nordman - and they were not on the Sandstorm staff. Anyway - he invited them to his room and still dressed in his robe let them interview him. What a coup! I certainly was jealous.
Other celebrities have mostly been mentioned. However, I do remember when Gene Autry was here once. I took my autograph book and wanted his autograph. I asked a young girl (probably younger than me) at the door and she said he wouldn't sign it, but she was his daughter and she would sign. I didn't want her autograph, but she assured me she'd be famous one day. Anyway - she signed it. I think that's the last I ever heard of her. One memorable person for me was Monty Hale. He was a cowboy - and fairly good looking. He got to crown Joyce Nordman Miss Atomic Frontier Days and then gave her a kiss - and I thought the kiss would never end. It was great!
Then there was the Riding Academy - a very big part of my life every summer. During the week it was the swimming pool at Howard Amon and on Saturday it was the Riding Academy. And - you're all right about the horses being reluctant to leave the barn and in a big hurry to return. We rode all over those hills out there in the desert. We found a place we called "little Grand Canyon." It was really quite spectacular and not one of us ever thought of bringing a camera with us. I would love to have pictures of a lot of the things we "discovered" as kids. I also remember finding spots in the desert that had loads of indian beads just laying on top of the ground. They were probably there because someone ahead of us had dug them up, but we had fun collecting them and then making necklaces and bracelets. Now of course there is a law against such collecting. I don't even know where the beads are that I collected.
Ken Heminger (56)
Ah..... the old Mix you own margarine trick. I remember my brother and I would fight as to who would do the mixing. As I remember it, there was a capsule with red dye located in the margarine. You had to crush the capsule to release the dye and then came the mixing. It was interesting to hear the reason for it.... I had not heard that.
Tony Tellier (57)
Now that I mentioned it, who else remembers the Wild Bill grocery?
The slogan on west wall: "No meal is a meal without spuds". Next to the Buck Private.
Tony Tellier
MLou Williams (60)
Anyone remember:
1] Mrs. Hughes,
2] Mrs. Meigs (we churned butter in her class - second grade at Sacajawea),
3] Miss Clay - loved wall murals,
4] Mrs. Brezina - so very fair), then on to Jason Lee
5] Miss Flynn (the walking perfume factory) then sixth grade visiting at Lewis and Clark while construction continued at Jason Lee, and
6] Mr. Tessen (who let us go to the drug store on recess and we bought jaw breakers, while he went through our desks and made an exhibit of all the before and after drawings we made of a Barbie type in curlers, robe, no makeup etc. (what! no guns or drugs in the desks?) Since we were "foreigners" from Jason Lee we were not allowed PE, art, or other special classes, so Mr. Tessen let us have dances at lunch, in the classroom where we were interned during our days at L&C. It was my impression they really didn't like us taking up space there!
I believe Mr. Clarkson was principal then. He was no Lily Peterson, who taught us your principal is your pal (an old spelling trick). And how about those spelling bees? I'll never forget parallel or inquisition -- I couldn't spell them then, and while I can now, have little use for them! Oh, the things we used to do for a social life!
Denny Damschen (62)
I hate it when I'm stupid. Always have. I was thinking I was that way more often now, but as I recall memories along with the rest of you I find that I was probably always doing stupid things. My first recollection of Richland brings to mind something stupid that I did. I was four years old and it had to be in August. I was attending a day-care center at the corner of Lee and Jadwin. The center was 5 or 6 connected Quonset Huts. It was next to a cafeteria called The Mart. My aunt worked at the Mart. Anyway, I saw the kids lining up one morning so I got in line also. We marched over to Lewis and Clark. When the other kids broke ranks and headed to their classes, yes, one body too many. I wasn't old enough to go to kindergarten yet. I marched back in a single person line.
The next time I can recall something stupid I did was in the third grade. I was legally enrolled at Lewis and Clark by this time and no longer at the day-care place. We were to attend a concert at the Kennewick High Auditorium. We boarded a school bus and rode to Kennewick. When we arrived there must have been the entire Richland grade school student body there because I remember a lot of busses. The teacher stood up in the front of the bus and said to be sure to look back at the bus when we got off and remember the number of the bus so we could find the right one to go home in. No problem. I was pretty good at arithmetic and could certainly recognize a number when I saw one. I looked back when I got off. OK. Bus number 400. After the concert the first bus I came to was bus number 400, but I didn't recognize any kids getting on it. The next bus didn't have any of my friends either, but it was also number 400. Turns out all the busses were, of course, from Richland School District No. 400. I hate it when I'm stupid.
As a non-stupid memory of changes in Richland - I remember when the 4 ballfields at Columbia Playfield below Col. Hi. all batted toward each other instead of away from each other as they do now.
Denny Damschen
Cecil Haines (63)
Can't believe no one responded to the MTA. Maybe they are lost, strayed, or stolen. I know that most weren't dumb, because we built our own cars! Oh well, don't go racing anymore anyway! Thanks for putting it on!
Cap
Patty de la Bretonne (65)
Yes, I remember Blue Waltz Perfume! I thought it was so exotic! Ugh. Also of course Tangee lipstick. How about white lipstick in Jr.Hi. early 60s. Rolling your skirt back down real fast when you passed Mrs. Anderson's (school counselor) office. Then rolling it back up. Mohair sweaters? I had one, and my sister let me wear one of hers sometimes I think. Anybody remember when mascara was a cake, with a little brush you had to wet or spit on to apply mascara?
Patty de la Bretonne
Bob DeGraw (66)
TO: Jerry Spears (64)
Art Dawald had a knack for players like Don Parsons. If my memory is correct Don really never played much in High School but Art kept him because he was tall and figured that maybe at some time in some game he might use him. The class of '66 had a similar character named Kurt Crownover. We called him the Stork I believe. As uncoordinated as they come, But the tallest kid on the team. Never played much during the year. But then there was Regionals in Spokane. I don't remember who we were playing or weather it was the 1st night or second night but the game was nip and tuck, a real barn burner. This was a game that Kurt would never get into. But in the 2nd half with the Bombers down a point or two, who rips of his jacket and checks in? Ya, Kurt Crownover. I remember very distinctly thinking "What the heck is going on?!!!!" Art must have completely lost it. So Kurt comes in, posts up at the free throw line gets the ball and does a little sweeping HOOK SHOT!!!! Nothing but the bottom of the net. We went crazy.
Kurt came out of the game on the next whistle and didn't play anymore and we went on to win the game and Regionals. Kurt had his moment in the sun.
Gary Bush (66)
Subject: Old TV/Old Radio
Finally, I did what I should have done earlier: searched the internet for some info before writing.
Like many others, I also thought the sidekick for Captain Midnite/Jet Jackson, Ichabod Mudd was played by actor Maury Amsterdam. But, I located a website, address below, which is about "Lost Kid Shows." Jet Jackson started out as Captain Midnite and was played by Richard Webb. His sidekick, Ichabod Mudd, was played by Sid Melton, a character actor familiar to baby boomers as he starred in many series and movies. There are some similarities between Sid and Maury - at least for some of us. There's something about Sky King on this page, too. http://www.tvparty.com/lostkids3.html
There are many hypertext links at the bottom of the website listed above (e.g., Lost Kid's Shows - different than the first site) leading to stories about other kids shows, etc. Pinky Lee, Video Village, Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney, Soupy Sales, Tom Terrific, Captain Kangeroo (the original with Bob Keeshan), Romper Room.
Like others, I also remember Bert Wells, the singing cowboy ("Big Rock Candy Mountain" theme song) on KEPR; Uncle Jimmy's Clubhouse (with Mr. Music) and some cowboy birthday clubhouse before him, hosted by Tom Bostic ("Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" was the theme song). I also remember radio characters such as Uncle Bob's on KALE (Cinnamon Bear and Crazy Quilt Dragon series every year around Christmas time), Big John and Sparky, etc. For a while, all we had were TV rebroadcasts from Yakima, except for the failed station that came from Walla Walla for a short time. Now, we have so many cable or satellite channels and still can't find a good program some times!
I'll never forget the first "color" TV picture I ever saw.... it was at my friend, Ron Davis' house, and was a sheet of plastic that had three bands of color on it (red, blue, and green) which was draped over the black/white image on the screen by his parents.... disappointing! That was about 1953. It wasn't until about 1966, when I got to WSU, that I enjoyed my first color TV.
Gary Bush
Mina Jo Gerry Payson (68)
Does anyone else remember the excitement of getting our bikes ready to enter? We would go to Densow's for crepe paper and run it through the spokes, think up a snappy slogan and put it on cardboard taped to the handle bars. That was the highlight of the Fall for me in grade school. We would do a whole week of fire safety in school, including pictures to color of Sparky the Fire Dog and making Fire Hats out of construction paper that were never quite like the picture in the instructions.
Steve Palmer (68)
To Rick Maddy-
I believe the "earth room" you referred to was actually a bomb shelter built by a private citizen in the 50s. It's still there, in the gravel pit across the bypass highway from Duportail street. I was running out there about a month ago, and although the door has been removed, it is still dark, scary, and full of snakes.
Warball=fear and terror. Trying to hide so you weren't killed (literally) by one of those screaming little rubber balls when they were launched by your larger opponents - good memories! Was there some redeeming value to the game that I missed, other than giving the P.E. teacher masochistic pleasure at our expense? Is the game played today in P.E. classes?
Steve Palmer
Marjo Vinther Burt (77)
A couple of people have mentioned May Baskets recently. That was something I loved to do, too. We'd weave baskets from strips of colored construction paper, and fill them with lilacs and tulips.
Teresa LaMear Edie (80)
When I was small ( the late 60's and the early 70's) Dad used to take us in his old dune buggy to some sand dunes. We would stay all day and have lunch, some of the older kids would ski on the sand using water skis!!! I remember other people being there that weren't part of my family. I believe we were north of Pasco. Could we possibly have been on or near the Juniper Forest?! Does anyone know? Did anyone else participate in these grand weekend adventures? What fun we had!!!
Teresa LaMear Edie
Mark Woodward (81)
Columbia High changed its name to Richland High. The name change took place the year after my senior year - so I remember it well. The controversy began with Hanford High students being upset that Columbia High School was referred to as "Richland High". (RHS etc.) So we voted and changed the name - not what they expected - but it solved the problem (in our favor). The R and H were left intact in the "Bomber Bowl" - one standing for Richland - the other for Hanford. (but we all know they stand for Richland High. Oh well you can't win them all Hanford. Yes you did a fine piece of work with the airplane circling overhead during our outdoor graduation (81) with the banner expounded Hanford's superior status. (Hats off to Hanford for that one).
September 30, 1998
Bob Rector (62)
Earl Bennett (63) asked about the sister of Terry Davis (aka Terrence Knox)
Answer: You will not find sister, Judy, in any Bomber annual. She would have graduated with the class of '62. I was their Tri-Hard Herald paper boy and Judy chased me thru 5th and 6th grades. She also pushed me into the irrigation ditch behind Jason Lee School. Went to her birthday party only to find myself with Judy and about 10 other girls. Oh well. Anyway, her little brother Terry (about 1st or 2nd grade) was a pain. He was "fiesty" to say the least. He always wanted to fight and wrestle. I was the big 5th grader and would hold him off with my hand on his head or chest. He would wildly swing away at me, ALWAYS REPEATING THE SAME LINE, "I'M GONNA MAKE MINCEMEAT OUTTA YA". So, I always called him "mincemeat". Whenever I went over to see Judy, taking care of "mincemeat" was always the first item on the agenda. He was a true "pistol". I believe there were at least 2 divorces in the family - Judy left with one parent in 1956 or so. Sue Knox, of course, would know the whole story.
Bob Rector
Sherry Nugent Dupuy
(62)
TO: Kathy Rathvon -- who wrote: "I remember going to school with the poufiest and flounciest skirt and coming home with my skirt looking very limp."
You just reminded me that my Dad once said we all looked like a bunch of flowers flouncing our way on the streets to school. That was the closest to poetry I ever heard from him.
Sherry Nugent Dupuy
Gregor Hanson (65)
To Bones Brewer - Of course I remember Jimmy Ard (lived in a ranch house on the corner of Elm and Cottonwood) as he cost me a no hitter in Little League (when both Rod Brewer and I pitched and played for the NB of C team in Columbia Little League), as Ard allowed a little weak pop fly to land in front of him in Right Field instead of making the catch!! As many may know, Jimmy moved to the mid-west (Chicago I believe) during junior high years and eventually became a successful college basketball player with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, and then on to the pros in the NBA with the Boston Celtics!!
Commenting on a couple of the posts regarding Little League in Richland; I believe the best corps of 12 year old home run hitters in Richland LL history occurred in about 1956 and included Bill Blankenship (Dawson Richards team in the American LL); Doug Lukens (NB of C in the Columbia LL); and Jim Adrian and Jack Kern (Thrifty Drug and Spudnut Shop teams as I recall of the National LL). All of these guys were in the 20+ HR count in their respective leagues. Lukens went on to play for WSU and pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals franchise. Blankenship and Adrian are still living in the Tri-City area!!
Chris Fleischer (National LL) is a teacher at Kamiakin High School in Kennewick.
After almost 50 years of the Columbia Little League being located at the Spalding School grounds, the field area has been bought by a Christian church school and will be no more!!
Gregor Hanson
Jim Fleming (65)
Thank you, Dick Wight, for giving us the facts regarding the death of your step mother. If it weren't for this site, we may never have learned what really happened!
Wild Bill's Market is an early memory for me, riding in the basket seat thru the produce dept. Customers could use "counter checks" back then. They could write in the name of their bank and the amount. The checks were generic and I don't remember anyone ever asking for ID. But, when the "Modern" Safeway was built it was lots of fun to go in a use a child size grocery cart! We made a special trip on Opening Day!
Two subjects not covered much are school carnivals and science fairs. Especially in 5th and 6th grades, the carnivals were real excitement! And being able to enter the Science Fair and get a ribbon. I think everyone got something even if it was for participation. Also, the first time I drank a Shasta was stopping off at Westgate on VanGeisen. This was way before pull tabs, so the lady would open it for you. We would pretend it was beer because it was in a can. They had a pretty good candy counter as well. I can't get over inflated prices of candy now! A year ago when I bought a twinkie at a 7-11 it was over a dollar. I remember when they went from 10 cents to 12 cents!
Diamonds Variety Store in Uptown had pets. Birds and hamsters. We used to like going in there to look around but one lady was always following us thru the place and the counters were low enough we couldn't hide very well.
Our first tv had only 1 channel (19) and my dad spent a lot of time up on the roof with the rest of the family yelling out the front door "a little to the right, no the left, no leave it there!!"
Larry Reid (68)
Does anyone remember being a Patrol Boy? I remember the uniforms and walking in parades. We had a whole chain of command. I was a Sargent at Marcus Whitman (old Marcus Whitman!) in 6th grade. Mr. Dudley was my teacher and also headed up the Patrol Boys. Bill Hedges was the Captain. I can't remember the other officers. We took it pretty seriously in those days. We stood at parade rest on the corner just waiting for some lower classmen to cross the street so we could impress them. Of course I don't believe there were any girl Patrol Boys. We weren't an equal opportunity organization back then - hell didn't know what that meant!
Mr. Dudley was my favorite teacher of all time. He still lives in Richland. My parents see him now and then at the CUP church in Richland. I also remember playing tether ball. For awhile that was the craze. Got some sore hands doing that and a sore head once or twice!
Larry Reid
Mina Jo Gerry Payson
(68)
Several people to reply to after reading this two-parter:
First to Jerry Spears -- Do I ever remember that game with Kurt Crownover!!!!!!! I was in the pep band and we were seated down on the ice. I remember it being so chilly down there that we in the clarinet section were afraid our reeds freeze. The concept of an ice arena was WAY beyond us. Anyway, we thought the game was a goner until Kurt made that little hook shot. Talk about crazed fans -- I didn't know I could yell AND play the fight song! That was my introduction to Bomber Basketball. I told people for years that I had never been to Spokane in the daylight, but always after dark on rooter busses and the band bus. I wasn't allowed to stay over and thought my parents were from the dark ages.
Next is Steve Palmer and war ball: I remember Mr. Olson at Marcus Whitman having us play war ball. I hated it!! Several years ago, I substituted for one of the P.E. teachers at Park Middle School in Kennewick quite often. On rainy days in the spring and fall the eighth graders favorite activity was. . . that's right war ball. Particular favorite variations were boys verses girls and "kill the 7th graders." Some things never change.
And finally the "red dot": My dad didn't like butter for some reason and when we had it with grandma's homemade rolls at Thanksgiving and Christmas, it was a real treat. I guess that I am too young (knowing grin) to remember having to mix our own color in, but I do remember hearing about it and that the reason we did was because the dairy farmers in Wisconsin and Michigan had convinced congress that selling margarine already colored was getting in the way of their selling of butter, so it was against the law for quite a long time to sell pre-colored margarine. Sounds like a good story anyway.
Mike Franco (70)
I remember Kurt Crownover as "Cayote" Crownover..... and didn't you guys play on the team that scored 103 against Grandview in 66 ?
Peggy Kinney Naylor
(81)
In response to David McAdie: I remember the Basketball Tournament. Think that was when my folks let me run around with you guys when I was suppose to be with the band? We walked all around the bad/scary part of Seattle and we ended up at some dumpy donut shop? Think that was that the same year? And was that the same year a Bomber Hat ended up on the Chief Seattle Statue?
I remember all those times at the Payless parking lot... I wonder how many gallons of bleach you guys went though.
I remember your GTO. Blue with sparkles.
Peggy Kinney Naylor
