Was feeling nostalgic and thinking about one of the favorite times of my life and came across this website...I attended Thomas J. Stone Elementary School where I was Captain of the School patrol in 6th Grade. I lived across the street from the Mt Rainier Jr High Temp Buildings in the apartments at the bottom of the short hill that ended at the Smoking Hole. I remember crazy ass rock fights between guys from our side of the field & guys from the Queenstown apartments. How nobody got killed or maimed was a miracle...lol After Mt Rainier Jr High I spent some time at Northwestern with the Class of '65. I started hanging at the Queenstown Mighty Mo when I was 14 and was last there age 18 until I joined the Air Force. I got my Driver's License in 1963 and circled the Mo many many times over those years. Quit school in 1963 & worked various dead-end jobs including Tow Truck Driver at Bob Banning Dodge on Rte 1. Used to race on East-West Hwy from the traffic light to 1/4 mile bridge going up towards PG Plaza. Sadly saw that 2 of my friends have passed-Brian & Barry Hinkle...5 of the guys I remember from High School died in Viet Nam...I was there from July '68-July '69 and was happy to return home and start my real life. Looking forward to reading posts on this site.
I suppose that being one of the little safety NAZIs saved you from the wrath of the wicked witch Principal Mrs Hemp? She hated me. I wasn't a bad kid at all, but my parents dressed me sort of raggedy. We were fairly poor. Dad wasn't the most motivated guy in the world. Someone gave me a hand-me-down vinyl jacket. Mrs. Hemp said it was a motorcycle jacket and that I was a motorcycle hoodlum. I guess she pigeon holed me and it stuck. Who were the guys you mentioned that didn't make it back from Vietnam?
...................Bob, I'm glad you stumbled onto this site and this particular thread. We all hope that you will share many more of your memories of that time period. Pictures, especially of cars from those days or friends from the Mo times are always appreciated. Be sure to check back in. I'm sure you will enjoy other aspects of the HAMB as well.........................................................Don.
Actually, I got pissed after Mrs Hemp took sides with my Lieutenant Dennis Fontana and gave me grief over something...I stormed into her office whipped off my Patrol Belt slammed it down on her desk & cracked the glass top she had on it as I yelled I quit! So my Patrol Captain glory lasted about 1 month...lol My folks were divorced (I was the only person I knew in that status) and we weren't well off so my clothing was not top shelf either. I will have to check on the Yearbook site for Northwestern HS to get the names I saw from Viet Nam...I saw 5 specifically listed as VN...Mike Biondi, Neal Airheart (Sp), Richard O'Neill and a couple more...whether it was VN or other causes I'm not sure...will check and post.
Memories I got...pics nada...as I recall very few people actually took photos anywhere but family gatherings. Looking forward to reading more about our little piece of history!
Just checked the Yearbook site & they now have a link for VN Deaths & they are listed by State/City...Only Mike from my list above was a KIA...I did recognize a few of the names listed...here is a link to the Class of 1965 on their Yearbook site...enjoy http://www.classreport.org/usa/md/hyattsville/nwhs/1965/
Thinking about the good ole days reminded me of some movies that captured many of the things I remember about the 60's living in the Queenstown area. American Graffiti Grease Before I got a car several of us used to sneak into the Queen's Chapel Drive-In from the fence corner behind the screen...the top section was rolled down and it was a breeze to climb over & just walk out from either side of the screen...lol Went to the Beltsville Drive-In often as well over the years...they used to run the same movie for weeks/months Blood Feast Irma La Douce Can't tell you how many times I saw those 2 movies! They used to have $1.00 a carload every now & then...so of course we loaded up...lol
Clik, I'm going to go off-topic a bit here, because you have brought up a memory from years ago. There was a young man from my native Athens County, Ohio (Nelsonville, to be exact), who was KIA in Vietnam. He also had a '55 Chevy, a 150 2-door. The motor had been pulled, and it sat in his mother's yard under a tree, with a chain hanging from a branch
they had used when pulling the engine. It sat there for 10 years at least, with tags from 1971 on it. His home of record was outside Athens County, so I am unsure of his name today. Thank You to all of our Veterans.
I can only imagine how awesome our hobby would have been if we hadn't lost so many rodders to the war.
Yes he did...I had forgotten all about his ride, but that was him...that Yearbook Link I posted has a Class Directory & lots of Senior photos including Mike.
Thanks for sharing the memory...we were changing out an engine in a Ford in my buddy's house garage & somehow the engine got dropped through the windshield & dashboard...ended up junking the car & selling the engine!
Yeah...too many lost in a War that could have been won if not for the morons running DC at the time! I ended up staying in the AF for a career, and even though I didn't pursue my love of cars it's always been in my thoughts. I lost interest when you opened the hood & couldn't see the ground anymore! Got too complicated for an amateur like me...lol
We sat on the Palmer Ford wall and took turns hopping over and getting snacks. Depending on the movie there would be as many as a dozen of us hanging out. I am a little younger than you guys, by the time I got there they were showing "talkies". Must of sucked with subtitles. Chaplin was the Man though..........
LOL, I was one of the "Saftey Nazi's" too. I got fired for beaming a kid in the back of the head with a football. I was pissed, they took my belt/badge and pin right there in the office. I felt like Chuck Connors in "Branded". It was a hell of a throw though, about 30 yds as he was running away.
I hope you were nice to the guys who worked at the snack shack. There were two Chillum boys that were known for putting some wang in the punch (sodas, hot dogs, etc) if you know what I mean. I stay in touch with one of them and he still laughs at it to this day. They did some N-A-S-T-Y stuff.
Son of a bitch.................. when has a pack of kids ever been nice! No wonder I have gastric problems............
Stuff like that is why I loved the movie Hollywood Knights. It was if the script writers had been following us around. One of the Snack Shack employees came to work for me many years later. We had a fridge in the shop. Mr. Snack Shack used to put his lunch and a gallon of Kool-ade in the fridge. Some of the other guys were getting into his stash. Big mistake. A war almost broke out when some of the guys found out there was wang in the Kool-ade.
Serves them right...do NOT steal or mess with somebody's lunch...you never know what you might encounter...gotta admit, this topic is grossing me out...lol
Forgot about Hollywood Knights...very few movies capture "our" youth like the reality we experienced. I think my kids listen politely but figure I'm spreading BS...
What was the name of that grill at the bottom end of East West Highway where it merged into (can't remember the name) maybe Agar Rd (?)...just a little POS small building served burgers & fries...knew a guy named Whitey that worked there & he abused the food as well...I NEVER ate there...ever!
That's Green Meadows/Lewisdale area. I never ate there myself (thank God, Ya'll are killin' me). A bunch of guys were into racing in the Green Meadows area. I knew of a couple of home built FED's down the street from my Uncle that I watched them wrench on when I was little.
Green Meadows & Lewisdale are neighborhood names I haven't heard or thought about in decades...I remember 7th Grade when the kids from over there merged with those of us from Kaywood, Arundel & Queenstown at Mt Rainier Jr. High...had lots of great friends from all over that area...then Hyattsville & College Park got added when we hit Northwestern! Rydell High...lol
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