1952: HHS CLASS OF '52 TO CELEBRATE 60 GOLDEN YEARS!

With the remote possibility that there are any visitors to my website who are from the class of 1952 at Hamilton High School, and even more doubtful if there is indeed a member of that class who took the time to learn computing, here are the details of the reunion which will be held at the Mercer County Boathouse Marina on October 6th. It will be my privilege to sing the music of the early 1950's and specifically 1952 to those in attendance in an old fashioned sing along. Fate placed me in the class of 1951. I would have been a class of '52 alumnus had I not skipped the first grade way back in my early years. I harbor a special affection for this class and were closely tied to many of that class. Indeed, one of those lovely ladies stole my heart back in my teen years, but alas, she wanted nothing to do with me. Unrequited love!

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM....WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I HOPE EVERYTHING IS OKAY . TODAY WAS MY BIRTHDAY AND WAS HOPING TO READ SOMETHING AMONG US OLDTIMERS THAT WOULD BOOST OUR MORAL. I'M GONNA BE 94 YEARS OLD ON MY NEXT ONE AND ONLY GOD KNOWS IF THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. I'M HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON AND PRAY YOU'RE DOING WELL. BEST REGARDS.

Monday, September 03, 2012

Tom Glover said...

EVERYTHING IS JUST FINE, RALPH. THANKS FOR ASKING. I TOOK A LONG WEEKEND. THE FIRST ONE I HAVE TAKEN IN MANY MONTHS. I'LL BE BACK AT THE HELM TOMORROW (TUESDAY).

TOM GLOVER

Monday, September 03, 2012

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM....GLAD TO HEAR YOU'RE GONNA BE BACK IN THE GROOVE TODAY. I'M SURE EVERY ONE WAS CONCERNED AND LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR GOOD WORK.-BEST REGARDS.

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

TRENTON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL: A TRENTON TREASURE

This is a re-run of an April 2012 post where I put together a little slide show with news photos of students who attended that beautiful center of learning over the years. Click on the link below. Note: Use the "II" pause control under each graphic to read the accompanying captions. The music accompanying the program is one of my very favorite Bing Crosby songs,

"WAY BACK HOME."

http://smilebox.com/play/4d7a45784e4467334e6a633d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link

USE THE "II" PAUSE ICON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO PAUSE AND READ THE CAPTIONS. THE ">" ICON WILL RESUME THE PRESENTATION

Tom: thanks for the great Trenton High School production you created. It was Top Notch. I was of the Class of 1943 , and we are having a luncheon at Freddie's in W Trenton on May 11, and one in October. Fewer and fewer are attending, but we had a wonderful class and school- with terrific memories. Thanks again for the production.

Jim
Thank you for visiting my website, Jim, I hope you return often. Thanks also for the nice comment on theTCHS presentation. Trenton High a truly great school.

Ron Bound said...

Tom, thanks. Great to see the old school. Went there in 54, before moving from the Burg, to Hamilton Township, and then finishing at HHS 56. 2 great memories, and a bunch of great teachers.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Tony S said...

Splendid review. How would I like to see a similar montage of the class of 1957. Thanks for doing this. I loved this school and the years I was lucky enough to be there.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Mack said...

God Bless my ole school :))

Monday, September 03, 2012

2012: ATTENTION TORNADO ALUMNI AND FRIENDS!

I received an email announcing the above event for the alumni and friends of legendary Trenton Central High School. Above is the details of the event in a graphic I modified from a Facebook page. Support this wonderful Trenton educational institution and support all efforts to bring the grand old lady back to its former glory.
If you click on the "SEARCH" icon below my home page and type in Trenton High School, you will find numerous posts relating to the history of this Trenton education classic.

That grand old architectural classic has reposed all these years on Abner Chambers' farm. Few if any of the class of 1932 will be able to attend the upcoming TCHS Alumni Association affair as advertised above, but they will be there in spirit.
1 – 2 of 2

1951: CONTI'S SERVICE STATION CHAMBERS ST. I

In 1951, I wouldn't have gassed up at Conti's Sun station. I was a new teenage driver and the wallet was very thin. I and my fellow neighborhood teens reveled in the South Broad Street "Gas War" where pennies were shave off of competing stations every day. The winner always seemed to be the "PREMIUM" station where we could buy a gallon for 19.9 per. Wow, am I showing my age or what? I would love to have that 1940 Nash sedan. It was the same as my brother Bud's 1940 business coupe. That car was built like a tank with real steel fenders, and real steel, chrome plated bumpers, and the fabled Nash exclusive "WEATHER EYE" system.

Anonymous said...

I think the sign is advertising a "Polar Party" for the gala opening of Corti's Sunoco. The "wolf pack" of the 5 kids on bikes must have shown up for the free gift. That is indeed a fellow in a polar bear suit on the corner. Remember when they came in with the "custom" blending in a single pump? You had to be careful to pull up behind a car getting the "good stuff" since a car getting economy would "dilute" your high octane "260".

Ed M.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Ron Bound said...

Remember that. I hung out at the station on Chambers and Franklin. When I got first car in '56, a '47 Plymouth, I would use drain oil to fill the Plymouth up. Took a lot. Episcopo's Drug store was on the SE corner.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

1939: North Olden and Princeton Avenues

That would be North Olden Avenue running across the photo with Princeton Avenue heading toward the city. I traversed this very intersection for many years when I worked at my dead end job at the Trenton Bearing Company on North Olden Avenue Extension and Parkside Avenue. When last I checked, Extension Patio occupied the corner where the Stacy Laundry Sign is shown.

1936: E. STATE STREET AT BROAD

What a delightful photo! It has been segmented from a larger view in order to give a closeup of the "State and Broad " area as it looked during the depression. I dare say this will give my buddy Ray Paskiewicz a chance to identify the many autos in the scene which few of us have the vintage auto expertise as does Ray.

1950: ROUTE 206 NORTH AT CROSSWICK CREEK

I pass by this very site each week as I visit my daughter down in tabernacle, NJ. The landscape has changed somewhat over the years, but the area adjacent to that Chevy parked along the highway will not change; it is the creek. This particular section of route 206 has an interesting bit of Revolutionary War history surrounding it. Back in Colonial times, there was a drawbridge across the creek and a skirmish took place between the rebels and the King's foot soldiers. I have searched antiquarian newspapers for details but thus far have found nothing except contemporary records. I'm still looking.

REMEMBERING MY *AND YOUR) MODEL AIRPLANE YEARS

As a dyed in the wool model airplane builder back in the 1940's, I went to "Lownie's" on South Olden Avenue or to McEwan's "Corner store" on Cedar Lane where my buddy Don Slabicki and I must have bought 20 or more "Comet" ten cent balsa wood "stick model" kits. Most of my generation remember how we used to open that pristine ten cent box, unfold the plans, pin them to a Homasote fiberboard, and carefully lay 1/16" "stringers on the pattern of the fuselage. When we began back when we were very young, the "Testor's" or "LePage'sc airplane glue would run off of the joint we were cementing and overflow on to the paper. The shoddy construction abated as we became more proficient and experienced in this fascinating hobby and perfection became the buzz word. We ended up with balsa wood skeletons of the fuselage, wings, stabilizer and rudder. Then came the "nose block," propeller, and rubber band. Then, very carefully we covered all those balsa wood skeletons with tissue paper, being extremely careful to fit the tissue precisely on each balsa wood stringer, and equally careful to be sure there were no wrinkles in the tissue. God, how I loved to build those old airplanes! Then, it was up to the Glover 3rd story attic, light the stabilizer-rudder assembly glide it into the sky, and voila! Another ME 109 Messerschmitt west down in a scale model flaming crash. Most of the kids today have those plastic models, but for me they will never replace those old "stick" models. As a matter of fact, some years ago, I purchased two old "Guillow's" stick models in mint condition. Some day in the future when I get the opportunity and want to occupy myself with a return to model building, I'll pin the plans to another soft fiber board and go at it again. I have a P-40 Warhawk, and an FW 190 that are just dying to be brought to life. Oh, by the way; I built that Luscombe "Silvaire" back around 1949 or so. Naturally, the object of my affection at the time was that the plane was manufactured up there on Bear Tavern Road in West Trenton. Model building was fun and educational, and it sure beats wasting time with a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle.

1939: THE READING TERMINAL, NO. WARREN STREET

I seldom got to this neighborhood during my younger years. I was more familiar with the West Trenton Reading station when I made frequent trips to the Roller Bearing Company of America.

Anonymous said...

Tom, I will stand corrected but I think that that was a freight terminal by the 1950's and passenger service to North Philadelphia was from the West Trenton Station. My aunt was secretary to he head of Atlantic Richfield and she commuted from there. I believe Richfield had a large fuel depot on Duck Island. I think the "bread and butter" freight of the Reading was transporting the "hard" anthracite coal from the mountains of PA.

Ed Millerick

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Anonymous said...

Tom

Ed is correct, this was the rail head for Reading Freight. It was as indicated located on No. Warren St. between Ringold, and Tucker Streets, directly across from the Battle Monument.
I worked as a kid in the Fruit and Produce wholesalers on Tucker St.
The line was known as the Belvedere Line, went north up along the deleware river,and had crossings I beleive in Easton, and Columbia just above Belvedere, with a spur to General Motors, and West Trenton.
Ironically enough, I bought 2,000 feet(4.5 acres) of this than abandoned spur in the late 1980's, and developed it into 20 homesites which were built along Homan Ave. and known as "Ewing Pointe"
The land within the City of Trenton, was enough to build 15 town houses on, and I donated it to Fr. Brian, and Martin House for transitional housing for the homeless. It was the first ever in NJ that this inovative method was employed.
Now the Reading line from West Trenton was our direct route to Willow Grove Amusement Park. Often we would miss the last train back and had to sleep on the grounds of the all girls Beaver College. Tough life, but I was glad to do it.

Regards

Mike Kuzma

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

1947: E. STATE STREET AT CHANCERY LANE

Still another pristine view of Trenton which features the well known Weinmann's Restaurant; a "go to" place for many of Trenton's more sophisticated diners. Kaplan's Kaufmanm Taylor Drugs, the localy famous Colony, and if you look closely, you may even see others I neglected to mention,

1937: WHAT A UNIQUE VIEW OF E. STATE ST. AT CANAL!

What a delightful birds eye view of the intersection of East State Street at the RR tracks and Canal Street. Note the little shack where the railroad guy spent many hours of his duty time. It is very difficult to envision this scene with compared with the same location in this year of 2012...and Ray from Villa Park, you will have a great time checking out all those autos parked along the street!

1947: STATE AND BROAD DOWNTOWN TRENTON

Just look at all those pedestrians in the once viable downtown Trenton, long before the town was transformed into a glass encrusted office center, minus anchor stores like Kresge's, Woolworth's, Yard's, etc. The malls and the riots of the 1960's along with narrow streets that preclude street side parking all combined to render the Trenton I knew as

1955: SUNNYBRAE VILLAGE

You think real estate is not a good investment? Check out the prices on these homes in Yardville's Sunnybrae area. This was when newly weds Tom and Judy Glover went house hunting. $12,000 to $13,000 dollar homes were out of the question for us. Back then when one applied for a loan, the banks would not accept a woman's salary as part of the earned income and thus Tom Glover's under $100per week take home salary put homes such as those in Sunnybrae Village off limits. I remember how we fell in love with that brand new home on the corner of Nottingham Way and Paxon Avenue, but alas, it was priced at a price that I could pay cash for today. How tempus has fugited and how prices have risen!

1933: THE LEGENDARY CASA LIDO

In its heyday, the Casa Lido was the "IN" spot for local visitors to downtown Trenton. The earliest material I can find on that old Italian restaurant begins in 1933. Hence, until someone more informed corrects me, I will assume that the year 1933 marked the opening of that famous restaurant with the equally famous art deco "CASA LIDO" sign. As we all know, Trenton went through social unrest and rioting in the 1960's and the Trenton I knew and loved began a downward plunge, due not only to the urban problems, but due also to the fact that the malls were popping up all over the area and parking was never a problem as it always has been in the city of Trenton. Going back to Colonial times roads and streets were narrowly laid out. There will always be those of us who love the city of Trenton, and there is currently an attempt to bring back that South Warren Street stretch into a viable stop over. In the 1970's, that beautiful art deco "CASA LIDO" sign was removed and the proprietors of "MAXINE'S" tastefully re-identified the establishment with their version of art deco. Unfortunately those early Maxine years were fraught with problems as anti gay bigots made life miserable for management. Today, Maxine's, Classics Used Books, http://www.classicsusedbooks.com, along with many other gutsy merchants, are valiantly attempting to keep the South Warren Street historical legacy alive. Now, if only some of those state workers would crowd the area for a lunch hour or so each day, they would have an enormous impact on the successful revival of a historic and fabulous stretch of historic Trenton. I wish them well and appreciate their zealous community efforts. The graphic includes a cut and paste of the Classic Book Store on South Warren Street.

This from the Classic Used Books website:

Warren Street

Classics Used and Rare Books on Warren Street has great neighbors. Visit them while you visit us!

• The Big Easy–great food, across the street
• Cafe Ole–gourmet coffee, casual, across the street
• Checkers–best burger, casual, just up the street
• Hummingbird–authentic Jamaican cuisine, casual, just up the street
• The New Downtown Deli–generous portions, reasonable prices, casual. Right accross the street from Classics.
• The Trenton Marriott–around the corner on Lafayette
• Rainbowtown–Chinese food, casual, next door
• Settimo Cielo–Northern Italian Cuisine, fine dining, just around the corner
• State Barber Shop–the mayor of Warren Street, directly across the street
• Subway–right up the street next to Messy Klossetts
• Sunrise Luncheonette–traditional American fare, across the street towards State Street

2012: DON'T MISS BOB ORLOWSKI AT KUSER PARK NEXT SUNDAY!

Tomorrow, August 19th, marks the end of my 8 week Kuser Farm Concert Series, "The Music We Grew Up With." It has been a very hot and humid summer season, but we always managed to have 25 to 40 hard core lovers of easy listening music at the concerts. The graphic above details the program that will be presented by Bob Orlowski, who also specializes in singing the songs of Sinatra, Michael Buble' and other easy listening artists. Bob is a great performer and you will have a really wonderful evening of easy listening music. I hope to see you all there. To those of you who attended my program during this summer of 2012, my humble thanks. I will be continuing many of my programs at the Kuser Mansion this fall and winter, and also at the Hamilton Township Public Library.
SEE Y'ALL THERE!

1923: KLATZKIN'S MENS SHOP 189 SO. BROAD sTREET

The Google Earth photo above shows and empty lot where Klatzkin's Men's Shop and the Hibbert Printing Company were once located. Klatzkin's Men's Shop at 189 South Broad Street, was next to the German Lutheran Church in and area now bounded by South Broad Street and Livingston Avenue. This address was also the original home of Trenton's legendary Hibbert Printing Company. I have superimposed a 1925 Trenton Times ad in the possible event that a Klatzkin family genealogist might be interested in this haberdashery which was once located in the city of Trenton.

1935: THE 400 BLOCK OF SOUTH BROAD STREET

What a beautiful photo! I am very familiar with this Sacred Heart Church area of trento. Back in the 1940's I made many trips to the Trenton Speedometer shop where Fritz Kuser's Ford Station wagons serviced on a periodic basis. The Mennuti's Market panel truck is making a delivery to one of the stores along the street. Mennuti's Market was on Anderson Street in Chambersburg.

1947: WEST STATE AND WARREN STREET

Few indeed are those of us who remember the 1940's and 1950's in Trenton who are not familiar with this exquisite photo of downtown Trenton in 1947. Traver's Book Store, Reid's Jewelers, Kaplan's, Kaufman's, Flagg Brothers, and even that beautiful "R-W.TRENTON" Fageol Twin Coach Trenton Transit bus presents a bittersweet nostalgic look back at the Trenton we all knew and loved so much.

1947: 300 BLOCK OF BRUNSWICK AVENUE

I am not too familiar with this neighborhood, but I do recall traveling from North Broad Street past the Battle Monument and driving out Brunswick Avenue to get to North Olden Avenue. The area has changed greatly since the civil unrest of the 1960's.

1948: SOUTH BROAD STREET APPROACHING DOWNTOWN TRENTON

Above is another closeup photo of the Trenton I knew as a young man. Goldberg's, A.S. Beck, and many other local downtown merchants can be seen in this pristine R.C. Maxwell photo. Of course, those of us who remember when cars had real steel bumpers, heavy steel fenders, hub caps, fins, and chromium bedecked bodies, sigh wistfully when we remember those years when Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Hudson, Studebaker, Nash and Crossley were the choice of the average motorist.

2012: BACK TO KUSER MANSION

A number of locals have been asking about the absence of my Kuser Mansion programs over the past couple years, and if I am planning any future programs. Thanks to Ms. Patty K. Hill and Cathy Tramontana, I am working on programs for the fall and winter season. Above is the "Coming Attractions" broadside I have composed for an on-screen/lecture program which I will be doing on Sunday, September 23rd. Jim Colello, my friend and fellow historian on the Broad Street Park area, will be there to share his knowledge on thi historical area of Hamilton Township. Jim's Broad Street Park website is avidly followed by many area residents as well as former residents outside of the area. Jim's website can be found at http://www.bsp086.blogspot.com. You will find many very interesting vintage and contemporary graphics on Jim's site, all carefully posted with tender loving care for maximum legibility. Even as we recall Hamilton's historically famous White City, we will be discussing Broad Street Park, the Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Company, James Rusling, Andrew "Kedzie" Rowan, and numerous other subjects. It will be an entertaining and very educational program, and I look forward to a respectable turnout.

1956: HERE'S MAPLE SHADE SCHOOL'S CLASS OF 1956

How time has flown! This class would go on to be the class of 1960 at Hamilton High. Unlike my generation, many of these former students are computer literate. Accordingly, if there are any visitors to this site who can identify the students in the photo above, I would really appreciate it.

Bob Chianese said...
Tom:I have a complete list of our 8th grade Maple Shade School classmates--their signatures on the back!. We all moved on to high school together and we're holding a reunion this October, our 52nd year after being graduated together from Hamilton High in 1960. I believe Eleanor Goldy Guear just sent you the announcement--that's us!By the way we were a bunch of students who were bussed all around the township for grade school--DeCou (K-3), Rowan (4), back to DeCou (5) the new MacGalliard (6), then Maple Shade (7-8), then Steinert (9) then Hamilton (10-12). DeCou, Rowan and Maple Shade are gone, though we are still here, at least for a while yet.Bob Chianese
Thursday, August 09, 2012

Great to hear from you again, Bob. I have posted the page identifying the students. Thanks for taking the time to send it, and also for visiting.

Tom

2012: GEORGE CONWELL: A HISTORY MINDED LIBRARY DIRECTOR

I have taken the liberty of replacing the originally published photo of George Conwell and replaced it with the photo that appears in the article I found on Google when I searched for the August 8 Trenton TImes article "Retiring Director." The gentleman who is leaving us and moving on to a well deserved retirement is one of the more ardent champions of the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection. It was he who knew the highly technical "ins and outs" of the "high tech" appliances required in order to bring Hamilton Township into the 21st century with digital historical databases. Thanks to Mr. Conwell, the library has a tabloid scanner, a tabloid printer, and a database of historic digital files from A ("Abbott") through "Y" (Yardville), a very popular Hamilton-Trenton-Mercer County website, www.glover320blogspot.com with well over 500,000 visitors and averaging 300 to 400 visits per day from around the globe. You will be missed, George Conwell.

1919: WHAT A GREAT PHOTO OF TRENTON IN THE TEENS!

The above photo needs no caption; it is self explanatory, and at the same time a rare look at the city of Trenton and the West State Street - North Warren Street intersection as it looked 93 years ago!

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM...THIS IS HOW THINGS LOOKED THE DAY I WAS BORN ON AUG.30 1919. I MUST SAY THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHANGES THROUGH OUT ALL THESE PAST YEARS, SOME GOOD AND OTHERS BAD. I THANK GOD TO ALLOW ME TO WITNESS ALL THE EVENTS AND STLL GIVE ME THE ABILITY TO COMMENT ON YOUR EFFORTS TO BRING BACK THE GLORY OF THE OLDEN DAYS. THANK YOU AND PRAY WE'LL BOTH BE AROUND FOR STILL MORE MEMORIES.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TOM....HOW TRAGIC FOR OTHERS, LIKE MY BROTHER "CHUCK" AND MANY OTHER DOCTORS WHO PASSED AWAY AT A YOUNG AGE BEFORE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO PERFORM THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED THROUGH THEIR WORK IN MEDICAL SCHOOL AND INTERNSHIP IN HOSPITALS. MAY GOD BLESS THEM. BEST REGARDS.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Ron Bound said...

Ralph, lest I forget...Happy Birthday, when August 30 rolls around. Thanks much to you and Tom for all you do for us, who can't be there, back home. Ron Bound

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

These photos put Trenton into the perspective of what the town was like when my parents were young. That trolley would have made the turn and moments later rumbled past the family home when my dad was two years old. Mom was born on a farm in Robbinsville and didn't move to town till perhaps 1921 or so. The trolleys were long gone when I was young but the tracks emerging through the asphalt were always a reminder of those days.

Thanks .... Ed Millerick

Thursday, August 09, 2012