1950's: C'MON FESS UP YOU 80 YEAR OLDS...YOU WERE A "CRUISER!"

It was a custom back in the 1950's for many of us teens who were just beginning to learn the art of driving, along with a mysterious urge to exercise our new from freedom as we left our bicycles in the garage and took to the open road. Trenton on a Thursday night was a joy to experience. The town was alive with shoppers as the stores all stayed open until 9 PM. These are delicious memories for my fellow "CRUISERS" as we remember those long ago trips to "downtown" Trenton.

1937: TRENTON'S BEAUTIFUL TRENTON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLF

 Here's a scene sure to warm the heart of any Trenton High attendee who ever performed or sat in the audience watching one of those incredible operettas that high schools performed back in the 1930's and 40's. No falling ceilings here, folks! Maintenance and upkeep back then was as neat and clean as those well groomed students in this photo!

1942: A FEW DAYS AFTER PEARL HARBOR. AMERICANS LIVED IN FEAR

How well I remember "Aircraft Spotters" during the very early years of WWII. To an 8 or 9 year old boy, those scary stories that were coming to us over the radio and in the Trenton Evening Times will be with me forever   The aforementioned aircraft spotters were usually up on the roof of a flat building with their binoculars on 24 hour duty. It was really scary back there in the early years of WWII. Nazi submarines were off the Jersey coast and fifth columnists were known to have been set ashore in rubber rafts to do their dirty deeds in the industrial areas. Over on the west coast, the Japanese navy was lobbing shells into the west coast refineries. I also read the story how the Japanese sent lighter than air balloons up and let the upper air currents carry them to Oregon, Washington and the Northwest where the felll to the ground and expolded. Many stories in my hundreds of columns I have written over the years recalling life on what was known as the "Home Front." Here's an article showing the military guarding our Trenton bridge just a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

1942 THE WAR ON THE "HOME FRONT"

As a boy of 9 back in 1942, it was a somewhat frightening thing when the area defense officials decided to perform area wide practice air raids. Japan had recently bombed Pearl Harbor, Hitler's Luftwaffe was bringing all kinds of fear to London and other British cities, and we all wondered if the dreaded Nazi air force would be able to penetrate our shores. I remember blackouts quite well. In our neighborhood the Colonial Volunteer Fire Co. was an integral part of the air raid practice runs. Their familiar siren was sort of frightening when the air raid warning siren sounded. All lights in every home were to be extinguished, shades drawn, and in our house, the radio was on and an "air raid" low wattage glowing blue light gave off a ghostly glow. The Air Raid Warden took to the neighborhood streets looking for leaking lights from careless home owners, and also flagged down moving autos who had to turn off their headlights. I remember it well. My father and older brother were both Air Raid Wardens as were MANY are citizens from that era.

MARCH, 1951: MEMORIES OF OUR WASHINGTON TRIP WHERE IF FELL IN LOVE WITH MY CLASSMATE

It was March, 1951; time for our class trip to Washington in 2 buses. I was on bus 1 and as luck would have it, the girl of my dreams was on bus 2. I'll never forget that day when we stopped at the Luray Caverns and explored Mother Nature's incredible underground display. It was here that I fell in love with Judy Britton. She had on a very stunning navy blue suit, and was movie star pretty. I will never forget the thrill and electricity that surged through me as we walked hand in had in those dark caverns. Here's a pleasant memory of my classmates that I scanned from a 1950 "CRITERION" which I received from Bob Oliver HHS '50.