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Tag: Nostalgia

Lincolnwood School Days : A Trip Down Memory Lane, Part 2

  In Memoriam   I compiled this list primarily from the Niles West Class of 1976 classmates in memoriam who passed away. Thank you to the superb sleuth work of Steve Nagelberg, Greg Sprague, and Don Schmidt. I only included Lincolnwood kids here as a follow-up to my prior tribute to Lincolnwood classmates gone too soon.   Top row, left to right: Joseph Gumola, died in 2003, age 45. I didn’t recall that Joe was a Lincolnwood kid until I looked at my Lincoln Hall yearbooks. I vaguely remember him from Niles West. Leslie Wexler, died in 2007, age 49 of breast cancer. Catherine Ann Torp, died in 2013, age 55. Todd Chapman, died in 2013, age 54 after a long battle with cancer. While I wrote how Todd was a bully in junior high and others also recalled this, thankfully people change, as evidenced by the lovely tribute comments in his obituary. Bottom row: left to right: Mark P. Eissman, died in 2020, age 62. In a GoFundMe, it said that Mark was a formidable journalist, editor and lawyer, and a wonderful person with a warm and generous spirit. He passed away after a battle with cancer. Bruce Weiner, died in 2022, age 63 of cancer. I remember Bruce razzing me in 8th grade about “going steady” with Jim Berggreen and asking why I wasn’t wearing his ID bracelet. Dan Spielman, died in 2022, age 65. Every time I visit my mom in Lincolnwood, I drive past Dan’s childhood home on Pratt. I remember that he went steady with a girl in 5th or 6th grade and gave her an ID bracelet – a proper one, not like the homemade job I got from Jim. Sandy Lichten, died in 2023, age 65, suddenly. I remember Sandy lived close to…

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Woolworth Memories ~ From Main Street to State Street

Lunch Counter State Street 1940

The F. W. Woolworth Company, also called Woolworth’s or Woolworth, delighted children and their parents alike for more than a century. In Illinois, 25 Woolworth stores, mostly in Chicago and the suburbs, were shuttered forever in July 1997. In the UK, the stores lasted a decade longer, going out of business in December 2008. The very last thing I bought at Woolworth’s when the store was liquidating stock, was a pair of Barbie roller skates for my then 9-year-old daughter. The store closures symbolized the end of quite a run that began on February 22, 1878 when Frank Winfield Woolworth opened “Woolworth’s Great Five Cent Store” in Utica, New York. The first store failed after a short time, however, the second store that opened on July 18, 1879 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was a big success. When he launched the Lancaster store, Frank enlisted his brother Charles Sumner Woolworth to join the business.

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Five Classic & Timeless Toys That Are Still Around Today… Seriously!

I have written in the past about toys from the 1960s-1970s that would not pass today’s more stringent safety standards. I have also written about how much I loved picking out toys from the Sears Wish Book every holiday season. This post is a tribute to simple toys that are still around today, despite the incredible technological innovations children have at their fingertips. Children these days are often computer literate to some degree before they are out of diapers! They are playing video games and Wii as little tykes and many have tablets with tons of apps. Yet these simple toys have endured for ages and appear to be just as beloved as they were back in the Stone Ages when I was a child! Candy Land Designed by Eleanor Abbott, Candy Land was acquired by Milton Bradley Company (now Hasbro) and first introduced in 1949. My personal love for this game came from the visuals – I loved the candy graphics that appeared on the Candy Land board and little cards, no doubt due to the sweet tooth that was nurtured by my dad. My nostalgia for this game is tied strictly to the visual elements, because the game itself was rather basic and simplistic. I don’t like the newer graphics which look tacky and ostentatious. I am not surprised that a VCR version and electronic version were released in 1986 and 1998, respectively. Licensed versions include Winnie the Pooh, Dora the Explorer, Disney Princesses, and SpongeBob.

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Waxing Nostalgic – a Tribute to Robbie Douglas and Vintage TV

  I was very sad today when I heard about the death of actor Don Grady, known for his role as Robbie Douglas on My Three Sons. The show aired from 1960-1972 and I don’t recall watching it much back then – after all, I was still in diapers when it started. It was actually my older sister Debbie who had the mad crush on Robbie and plastered pin-ups of him from 16 Magazine on her wall. But since losing my full-time job last June, I admit I have been waxing nostalgic and vintage TV helps me stay lighthearted about my situation. I am grateful to Me-TV for airing these programs since I don’t have cable.

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