On the Roof

In the 1970's we did our own roofing.

At the Bread Basket in Newton, KS

There must have been an auto club meeting there of 1930 era owners.

A Tile House

I believe there is only one of these in our town. After the war, they were thought to be the latest idea in building. No painting, sturdy against hail, and saving the trees. 
They didn't catch on. It always reminded me of the bathroom tile turned inside out.

Violet Hampton Dewey

My dad's cousin in a thoughtful mood. Ignore the date. Taken in the 1940's; re-photographed in 2007.

Wind Storm in Carey Park

In the summer of 1947, we had a strong wind storm in Hutchinson, KS. Many big trees were blown down in our park. I don't know who decided on this pose but maybe we wanted to show that the trees
were "uprooted." Saddle shoes and rolled up jeans were the favorite fashion.

Dragonettes Initiation - 1949

Hutchinson Junior College, home of the Blue Dragons, where everybody wears red to the basketball
games. . .Rules were set for the pep squad to become legal members. The school has now advanced to be called Hutchinson Community College. We can't have the stigma of  "junior"  in a name!

Dull Women

Oh that it were true. We'd be immaculate here.

Now, That is Real Editing

 

 

Just a one click  option on the camera.

Me and LaDee

In the photo booth at the 1946 Kansas State Fair after marching in the band, LaDee and I.

The Tonight Show

Watching the retrospective of The Tonight Show hosts really was fascinating. I guess you could go back forever and remember Jerry Lester on Broadway Open House which was short lived in 1951 with Dagmar. Kansas didn't have television then so I have only read about that time.

 I remember the first time I saw The Tonight Show on a black and white set in Emporia, KS. Steve Allen was the first comedian I'd ever seen on TV. It was a problem staying up to see him though, when classes started at 8:00 a.m. at KSTC.

Steve Allen said in his first monologue that this show will go on forever. He was a musician who wrote the lyrics for the theme song, Picnic; a funny guy who laughed when he saw himself on the monitor as the news reporter, and husband to Audrey Meadows - he was a hoot!


Jack Paar was unique. He walked off the show when the network edited a joke about a W.C. (water closet.) How far we have advanced (?) He returned for a five year run.

And of course, Johnny Carson, Nebraska boy, was the epitome, Thirty years.

Jay was no slouch, on top for twenty-two years, not counting the time he left for Conan's short run.

What an interesting history and it seems the next few years will be great with Jimmy.

A thought: if any of you young comedians want to host the program in the future, you might consider changing your first name to something that starts with  "J."

travels

Heading to the city south of us that bears our town's name with "South" added, I noticed that the directions to continue on highway K61 told me to turn right. The first exit after that sign would have taken me directly to the zoo in the park. Maybe the sign should say, "Second exit on right" or something!  I wondered aloud how many strangers ended up at the zoo.

On the return trip, I needed to negotiate the exit to get onto Lorraine Street headed north. This is the first time I had returned this way since the  new overpass was completed. I missed the exit.
I am not a stranger. I know where the street is. There was no other exit before the correct one. I still
missed it.

Oh well. On to the Airport Road exit and home.  At least we didn't have to wait through the mess that is 11th and Lorraine and K61.

I don't know if it is true, but the story is that there are no overpasses on K61 at 30th, 17th, 11th, and 4th Streets because the powers that were in charge thought that it would be too easy to just keep driving and not exit to enter dear old Hutch. If someone wants to come into town to shop, they will.
So for that thinking, we have all these intersections with traffic lights, long waits and small town mentality. I'm sure all those overpasses would have been costly but people, think ahead!

The reason for out trip south? To pick up our tax return. We get a refund!  $4.00.

Kansas Power and Light Crews - 1941

The top left photo is my dad, Dewey R. Brown, truck foreman. On the right, Jim Thomas, two men of the truck crew and my dad.

 

Names in order of the second photo: Back row: Chidester, Don Sellers, Roy Soverign,Glen Thorpe, Vade Herrington, Audie Curry, Howard Bridges, Ken Piatt, Dan Hamer, John Haskard, Barney Cole.
Middle row: Bill Miller, Archie Vernon, Jerry McCulla, Vic Pace, Shorty Camp, Ernie Phips, Peiplow, "Lovee" Toms, Slim DeArmand, Koch, Chapman.
Front row: Clarence Kraft, Roy Stull,  (my dad, 3rd from left in front row with the LARGE cuff on his overalls and a spot of oil!), Longshore, Floyd Jackson, Harold Wilt, Ivan Jones, Wray,Jim Thomas Harold Shull, Miles Standis (Doc) Brown.
The cowboy hats and some whiskers were on display because this was the year of the first Prairie Pow-Wow in Hutchinson. The state was eighty years old and there was a big celebration. After the war, the town held another one in 1946 with a "mile long" picnic table down Main Street. That story made Life magazine. I wish I had saved a copy.

This is in front of the old shop for KP&L on west 2nd and Adams Street in Hutchinson, KS.

Mr. Manilow - early 1980's

The above picture is small because it was taken with 35 mm. and scanned.

The second one was taken today of a print with the digital camera.

This was before Barry had

any work done. He was born in 1943. I still prefer to see the celebrities age naturally like

the rest of us folks. (Thinking star, Bette Davis)  She actually looked like an older lady instead of a plastic mask.

Some Kind of Battle

Hovering and Ready for Take Off

I'm longing for the days when we see these critters in the back yard.

Dahlia

All these individual petals were cut out and basted around the edges by my mom. She had two quilts  made in this pattern in the 1920's or '30's.  I think she was going to make another one. When I finally started to quilt in 1993, I wanted to complete these pieces. I put them together on muslin and found some striped fabric that I could use for bordering the blocks. I hand quilted around the pieces and am glad I could put it together. These fabrics are from the '30's and from some of my sun dresses.

There is another, more complicated quilt called Giant Dahlia but this one is just called Dahlia.

My Birth Grandmother

I have mentioned earlier that I was adopted. In later years, by accident, I found that my birth grandmother lived in our town. She contacted me and we were able to have a friendship before she died at 96. She was a feisty girl and no disrespect to my real parents who raised me, but it was neat to meet her. All three of her children preceded her  in death.

Decay

Photos from 1946, 1985 and 2012.  How I wish we still owned this house. It's not being well maintained. To give you an idea how the values in real estate changed from 1944 to 1947, my dad bought it for $4000 and sold it for $8000. As far as I know, there was no realtor involved. The buyer came to the house with cash and my dad said, "Let's go to the bank." Maybe he wanted a witness.

A Nation of Readers

I think I've posted this before - but I like this picture of my dad's cousin, Violet Hampton Dewey.
This was taken for a contest at the library: A Nation of Readers. 
Hidden under the afghan and the shawl were her  sweat pants and sweat shirt.  Sort of how I dress today. This was taken in the 1985 when she was almost 81 years old.

Hutchinson Hospital in Building Phase - 1974

Since opening in 1975, this facility has had three names. The first, Hutchinson Hospital,

replaced two existing hospitals, Hutchinson Hospital North and

Hutchinson Hospital South.

They had replaced St. Elizabeth and Grace Hospitals.

Later, with a new administrator, it was named Promise Regional Medical Center.

We old fogies continued to call it Hutchinson Hospital even though  it had

a marble slab in the lobby with water running down over the name and logo.

With another change at the top, it adopted the final (I hope) name,

Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. . . which at least lets people

know where it is!

(Check out that 1970 something Buick Station Wagon. We did love Buicks.)

 

Informal / Formal

Clothes make the men!

On Her Birthday -

My mom would have been 110 today. Sadly, she only celebrated sixty birthdays.  She was an RN  and a great mother. This photo was taken on their 35th anniversary in 1963. I was one lucky, skinny little baby to be adopted by her and my dad. Love you and miss you still.

A Very Dry Mount Hood (1998)

We rode the ski lift up to the dry area! Tried to picture all those rocks and boulders covered with
enough snow for a ski run.  I have never tried to ski. Athletics were no fun - from girls' basketball
where you only played on half the court. .  .girls were considered too weak to run up and down to play both offense and defense. (In my case it might have been true.) To field hockey where I seemed
to get a lot of sticks hitting my shins and bowling, where I was very awkward, sports were not for me.

David C. Wright Class of 1944

My handsome cousin who played basketball for the Newton Railroaders, served in the US Navy during WWII and coached Haven, KS High School sports.
The cardboard frame reminds me more of the 1930's than the '40's - sort of art-deco.

Cousins

I think these cousins look very similar. However, MN on the right is eight years older than TC.
The black and white would seem to be the oldest photo, but not here!

 Another view is that all babies look alike.  I disagree but these two do!

Gentlemen, Start Your Engine

The only race track was around the back yard. PN is waiting his turn.

Words for Today

Mom and the Boys

MN seems to be saying, "You look through the lenses, not over them."  PN is just
 amused about the whole thing and wanting to leave the area.