St. Jude Church/School Nostalgia

[Campfire Girl]

So sad......

[kellyroad]

http://detnews.com/article/20110209/...troit-break-in

Randy was in my class of 75 at Denby. I hate it that he was in Nashville for all those years and I had no idea. So sorry for his family.

This news is sad in many ways. May God rest their dear souls and give comfort to the family, friends, and neighbors.

[kellyroad]

Refresh my memory please. All this cold and snowy weather got me thinking how the news of school closings got communicated back in the day. I don't recall a radio report, and there certainly wasn't a website or cell phones. Was it word of mouth? a telephone bucket brigade? show up and turn around? Of course, come to think of it, there weren't that many school closings. What do you remember?

[jcole]

Refresh my memory please. All this cold and snowy weather got me thinking how the news of school closings got communicated back in the day. I don't recall a radio report, and there certainly wasn't a website or cell phones. Was it word of mouth? a telephone bucket brigade? show up and turn around? Of course, come to think of it, there weren't that many school closings. What do you remember?

I remember the few we had being reported on WWJ and WJR radio. Of course, I think there was only one the whole time I went to St. Jude. And I don't think there was ever one at Regina. The public schools got called more often and my Burbank-going neighbors would stand on the front porch and make fun of me on my way to school when they were 'snowed in'

[Campfire Girl]

I only remember one snow day too - and we were turned around at Saratoga and Rex by Terry Bulgarelli who was a 'duty boy' at the corner, and he told us there was no school for the day. I remember the snow being higher than we could lift our legs, but we were still off walking our 4 blocks to school!

[12468_laing]

I can't remember any snow days for St. Jude, Arthur, Denby or WSU. I remember cramming newspaper into my black buckle up boots to dry them out when I got to St. Jude, the "stench" of drying courderoys, riding my bike in the snow to Arthur, walking home after swim practice at Denby and having my hair freeze, and getting my car stuck in 2 ft of snow trying to get into a free lot at WSU, but no snow days. And, I didn't walk to school uphill 'cause there ain't any hills in the old hood.

[jcole]

We had one snow day in about 4th grade at SJS.. We had 49.5" of snow in the winter of 64-65 and one storm dropped over 10", so I think it was then. I remember building igloos and tunnels on the front lawn when we were off of school. That's the only one I remember.

[jcole]

This was our snowfalls the years I was in school:
Year..........Total........Days.........3+...... 5+.....6+......8+.....10+
1960-61......18.0"......29 days......3........0........0........0........0
1961-62......28.1"......33 days......2........0........0........0........0
1962-63......29.7"......41 days......1........0........0........0........0
1963-64......32.5"......39 days......2........0........0........0........0
1964-65......49.2"......40 days......5........2........1........1........1
1965-66......15.4"......36 days......1........0........0........0........0
1966-67......50.6"......42 days......8........3........1........0........0
1967-68......30.6"......33 days......2........2........2........0........0
1968-69......17.1"......25 days......1........0........0........0........0
1969-70......45.1"......44 days......6........0........0........0........0
1970-71......35.4"......43 days......2........0........0........0........0
1971-72......29.0"......38 days......1........0........0........0........0
1972-73......45.0"......35 days......7........1........1........1........0
1973-74......49.2"......38 days......4........2........2........1........1

[kellyroad]

I can't remember any snow days for St. Jude, Arthur, Denby or WSU. I remember cramming newspaper into my black buckle up boots to dry them out when I got to St. Jude, the "stench" of drying courderoys, riding my bike in the snow to Arthur, walking home after swim practice at Denby and having my hair freeze, and getting my car stuck in 2 ft of snow trying to get into a free lot at WSU, but no snow days. And, I didn't walk to school uphill 'cause there ain't any hills in the old hood.

I can relate Laing especially getting the car stuck in a free lot at WSU [[Mine was around Dec of 74), the courderoys and freezing hair [[but mine was from open swim at Heilmann not swim practice...how crazy is that?).BTW, I've been looking for black buckle up boots with no avail...Can someone please help locate a pair.
You're right about the "the hills"...even Kercheval in GP was a distance back then in more ways than one.

[jcole]

We had Balduck.

[kellyroad]

We had Balduck.

How could I've forgotten that hill??!!

[kellyroad]

We had one snow day in about 4th grade at SJS.. We had 49.5" of snow in the winter of 64-65 and one storm dropped over 10", so I think it was then. I remember building igloos and tunnels on the front lawn when we were off of school. That's the only one I remember.

This is a picture of the only snow day that I can recall in 8 years at SJS [[1965). The group of kids you see near the Eastwood/Redmond intersection along with others would often help cars rock out of the infamous ruts on Detroit's unplowed side streets...Yes, even police cars.

[7andkelly]

This is a picture of the only snow day that I can recall in 8 years at SJS [[1965). The group of kids you see near the Eastwood/Redmond intersection along with others would often help cars rock out of the infamous ruts on Detroit's unplowed side streets...Yes, even police cars.

KR, east of Redmond the Eastwood sidewalks are clean, while not so to the west. I wonder if it was cleaned by a service or someone's sweeper/plow.

[kellyroad]

KR, east of Redmond the Eastwood sidewalks are clean, while not so to the west. I wonder if it was cleaned by a service or someone's sweeper/plow.

7K, There were plenty of industrious kids then that would offer their snow shoveling services for 50 cent to a dollar. Even older neighbors would tough it out with steel or in some cases aluminum scoop shovels. Of course, as you may guess, this was before snow blowers and the notion that heavy exertion in the cold may lead to a cardiac event. Snow plow services didn't become the norm until much later.

[Campfire Girl]

remember the Snow Brushes that came down the sidewalks? We used to watch for them through the front room windows!

[7andkelly]

7K, There were plenty of industrious kids then that would offer their snow shoveling services for 50 cent to a dollar. Even older neighbors would tough it out with steel or in some cases aluminum scoop shovels. Of course, as you may guess, this was before snow blowers and the notion that heavy exertion in the cold may lead to a cardiac event. Snow plow services didn't become the norm until much later.

I remember the sweepers, and that would explain it. Perhaps the folks over there chose to pony up, not that I would blame those on your side for not, given how industrious and useful those kids were.

[7andkelly]

remember the Snow Brushes that came down the sidewalks? We used to watch for them through the front room windows!

As much fun as that was, a better show out that window for me were the dueling oscillating sprinklers across the street, nearly in sync.

[kellyroad]

I remember the sweepers, and that would explain it. Perhaps the folks over there chose to pony up, not that I would blame those on your side for not, given how industrious and useful those kids were.

I do remember those sidewalk brushes. However, they didn't come around, at least as far as I remember, until the 70s. Come to think of it, it would be nice to have that service now.....Those poor industrious kids put out of work due to automation and power tools.

[Eastburn]

Snow days? We didn't need no stinkin' snow days. And I lived on the parish's northern boundary. 12 blocks to school [[all up hill - both ways).

[kellyroad]

Snow days? We didn't need no stinkin' snow days. And I lived on the parish's northern boundary. 12 blocks to school [[all up hill - both ways).

Where was the hitching post at St. Jude located?

[12468_laing]

Where was the hitching post at St. Jude located?

hitching post had to be the bike racks on the Maddelin side of the school.......right?

And how many of us macho boys used to run and jump over them? I had holes in the knees of my pants from missing a couple of times.

[kellyroad]

hitching post had to be the bike racks on the Maddelin side of the school.......right?

And how many of us macho boys used to run and jump over them? I had holes in the knees of my pants from missing a couple of times.

If that's where the EB family tied up the team of horses after the long trek to St. Jude, then yes, that was the hitching post.

Were iron on patches used after the fall?

[7andkelly]

Snow days? We didn't need no stinkin' snow days. And I lived on the parish's northern boundary. 12 blocks to school [[all up hill - both ways).

This is off topic, but did the street vendor selling strawberries go down your street? And if so did he sing "STRAWWWWWBERRIES, STRAWWWWWWBERRIES...fourrrrr quarts for a dooooollarrrrr" or some other price?

One year, he was only giving 3 quarts for a dollar, and I thought "what an outrage".

[Eastburn]

That was me.

[7andkelly]

That was me.

Come to think of it, I can picture a motorcycle pulling the cart.