I had not looked at the chat board for quite awhile. This has been a great trip down memory lane. A few sad moments: Tate mentioned Pete Staddon. I was honored to attend his service here. Phyllis mentioned Buck Albright ('67). His family was on my paper route. I rang their doorbell to collect not 10 min after the telegram came.
The chatter about old neighborhood friends reminds me of all the fun and trouble I got into with some of guys around Mitchell school. Don Peterson, Ted Maish, Mike Delamater, Charlie Brownd, Butch Bennet, Ross Thompson, Bob Hart. Jr. Hi we started a small fire at JayCee park with match guns. Skim boarding in the irrigation at Mitchell School. Tackle football in the irrigation -- the water tastes really bad!! Following a homemade 'hotair balloon' ( dry cleaning bag tied to an alum. pietin with a candle) from Ted's house at Univ. & Priest one evening on our bikes all the way to the MU on campus and then hauling a-- when it landed on the roof of the MU. The memories of Tempe Beach that I have are similar to those of others: Riding bikes down there to spend a whole day, playing dibble dabble, eating taffy and having a snow cone. Alex Arredondo taught the swim class when I finally learned to swim (8yrs old).
Then in high school: TP raids on our motor scooters: Maish, Peterson and I hade Honda's, Delamater rode a Vespa, Hart had a Cushman and Langhi had a Trail 90. Working at Burger Chef with Maish and Dave Mattox, Bob Johnson and his brother Bruce ('71), Sara Timmer and others younger and older. Many Buff's worked there at one time or another, most all ate there, and a few won or lost a fight there.
I was lucky too, a great neiborhood and great friends. Tempe in the 50's and 60's was a really great place to grow up.
Ricky Evans, the crazy guy on the bike that everyone was scared to death of was a Yaki Indian and I believe his name was Uley. He must of ridden that bike a million miles. It took me a week to pull that out of the memory bank, been hit in the head to many times to do that to often. I can’t believe Larry didn’t remember that. It seems that he has access to the FBI info bank.
Hey, watch it there! Gotta respect your elders, you know . . . guess we're all elders, though. You talkin' about 'Lips', Mike? Seems like there were two vagrant-type guys that hung around Tempe. Lips lived over behind the Post Office.
You were in Mr. Beck's band at Gilliland, Mike. I had forgotten that. You played trumpet? We played 'How the West Was Won'.
lARRY, LIPS is the same guy his name was Uley he was born with a double set of lips , he scared the heck out od a lot od kids. I'm sure he had a pretty lonley life but did what he could to make it.
Yes i still have that trumpet don't know why still can't play it. The only thing i could ever play was the Marine Corp hynm
Hi everyone: I am class of THS 1966 and I just hide to put in mytwo cents worth since it involved me personally.
Uley's real name was Sefarino Felix. He lived with my family in a back room at our house starting in 1964 and we cared for him and watched over him. He eventually became old and infirm and he was placed in a care facility. We treated him like a family member and he was always welcome in our home.
Johnny was a guy we called Uncle Johnny and he lived on 5th Street between South Wilson Street and South Farmer Avenue. He was kind of a strange fellow as I recall but was always kind to us kids. His home was one block North of my home at 418 West 6th Street.
There was also a guy named 'Jackson' from eitehr SCottsdale or the River Bottom. He had a grey goatee and flags all over his bicycle.
Yes, there was a guy named Johnny. And the guy you're calling Uley, we called Muley because his ears stuck out so much. I, too, was scared of these guys, but Jill Boyd's dad somehow knew them and Jill said they were mentally challenged (that wasn't the word she used, however!) and fairly harmless.
Anybody remember the square block of green motor-court style places? They sat 1 block west of Mill, from about 2nd Street to 3rd Street, from Maple to Ash. I know they had served several purposes over the years - housing for migrant farmworkers, motor court for travellers, crash pads for hippies. I think Johnny and Uley might have lived in one of them.
My Grandpa owned the property accross the street from those small houses all the way to the railroad tracks and Tempe Depot - from 2nd Street to 3rd Street bordered by the RR tracks and South Ash Avenue. Shelley's Market was located to the North on that block on 2nd Street - remember? On the South the Limon Falily lived next to the R tracks and across the allwyway going towards those small houses lived the Peralta family. I ued to visit Grandma evertime I went from my house to the Swimming Pool - ometiems dropped in to get candy from Shelley's market too - then Shelley moved the store to Mil Avenue North of 5th Street on the Butte side of Mill Avenue. This really brings back some childhood memories from me.
Carlos;
Wow I had forgotten about Shelley’s Market. Jesse Morales and I went thee to buy pop after we throw oranges at the freight trains. We got in less trouble at the packing shed on the north of Fifth Street than the one on the south side. Remember the abandon houses next to the tracks just south of Eight street where the hobos would stay. We were told to stay out of them… ya sure.
Phyllis,
I will also have a warm spot in my heart for John Boyd. I once played in the irrigation water with Jill. My mother had pictures of us and she was topless. Oh we were about 2years old.
Mike, going a little further south on the tracks to 8th Street, there was a tall trailer manufacturing company on the east side of the tracks, south side of 8th. We used to crawl up in the upper ductwork to get pigeons.
Patton - my Trail 90 was a Honda and I was at the MU to {-: Great times
Mills- I remember Uley well and Charlie Defer screaming Uley in a silly howl. Tell me again why Mike is not coming to the Reunion.
Phyllis - I bought my 'First Car' a 57 Volvo from that section of houses you just described between 2nd and 3rd street a block west of mill. He was young, long hair and happy. They blew the motor in it. My dad gave them $50. This car is on your first car list I wrote about.
I have been waiting for one of you guys to write the story of the Hot Air Balloon and Teepeeing Houses. I wonder where David Maddox ran off to? Also do you talk to Peterson. He had Married that girl that used to live with Louis Thomas Langhi my cousinn in So. Phx at our 20th Reunion.
Carlos;
Wow I had forgotten about Shelley’s Market. Jesse Morales and I went thee to buy pop after we throw oranges at the freight trains. We got in less trouble at the packing shed on the north of Fifth Street than the one on the south side. Remember the abandon houses next to the tracks just south of Eight street where the hobos would stay. We were told to stay out of them… ya sure.
Hi Mike: I gre up with Jesse and hisolder brother Johnny Morales and his younger brother Jessie. We called Jessie 'Jack - so we teased him by saiying 'A-Jack - Stronger than Dirt' - remember that commercial? I remember the two packing sheds - one was accross the street from Jesse's house, the other was on the South side of 5th Street called Tempeco Groves on Farmers . When I was in Vietnam my platoon had some cases of oranges sent to us from Tempeco Groves. I had forgotton all about the abondoned house where the bums stayed. It was accross the tracks from Livingston's Lockers the butcher place remember? Al Arbizu's house was just accross the street from the abondoned house on Farmers.
Mike: I put the wrong name above. Oldest Morales brother was Sonny, then Johnny, then Jessie, then the youngest was Jack. Jack had a pet bird that would scream his name 'Jackiiieeeee' really loud and over and over - you could hear it all over the neighborhood. Also Jessie had a German Shepard dog named 'Duke' who was a good guard dog but really friendly if he knew you.
Geez! Weird how memory works. I read the Livingston's Lockers bit and immediately O'Malley's Lumber came to mind -- it was right there next to the tracks (and then another over on Rural next to the tracks there.
And Daphne Livingston, an upperclassman heart throb.
Wasn't there a Landis Cyclery on the NW corner of Ash & 8th?
Accross the street from Livingston's Lockers looking towards 5th Street there was a Knights of Colmbus Hall or somethign like that?? They hired me one time to keep the place cleaned up after their meetings. I got free soda pop from the machine while I worked there. Also, heading toward downtown on the left was a pasture where Jericho the mule lived - I always brought him stuff to eat - he would run braying accross the field whenever he saw me - he always made me laugh. I think Billy Shuman had his Air Conditioning Shop close by that part of town didn't he?
When my family first moved to our house by Daley Park, there was a huge feedlot on the corner of Rural RD and Broadway. The aroma was wonderful.
I remember the open ditches along Broadway. We used to hide in them and throw dirt clods at the semis when they went by. That was until we got in trouble for doing it. Our fun ended there.
Louis, my brother told me the same story about the old Tempe Bridge. Wlking out and looking through the holes. He actually was able to get pieces of the bridge when it was torn down. He incorporated them into a few of his wood sculptures. They are very cool.
We are so lucky to have all these common memeories to share. This process has brought back all the wonderfully good memories of my childhood.
Remember how cool (temperature wise) the public library was during the summer? Of course I always had bare feet and I remember how wonderful the tile floor felt on my feet.
I remember both those guys Ule, who I never knew his name, and Mike who rode a bike around Tempe. He was always trying to give candy bars and soda. I think he was harmless, but my mom would not let me take anything from him. I never heard that he hurt anyone, I think he was lonely.
Louis,
I posted a picture on 'Looking Back' of the sculpture my brother did incorporating part of the Old Tempe Bridge. I am not sure how he obtained the pieces.
Pictures are deceiving and I would have never thought that was that big. That is a big ole piece of the Tempe Bridge. The naked barn. I can not remember that in the Banter.
