My earliest recollections go back to 1949 when our class entered 1st grade at Thomas School. The class was so big it was split up between Miss Margaret Larson and Mrs. Marshall. The two classes were held on the 1st floor across the hall from each other. The rest of our class started at Hageman School in Porter, or at St. Patrick’s School, then in downtown Chesterton.

Recess was on the east side playground and lunch was served in the basement or you could go home or walk downtown to Eschenback's Restaurant at 2nd and Broadway or Bonni Baur Rice's parents' State Park Drugs. Sometimes I would walk to my grandparents home at 2nd St. and Morgan Ave., one block from Thomas School.

In those days, the big treat was going to the movies, a double feature on Friday night at the Aron Theatre with a group of friends. Mr. Cooper always insisted everyone be quiet and watch. Typical films were, Ma & Pa Kettle and The Durango Kid.

In the 3rd grade, we had Miss Elsie Nickel. She was a good friend of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the "Little House on the Prairie" series, which she read to us. As a group, we wrote a letter to Wilder in Iowa and she wrote back to us during the year. Mrs. Wilder lived to be 90 and passed away February 10, 1957, about the same time as Miss Nickel. Elsie also wrote a book about her life in Chesterton, titled " A Nickels' Worth.” My father, Dick Smith, also had Miss Nickel for 3rd grade at Thomas School.

For 2nd grade I had Mrs. Crawford; 4th grade Mrs. Emma Crowell; 5th grade Miss Mabel Sparling; and 6th grade Mr. Don Hume. Our principal was Cecil Foster.

In 1955, I was a patrol boy who watched after the kids crossing the street to school. To honor the patrol boys that year, Mr. Foster announced we would go to the Sectional Basketball games in Valparaiso at Boucher Gym. Most of the basketball we played was outside on our west playground. The only gym I had seen was the little one at the old CHS behind the auditorium. When we walked into Boucher Gym I couldn't believe the size of the place. It was huge. And of course, Chesterton won all their games and the Sectional Championship. We eventually were beaten at the Regional in East Chicago.

1955 turned out to be one of the best basketball seasons ever for CHS.

One year the circus came to town. As they were arriving from the east on U.S. 20, one of the circus trucks had a problem and broke down at Obrecht’s Truck Stop near Hadenfeldt Road. As the story goes, Shirley Meneilly Babcock, who lived in the area, was in charge of feeding the elephants until the truck was repaired.

Also, the big doings of the summer of 1952 was the Chesterton Centennial and in 1958, the Porter Centennial. In Chesterton, the parade was the largest and longest in recent memory, with bands and marching units from all over northwest Indiana.

The men belonged to the Brothers of the Brush; beards were the norm and the women wore clothes of the 1850's era.

Mox Ruge, local attorney, dressed just like Abe Lincoln, with a tall stove top hat.

My father rode his favorite white Albino horse, Duke, in the parade with other horse owners of the day.

In the spring of 1957, Boy Scout Troop 8, led by Arthur Griswold, camped out at the new Camp Topeneebee east of Otis in LaPorte County.

In the fall of 1960, Ray Banary started Chesterton’s 11-man football program with the help of Jerry Wenzel and others.

Tim Bagby was tearing up cross-country and track courses around the state, winning the State Cross Country Individual Championship as well as the State Mile.

The CHS class of 1961 was the first class to graduate from the new Goldsborough Gymnasium.

A few other bits of memorabilia from 1961:

Hamburger, fries, and large coke at the Nibble Nook: 50 cents. A gallon of Ethyl gasoline: 26 cents. A movie ticket at the Aron Theatre: 50 cents. Monthly phone bill: $4.95. All day rides at Riverview Amusement Park: $5.00

Copy of Chesterton Tribune: 5 cents. The Chesterton Tribune became a daily newspaper.

A cherry Coke at State Park Drugs, Hewards, or Nickels Drug Store: 5 cents.

A half gallon of milk at Brunk’s or Thompson’s Dairy: 25 cents.

The 1961 Pontiac Tempest is Motor Trend’s Car of the Year and is priced at $1,995 at Smith Motors, Chesterton.

WLS Radio had become the rock station of the midwest. Wally Phillips hosted Bandstand Matinee on Channel 9.

Guy Lombardo Band played at Goldsborough Gym, November 1961.

Chesterton had a population of 4,300, Porter 2,300 according to the 1960 Census.

Posted 8/10/2011