This past Thursday I returned to my first alma mater, Lehigh Parkway Elementary School, where I graduated in 1953. At that time, Lehigh Parkway Elementary School only went up to 2nd grade. For the remainder of elementary school, 3th through 6th, we Kids Of The Parkway took the school bus to Jefferson Elementary, at S. 8th and St. John Streets. The school has since been enlarged, with two additional sections. The security personnel were diligence in granting me entry, despite having made prior arrangements. Although my old and faded 2nd grade picture, marked NO Entry, is still taped to the principal's door jam, it seemed implausible that they could recognize me, 59 years later. I was there to see the Dome Theater, an inflated dome where the kids see a 180 degree omni-max type production. The edu-tainment is provided by a Michigan company, which has six such domes circulating the country. The operator and school have a choice of twenty six different presentations, depending on age and interest of the audience. In the coming months I'm going to attempt to visit Jefferson, Raub and Allen.
Apr 28, 2013
Lehigh Parkway Elementary School
This past Thursday I returned to my first alma mater, Lehigh Parkway Elementary School, where I graduated in 1953. At that time, Lehigh Parkway Elementary School only went up to 2nd grade. For the remainder of elementary school, 3th through 6th, we Kids Of The Parkway took the school bus to Jefferson Elementary, at S. 8th and St. John Streets. The school has since been enlarged, with two additional sections. The security personnel were diligence in granting me entry, despite having made prior arrangements. Although my old and faded 2nd grade picture, marked NO Entry, is still taped to the principal's door jam, it seemed implausible that they could recognize me, 59 years later. I was there to see the Dome Theater, an inflated dome where the kids see a 180 degree omni-max type production. The edu-tainment is provided by a Michigan company, which has six such domes circulating the country. The operator and school have a choice of twenty six different presentations, depending on age and interest of the audience. In the coming months I'm going to attempt to visit Jefferson, Raub and Allen.
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Nice piece, MM.
ReplyDeleteThank You Michael, For the relaxing Trip down Memory Lane, and the educational History lesson about your beloved South Side Allentown. I provided food & beverage products to the Cafeterias & Teacher's Lounges in several of the schools mentioned. That was in many years past.....PJF
ReplyDeleteWonderful piece Michael. I attended Lehigh Parkway Elementary from 1969 to 1975 and grew up on Liberator Ave.
ReplyDeleteYour Blogs bring back wonderful memories.
As children, we used to ride our bikes on the ruins of a concrete miniature golf course between the Lehigh Parkway Shopping Center and Vultee Street. Do you have any info. on the history of that site? I often wondered who built it. I believe it was completely removed in the late 1970's.
jim @11:30, as a child there was a classic miniature golf course where the VW dealer is now, at lehigh and jefferson. at that time there was a right away between the back yards on jefferson and the back yards on lehigh parkway south. we would walk on the public ground and come out at the end on jefferson. at some point it was vacated, and now you have the extra deep back yards. the miniature course you're referring to i think was called putt,putt and was built in the early 60's. it didn't have any of the constructions like windmills, etc. as the classic courses had. it was rather boring. i think by the late 60's it was gone. we first lived on sw 17th, and then moved to liberator in about 1948. if you use the search engine,(lehigh parkway) you will find several pictures from the early 1950's.
ReplyDeleteMichael, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question regarding the Mini golf course. I can't get enough of your site.
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