Visitors Nostalgia & Memories

(Archive #75: June 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010)

Date: 6/27/2010, 12:16 pm, EDT
Name: betty baker colegrove
Location: millsboro
Old Neighborhood(s): 10th & bennett & 4th & lombard & richardson park & new castle
Schools Att'd: bancroft
Employers: wilm. dry goods, masons record shop, woolworths
Message: I posted before at a different web site but this is my main one....anyone remembering me, please get in touch...love to hear from you.....SUSAN BARTLETT, are you HAPPY HARRY'S sister ?....if yoy are, you know me from the pub.............betty BAKER colegrove

Date: 6/25/2010, 5:42 pm, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Happy Birthday to my favoritest website in the whole wide world. :-) ;-) :-)
Date: 6/25/2010, 1:14 pm, EDT
Name: webmaster
Location: Wilmington/Perryville
Old Neighborhood(s): Wood'n Flats, Willow Rn, Oak Hill, Rich'n Park, Longview Farms
Schools Att'd: Lore, Oak Grove, Conrad
Employers: WDG, DuPont
Message: WWW.OLDWILMINGTON.NET
IS 11 YEARS OLD TODAY
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
Date: 6/22/2010, 10:12 am, EDT
Name: Swifty
Location: Middletown DE
Old Neighborhood(s): Northeast Wilmington
Schools Att'd: MCIWilliams, Bayard, Warner, PS
Employers: Bank Of DE, Budd Co, Honeywell
Message: Patty: great post. I remember going to Woolworth's on hot Saturday afternoons in the summer and getting the 39 cent banana splits. You brought back some good memories.
Date: 6/21/2010, 7:44 pm, EDT
Name: Patty
Location: Wilmington
Old Neighborhood(s): Little Italy
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: It's hard to believe the prices, but here is a 1957 menu from Woolworth's : )
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/writing/2008/0...
Date: 6/20/2010, 11:49 am, EDT
Name: Pat LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Sorry, Swifty. I realize I committed a mortal sin by posting on the "wrong" site; however, I was responding to someone who addressed me on that site and perhaps didn't know about the blog. Now he does. Does that make you happy? Don't be such a crab - it's Father's Day!
Date: 6/20/2010, 10:48 am, EDT
Name: Swifty
Location: Middletown DE
Old Neighborhood(s): Northeast Wilmington
Schools Att'd: MCIWilliams, Bayard, Warner, PS
Employers: Bank Of DE, Budd Co, Honeywell
Message: Will you people take your personal comments to the blog? I don't think anyone putting down a deposit for a home in Florida has anything to do with Old Wilmington.
Date: 6/20/2010, 10:31 am, EDT
Name: Pat LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie
Old Neighborhood(s): 23rd & Tatnall
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: budkyle: Nice to hear that we will be neighbors. Cascades is very nice and I am sure you will love living in St. Lucie West. Everything is so convenient. I live in Country Club Estates. We moved here in 1997 and have thoroughly enjoyed living here. My e-mail is: levan1706@bellsouth.net if I can help in any way. Good luck!
Date: 6/19/2010, 5:37 pm, EDT
Name: budkyle
Location: Marshallton
Old Neighborhood(s): Faulkland Hgts.
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: For Pat LeVan- We are retiring soon to Port St. Lucie. Have a bid on a place at Cascades; we soon may be neighbors!
Date: 6/19/2010, 5:34 pm, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Bob - found the report cards. She taught 8th grade Social Studies in 1952 and her name was Miss Dickinson. I met her walking home from school a few times.
Date: 6/19/2010, 4:24 pm, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Bob - I think a Social Studies teacher from Warner Jr. High lived near 23rd and Concord Ave. She was a petite woman with gray hair. Do you remember her? I can't remember her name and can't remember where I put my report cards.
Date: 6/19/2010, 11:52 am, EDT
Name: Bob Veazey
Location: Brookmeade
Old Neighborhood(s): 23rd & Concord Ave.
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: For Al Minne, When ESCO (successor to AAE) dropped interest in aerial recovery and unmanned aerial launch & recovery I took early retirement in 1991. Then did consulting w/AAI Corp., Sierra Nevada, Vertigo, and others. When ESCO bid on the M31 Marine Corps expeditionary arresting gear, I helped write the proposal. When they won, I signed-on as Configuration Manager - for 10 years! I spend most of my time keeping up with my pilot training classmates and 36 Fighter Squadron mates. Am Trustee & VP of Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame (I was inducted in 2003), and that takes a lot of time. Still doing some RC modelling.
Date: 6/18/2010, 12:33 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula CA
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Oak Grove, Alexis I, Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), Spitz Laboratories,
Message: BOB VEAZEY: You have had an interesting and exiting career! I had not relized untill now how much AAE and the DuPont Airport had contributed to history in particular aviation history. What are you up to nowadays?
Date: 6/16/2010, 4:17 pm, EDT
Name: Bob Veaze
Location: Brookmead
Old Neighborhood(s): 23rd and Concord Ave.
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: For Jim Fox. Sure did know Joe King. A really great guy, and his wife Kaye. We moved to South Madison Ave. about that time.
Date: 6/16/2010, 12:41 pm, EDT
Name: Jim Fox
Location: Sayre, PA
Old Neighborhood(s): Glendale, Rt40
Schools Att'd:
Employers: DuPont Experimental Station
Message: Bob Veazey - You must have known my uncle, Joe King, at All American. I made deliveries there and would have lunch with him on a couple of occassions just after getting out of the Navy ('69). Then I landed a job at DuPont Experimental Station.
Date: 6/15/2010, 10:10 am, EDT
Name: Bob Veazey
Location: Brookmead
Old Neighborhood(s): Garfield Monument
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: For Al Minne, I worked with Vertgo on a number of projects over the years. Was friends with the principals. Last job was aerial recovery of the "Genesis" solar wind aerial recovery. I did little actual design work at AAE after early 1960s. I was project manager and took over management of all aerial recovery and UAV related work in 1969.
Date: 6/14/2010, 9:22 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula, CA
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Oak Grove, Alexis I, Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), AAE, Spitz Laboratories,
Message: BOB VEAZEY: Thanks for setting the record straight on those dates. I thought AAE was a good company to work for but because of their union contract they were unable to raise my starting pay to retain me. I was hired into production assembling Control Panels. Perhaps designed by you. I called on Vertigo many times in the early 90s as a Sales Rep. They had some exiting products. Like the Guided Airdrop System system. Were you aware that Vertigo has merged with HDT Engineered Technologies?
Date: 6/14/2010, 7:34 pm, EDT
Name: RALPH PRYOR
Location: TARPON SPRINGS ,FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9TH. CLAYTON ST.
Schools Att'd: WARNER, W.H.S ,V.F. MILL.ACAD.
Employers: DEPT. PUBLIC SAFETY ,WILM DE. INNISBROOK, PALM HARBOR ,
Message: ANY ONE PLAY VARSITY BASE BALL AT W. H. S. WITH MY KID BROTHER BILL PRYOR ? I NEVER SAW A BALL GET BY HIM IN CENT. FIELD. WENT ON TO PLAY SEMI -PRO. . LAST TEAM HE PLAYED FOR WAS ST. ANTHONY,S SURE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY ONE WHO PLAYED ON THE W.H.S. TEAM WITH HIM ,OR PLAYED SEMI- PRO WITH HIM. BILL PASSED ON IN 2005 FROM CANCER. DO MISS HIM. HIS BROTHER RALPH
Date: 6/14/2010, 1:42 pm, EDT
Name: Bruce
Location: Sugar Land, TX
Old Neighborhood(s): N Franklin St
Schools Att'd: Sacred Heart
Employers: Wilm. Finishing Co
Message: Bob, My father, Dr. Arthur Heather, worked on a few inventions with an engineer from AAE named Daniels. I forget his first name. They worked on a mattress that would help prevent bedsores, also other items that would help people who were disabled.
Do you remember Mr. Daniels? He had a son, Tom, who I knew in Newark in the 70's.
Date: 6/14/2010, 1:26 am, EDT
Name: Jerry T.
Location: at the shore, de.
Old Neighborhood(s): S. Jackson, S. Broom, N. Broom, Klair Ests.
Schools Att'd: St. Hedwig's, Archmere, U.of D.
Employers: Resilient Tile, B&O R.R., U.S.Army, Equifax, St.of De.(retired)
Message: Thanks Tom, Harry and Ed for the info. on AAE and the DuPont airfield.
Date: 6/13/2010, 8:45 pm, EDT
Name: Bob Veazey
Location: Brookmead
Old Neighborhood(s): Garfield Monument
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Al Minne: I worked at AAE from 1955 (just out of USAF) until 1991. We merged with anther company in 1989. Went back as a contractor in 1995 and finally retired in 2006. That info that we went out of business in 1969 is due to wrong info in Hagley files quoted in the book "Delaware Aviation History". I also did consulting with Vertigo in Lake Elsinor, just north of you.
Date: 6/13/2010, 7:29 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula, CA
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Oak Grove, Alexis I, Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), AAE, Spitz Laboratories,
Message: TOM: Thanks for the airport link. Very interesting. My grandmother flew into DuPont in the late 1940s, picked me up and gave me my first flight! She was one of the early women to fly (early 30s) because my grandfather insisted that she become licensed so he could take control and fly the plane once she got it airborne. He didn’t want to take the time to get flight lessons! He was well known as the hotshot that loved to buzz the Hampton beaches on Long Island. The link also answered my question to Bob Veazey about his time at All American since many of his comments were included. He was employed by All American from 1955 till 1969 when they merged with another company.
Date: 6/13/2010, 6:27 pm, EDT
Name: Tom
Location: Wilmington
Old Neighborhood(s): Hedgeville
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Heres a link I came across looking for dupont airfield
http://members.tripod.com/Airfields_freeman/...
Date: 6/13/2010, 5:32 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Oak Grove, Alexis I, Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), Spitz Laboratories,
Message: WAYNE: Of couse you are right about William and his father Joseph as stated in the link I posted. MMMM! Must have been a few mistaken key strokes (that sounds better than a "Senior Moment")!
BOB VEAZEY: What years where you at All American? I worked there briefly (3 daqys). Circa 1966-67. I had applied at several places but shortly after joining All American I got a better offer with Spitz Labs so I went on to that.
Date: 6/13/2010, 5:09 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Al, It was William not his father Joseph who died in 1928. I don't know when his father died but William was born in 1835 to Joseph and Sarah (Poole) so he was 92 or 93 years old when he died. I doubt his father was still around to see him go.
Date: 6/13/2010, 5:00 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: M.C.I.Williams, Warner, Brown
Employers: Bancroft,Haveg, Du Pont, CitiBank
Message: Tom, you are correct. While reading the article on "William" I ran across this:Eventually, the beautiful tree-lined boulevard was completed and became part of the city park system. In 1932, four years after Bancroft’s death, the city honored the man who made it possible by naming the boulevard “Bancroft Parkway.” Additionally I read, It was he, and not his father as I had said earlier that was responsible for the founding of Woodlawn Trustees in 1901. Another urban ledgend corrected. I had always understood from working at Bancroft's that it was the Father (Joseph) who had started the Trust, not (William) the son. I stand corrected.
Date: 6/13/2010, 3:47 pm, EDT
Name: Ed Begley
Location: Santa Fe, Texas
Old Neighborhood(s): 9 th Adams
Schools Att'd: Sacred Heart and Wimington High
Employers: Rice Bakery and Avisun
Message: Yes,All American Engineeing was on site at the Old DuPont airfield.My dad worked there until he passed away in 1957.
Date: 6/12/2010, 2:21 pm, EDT
Name: Jerry T.
Location: at the shore, de.
Old Neighborhood(s): S. Jackson, S. Broom, N. Broom, Klair Ests.
Schools Att'd: St. Hedwig's, Archmere, U. of D.
Employers: Resilient Tile, B&O R.R., U.S.Army, Equifax, St.of De.(retired)
Message: Bob Veazey : Wasn't All American Engineering on the site of the old DuPont airfield on Lancaster Pike and Rt. 141 ? I had an Uncle who worked at that airfield and said he flew experimental aircraft there.
Date: 6/12/2010, 12:17 pm, EDT
Name: Jerry T.
Location: at the shore, de.
Old Neighborhood(s): S. Jackson, S. Broom, N. Broom, Klair Ests.
Schools Att'd: St. Hedwig's, Archmere, U. of D.
Employers: Resilient Tile, B&O R.R., U.S.Army, Equifax, St.of De.(retired)
Message: Seems like in the earlier days the Doctors and patients knew each other more personally. Many lived in the same neighborhoods, shopped the same corner stores, and attended the same Churches as their doctors. I also remember my Uncle, Dr. Gene Szatkowski, making house calls back in the day.
Date: 6/11/2010, 1:01 pm, EDT
Name: Bob Veazey
Location: Brookmeade
Old Neighborhood(s): Garfield Monument
Schools Att'd: #30, Warner, P.S. UDE, USAF Cadets
Employers: Knowles Hobby Shop, All American Engrg.
Message: We had Dr. Bancroft as pediatrician for son and daughter. He even made house calls! I traveled a lot on business, and kids frequently got sick when I did, his first comment when my wife called him, "Bob travelling again?". They don't make him like that anymore!!
Date: 6/10/2010, 7:06 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula, CA
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Oak Grove, Alexis I, Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), Spitz Laboratories,
Message: WAYNE: The Doc may be related. Perhaps DEB can remember a first name. Bancroft is not that common of a name. Joseph Bancroft is in the family recorded in the link I sent earlier. He is also the father of William Bancroft also mentioned in that link and by TOM in his last post. Here is another link with info on William.

http://www.woodlawntrustees.com/html/our_fou...

Perhaps the Doctor was his son. Joseph died in 1928 which would make him the right age to have a son practicing medicine in the 50s and 60s. I find this interesting history because as a child I was a direct beneficiary of the Bancroft's generosity. I was fortunate enough to receive several scholarships to the Delaware Art Center.

Date: 6/10/2010, 3:29 pm, EDT
Name: Tom
Location: Wilmington
Old Neighborhood(s): Hedgeville
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Bancroft Parkway: or perhaps it was this guy!
The late nineteenth century saw the development of the city's first comprehensive park system.[citation needed] William Bancroft, a successful Wilmington businessman, led the effort to establish open parkland in Wilmington and was heavily influenced by the work of Frederick Law Olmsted. Rockford Park and Brandywine Park were created due to Bancroft's efforts.[citation needed]
Date: 6/10/2010, 1:35 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: Brown, M.C.I. Williams, Warner
Employers: Bancroft,Du Pont, CitiBank
Message: Al, I don't know if the Doctor was related or not, but I would suspect that Bancroft Parkway was named for the owner of Bancroft Mills, Joseph Bancroft. He had a great deal of money and was, part of the group called Woodlawn Trusties that set up the parklands and areas which we Delawareans now enjoy. Thanks to the foresight of those great men and their willingness to part with some of their own fortunes for the common good, we don't have the sprawl entirely over the state that could be. They set aside a great deal of prime land that now benefits the public. Thank God for people like that, for without them we would probably be known as the blacktop state. What wouldn't be built on, would either have a road to get to it, or a parking lot after you arrived.
Date: 6/10/2010, 11:55 am, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Oak Grove, Alexis I, Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), Spitz Laboratories,
Message: DEB: Go to http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/ban.... Although the record does not mention the naming of Bancroft Parkway it most probably was named after this family. :-)
Date: 6/10/2010, 7:37 am, EDT
Name: Deb
Location: Dover
Old Neighborhood(s): Dover
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: Back in the 50's and 60's I used to see an allergist named Dr. Bancroft. He was a lovely man and my parents drove me from Dover to Wilmington to see him.

Does anyone know if Bancroft Blvd./Pkwy. is named after him?

Date: 6/7/2010, 2:16 pm, EDT
Name: Pat LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd: St. Patrick's, Ursuline, Goldey-Beacom
Employers: duPont
Message: OK, folks, where are all your prom memories?
Date: 6/2/2010, 7:37 pm, EDT
Name: Pat (Stillwell) LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd: St. Patrick's, Ursuline Academy
Employers: duPont
Message: Proms! Fantastic. What great memories! I attended three at Ursuline (held in the Auditorium of the school) and one at Sallies (held in the Gold Ballroom). This was way back in the 50's. Is anyone here that old? Lots of rules in those days, especially at Ursuline. No STRAPLESS gowns! Stoles or coverups must be worn! No JITTERBUGGING! The priests at Sallies were a bit more lenient. Anyhoo, I remember the nuns sitting in the balcony of the auditorium observing the dancers. Of course, we figured out a way to get around the no jitterbugging rule. We danced very sedately until we were under the balcony. Then, we cut loose and jitterbugged to the fast dances. As we came out the other side, we slowed down and danced very sedately for the nuns. And we thought we were so bad! Looking back, I am sure the nuns knew exactly what we were doing, but we thought we were getting away with something. The good old days!
Date: 6/2/2010, 9:46 am, EDT
Name: Jerry T.
Location: at the shore, de.
Old Neighborhood(s): S. Jackson, S. Broom, N. Broom, Klair Ests.
Schools Att'd: St. Hedwig's, Archmere, U. of D.
Employers: Resilient Tile, B&O R.R., U.S.Army, Equifax, St.of De.(retired)
Message: Good topic Browny. Took the same young lady to both the Junior and Senior Proms in 65 and 66. Broke up about a year later. Narrowly missed hitting a big truck on the way to a breakfast party on Concord Pike when I made a wrong turn. Wasn't drinking, just overwhelmed by her charms, I guess.
Date: 6/2/2010, 8:23 am, EDT
Name: Browny
Location: Prices corner area
Old Neighborhood(s): Ardentown,Wilmington
Schools Att'd:
Employers:
Message: I see we haven!t had an entry since 5/25.
So to instill writing, and since it is prom season, what was some of your prom happenings or disaster memories? Are you still in touch with classmates?
Where did you go afterward? Marry Prom queen?