Memories of New Kensington, Pa...and I found Fred!

Hilda Gordon posted to Fred Lukac

Fred, I'm so happy that our toy store in downtown New Kensington, had an impact on your life. Those days are just memories now. Thanks.

Fred Lukac Hilda.....I can remember it as if it were yesterday. That was probably 35 years ago. Downtown was a great place. They say its better to love and lost than to never had loved at all. Well, at least we have the memories of the good old days.

Hilda Gordon I'm curious to know if you came into our store looking for football shoulder pads...or did you just stumple on this them. Were they sturdy enough to protect you? We really didn't carry too much sports equipment being we were right next door to Jacobs Sporting.

 

Fred Lukac The pads were for backyard football only. I'm not sure how much they protected me or not. All I know is that i was one excited little boy.

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I was so excited when I found this young man who actually recalls going into our toy store.  I often wonder if anyone has memories of  visiting our store when they were downtown.

My husband and I operated this magical kingdom groomed for little boys and girls.   We tried very hard to have an inventory related for the well-being of our young customers....and to make them happy and good memories.

Our town has died as did a lot of the downtowns across America.   Malls took over and then bigger stores like Children's Palace and Costco.

We were the mom and pop stores that unfortunately no longer exist today.

How sad for my friend...depression time!

I was at a movie with my girlfriend Jean...and she was reading a telegram delivered to Loretta  Young...her lover was killed in the war.
And I couldn't make out the writing
I couldn't read it.   Yes, the doctor confirmed, I was near-sighted and would need glasses. 

When I got my glasses, I was so thrilled I could see the individual leaves on a tree...and not just a big green mass.

We sat in double seats in 7th Grade and I was sitting with Rosie Iozzi.   I noticed when I would copy the work from the blackboard, that she would squint and couldn't see...and had failing grades.

I didn't realize at the time that all glasses had a different prescription..so as soon as I copied the work on the board, I would hand over my glasses to her so that she could copy it into her notebook.    Well, amazingly enough, we had a pretty close fit because it worked.

So for the rest of the year, I copied my work and passed my glasses on to her.

We never complained.   After all these years, I'm not sure anything would have been done to alleviate the situation................these were dark depression years when deprived children got free milk.

My Father always worked...we were the lucky ones.   We also had help in our house.    A coalminer's  daughter would live  at our house and become one of the family.  If we went to a movie...she went.     These girls would stay with us until they married and we went to the weddings in a hall....their families were happy to have us because it was one less mouth for them to feed.  I think we paid $3.00 a week...that was the going  rate.   My mother taught these girls to be good housekeepers.    My sister and I still had to help with the dishes and make our own beds.   We had the 'good life'.

Now that I look back at  those bleak years, why oh why didn't I go to  the principal or  teacher and complain.  It never even entered my mind.   I  think I have matured since then.

Today...I'm old and smart...and  would certainly fight for the social issues of glasses.  I look back at those times and I believe that's when I learned about sharing.

I wonder  if Rose Iozzzi remembers those days...or if she's even still alive.   I'm a member of United Order of True Sisters and one of the agendas of our budget is to buy eyeglasses for needy children.