Builders Emporium Reseda Store #618

My collection of Builders Emporium pictures is thin so I think this is the last photo I have. Of course it was Halloween 1977 which accounts for my fellow paint department employee (Sam) being dressed up as some sort of elf. Thankfully I had left Builders the previous August so I didn't have to dress up at work. I did dress up that night when we all got together. I wore my oriental pajama bottoms and a black vinyl jacket. I wanted to be comfortable. Whenever we had parties I would dress up as Hawkeye from M*A*S*H in a bathrobe and a cowboy hat.

I was just talking to Radio Rat about his previous BE post. It has received quite a few comments which we are grateful for. So far we have only heard from one fellow employee (Jeff)from our Reseda store #618. Radio rat reminded about the Thriftymart that was across the parking lot and how he used to go get a coffee cake for the 10:15 am break. I had forgotten about the Thriftymart stores. He also mention a place called Zig's that had a great bullet sandwich. Does anyone remember it. He said it is still there.

When I read the last comment on the previous BE post I wrote back wondering if anyone had started a BE group on Facebook. I know we just started one for our Demolay days. We look forward to hearing from anyone who worked in the BE organization.

Farmers Market Free Live Music

Every Thursday and Friday night this summer at Farmers Market you can experience live music on the Market's west patio. Not to mention food from the vendors in that section of the market. For years my wife and I used to go on Friday night eat drink, smoke and listen to the music. I'm guessing the PC people don't allow smoking anymore but its still a great time. Most of the bands that play were Jazz oriented but yo also had the Blues, Swing music and a bit of rock. Our favorite back then was a group called Red & the Red Hots. Red Young led the group and they played Jazz, Swing and Boogie for the most part.

My wife worked in Hollywood at the time at a post production company so after the concert we would go back to her work for awhile. The company did all the artwork for Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies. I used to kill time by playing a pinball machine in the lobby for one of Arnold's movies.

Here is a link to the website where you can view the concert schedule:

http://www.farmersmarketla.com/newsandevents/index.asp


Thankfully the market still retains most of its original flavor. I have been to the Grove only once and it seemed well done. The changes were inevitable but they seem to have done as good a job as possible. They did remove one section of the market that had rows of independent shops. I remember going to the market as a kid with my parents. We always had to have a corned beef sandwich. At the end of this row of shops was a place that had little plastic models of sports figures. I would always go to check out the new figures. Only once was I able to buy one, it was the great Chicago White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio. I no longer have the figure. At the time I also had models of all the Universal Studio Monsters. Naturally being a boy Mr. Aparicio had many battles with the Wolfman and Frankenstein. Once GI Joe came along no one stood a chance in a fight. All the figures are now gone but I still have my original GI Joe foot locker, though I painted it black and it now holds some small stereo equipment such as microphones, jacks and 45 inserts.

The Summer of 1970

In the summer of 1970 I drove to Dayton Ohio with my Grandfather. While there I fell in love with a faraway girl with long blond hair and a white dress. Everyday I would watch her walk through a nearby field. I was 15 years old, away from my parents and full of summer thoughts and impulses. I remember going into a store and purchasing my first Playboy magazine. It was almost as much fun as being a kid in a Las Vegas casino sneaking coins into a slot machine. Being a reader I then went to a store and purchased the latest Harold Robbins novel. Those of you old enough to remember his novels were not very good but they were full of sex.

Every week or so I would accompany my Grandfather on his weekly trip to a donut shop where he picked up cardboard barrels of old stale donuts. He would bring them back to his apartment complex and scatter them in the back yard. The feeding frenzy was like something out of the movie The Birds.

During my time there we went to the Wright Patterson Museum, and a magazine plant, the name of which now escapes me. On a trip downtown I picked up a Marine Band Harmonica in the key of "C". I now had an acoustic guitar and harmonica, I was on my way.

Finally came the time I had to return home and I deadheaded on a Flying Tiger Line Stretch DC-8 back to Los Angeles. When I arrived home I went to my bedroom to unpack and there I found a brand new sunburst hollow body electric guitar on my bed. I was ecstatic. After I thanked my parents my first question was where is the amplifier. They hadn't thought about that. The next day we went out and picked up a small amplifier, probably at Sight and Sound in Van Nuys. That is me in the picture above right after we bought the amp.

My Mom had been saving up blue Chip stamps so she could get the guitar. I still have the guitar. It is the only one that has survived my childhood. The action is still way too high and the pickups aren't very good but I still love it. I was online tonight and I could only find one website that had a picture of the same model. I have no clue who made it or where. It had been a rough spring as the Beatles had broken up and I was not too fond of high School. But the summer of 1970 was pretty damn good. And I still think about that blond once in a while.

Hazeltine 1962

Elsewhere in this blog is class photo of Miss Zober's 2nd grade class from October 1962. Some alumni have been swapping memories of our days at Hazeltine. What someone else remembers will trigger a memory for another. I remember the handball courts and dodge ball back in the dark ages when it was allowed. Another remembered tether ball which I had forgotten about, which is odd because I was pretty good at it since I was tall.

One year later we would hear of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. As I recall I was in a class when a teacher dame in to tell us what had happened. I recall it was the teacher who played Santa Claus. The name Mr. Lane comes to mind but I may be mistaken.

Some of the popular songs in October 1962 were: The Monster Mash, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Surfin' Safari, He's a Rebel and many more. Elvis was still popular that year with Return to Sender.

Right now my Grandson is the same age as I was then and it is fascinating to view it from the other side. Hopefully he will have fond memories to look back on one day. Though I can't say the music now is as good. Though some nights I crank up Smoke on the Water and he dances like crazy as I play along with the song. he says it is his favorite song so maybe there is some hope.

I woke last night to the sound of thunder
How far off I sat and wondered
Started humming a song from 1962
Ain't it funny how the night moves
When you just don't seem to have as much to lose
Strange how the night moves
With Autumn closing in....

From "Night Moves" by Bob Seger

Hazeltine Ave. Elementary School

Here are three views of Hazeltine. The Hazeltine side looks pretty much the same. The other two pictures are from the back of the school which appears as I remember it. The Costello Street side is taken up with storage units.

I still remember the fairs that took place in the playground areas, and all those ping pong balls I tossed to try and win a goldfish. I also remember the Lunch tables, ones for greasers, surfers, Beatles fans and even Dave Clark 5 fans.

These pictures are from Google Street view which I encourage everyone to check out. Be sure to click on the full screen view button and then navigate your way around.

1973 Van Nuys High School Yearbook Wanted

Google Street view has yielded a few more photos. The house is my current home here in Ohio. My truck is in our driveway. I was on the porch when they drove by but the Awning makes me hard to see which is a good thing. I never liked cameras. The other photo is North Hollywood Masonic Temple.

I also want to thank my friend Bob Walance who bought a copy of the 1973 Birmingham High School yearbook, The Tomahawk. I never had a copy of it, even though my senior picture was in it. Bob scanned the entire senior class and e-mailed it to me. Bob collects yearbooks and is still looking for a copy of the 1973 Van Nuys High yearbook. He would love to buy, borrow, rent or scan the book for his collection. If anyone knows of a copy please let me know. Thanks again Bob.

Google Street View

The other day Phone Rat called me while he was driving past Robert Fulton Junior High School, now middle school, and he told me they were changing some of the buildings. Being the nostalgic type I went to Google Street View afterward to look at the school. It still appeared much as it had when I went there back in the 1960's. It took some time but I finally figured out how to grab an image off Google street view and here are two. One is of Fulton JHS at the corner of Saticoy and Kester and the other is Van Nuys Masonic Temple on Sherman Way just eats of Kester.

I spent the next few hours saving images of places I lived, visited and hung out at. I got snapshots of places I wanted to see before I left the Valley but never got to. I told Radio Rat about it and he said he was going to check it out this weekend. This is what happens when you give an old coot a computer.

Last year I was sitting on my porch when a small compact car with a camera on top and the Google logo on the side door drove by. And a few weeks ago I found that I am now on Google Street view. And it caught me doing what I do best. So thank you Google for the photos. Just click on the image to make it larger.

Jay Leno & Phone Rat

The night President Obama appeared on the Tonight Show Phone Rat drove down to NBC in Burbank to try and catch a picture of him or his motorcade. He arrived too late to catch Obama but he did catch Jay Leno as he was leaving the NBC lot. It is a bit hard to see Jay but he is in the car waving to Phone Rat who called out to him.

New Van Nuys Demolay Mascot?

I was looking at the reunion pictures, again, when it struck me that we did not have the Van Nuys Demolay Bulldog at the party. So, why not adopt a new mascot. He's not a Bulldog but he's a great looking boxer. Whadya think?

We have been hearing from more long time friends the past week. If this keeps up we will need a park for a summer reunion just to hold everyone. Thanks again to Bruce and Dorrie for keeping the food, drink, memories and smiles flowing.

Demolay Reunion Party a Big Success

The Demolay, Rainbow, Job's reunion party was a great success. Approximately 40 old friends got together and shared old and new stories. Many pictures were taken and are in the process of making the rounds. If anyone is interested in copies please email this blog: vannuysboomers@gmail.com, and we will put you in the loop.

Another get together is being talked about for this summer. This will be an outdoor event at a park, so there will be more room for booze, barbecues and Ben Gay.

If you are out of town and think you might want to come to the next get together please let us know so we can decide on good date for all.

As you can see from this picture of Radio Rat, one can always make new friends.