Alpha

I taught second grade there in the spring of 1971.

I took lessons there from 1972 to 1974. In the summer of 74, a tornado took off part of the roof. After it was repaired and the rink re-opened, it had new management. I resumed my lessons, but the atmosphere was entirely different. They combined my adult ice dancing class with one full of teenagers. It was not fun any more, so I quit soon after. It stayed open for a few more years, but I think they closed it down before they tore down the building to build Town & Country mall.

I went to Westbury (Class of 66) and I have that yearbook, plus the 64 and 66. I still have a little rebel doll (packed away) and a silver rebel charm.

I asked my dad (he's 86 and grew up in West University) if he knew what it was. He didn't remember it at all, but he told me that the building on the southwest corner of Bellaire and Stella Link was National Instruments, where he worked at the end of the war.

I agree that it looks like it's probably for auto racing, especially when you look at the large area it covers.

I loved that! What memories. I was 18 and had just graduated from high school. I had listened to KILT since sixth grade, but when I was 16, I switched to KNUZ. I liked Paul Berlin's morning show and would listen while I got ready for school.

It was exactly 50 years ago today while sitting in Mrs. Tillinghast's class at Love Elementary that Jimmy Hulme shouted out, “It's snowing!” No one turned to look because Jimmy was prone to shouting that out as a joke.

But he quickly followed with, “No, it really IS snowing!” It was the very first time most of us had ever seen snow. February 12th, 1961 will always be fondly etched in my mind.

I mentioned this to my sister just about an hour ago. I was in the 6th grade at Horn Elementary in Bellaire. After school, my grandmother took my sister and me to her house in West University to spend the night. The next day we built two snowmen in her front yard.

My sister lives in Georgia and it's snowing there right now.

The Chronicle has an article about this today. It's the 50th anniversary of the Poe School Bombing.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6618989.html

I vaguely recall the opening of Meyerland Plaza. Must have been 1956 or 1957. There were spotlights that lit up the night sky announcing its opening. [some of the housing subdivisions in the area also used spotlights to attract home buyers.]

Meyerland was such a big deal, we took our visiting cousins from San Antonio there to show off our new shopping center. I remember one cousin buying a set of Kooties---those mix-and-match plastic parts with which you could make your own insect critter. I was envious!

Meyerland must be the place in Houston I first saw the organ grinder with a monkey.

I'm pretty sure that it opened on October 31, 1957. I remember it, but I also think I read it somewhere in this forum.

Does anyone remember going to the Nicosia Beauty Salon in the 1930's? Mr. Nicosia's salon was in downtown Houston, but I cannot remember where. He also had a turkish bth at the same location. The Center for American History has some interior shots of the salon posted on their internet site.

I visited Mr. Nicosia's salon as a child with my mother. Supposedly he invented the first cream cold wave - a permanent wave technique.

Patricia

My family knew some Nicosias, but I don't know if they had a beauty salon.

Here's a link to a picture I found in a google search.

Nicosia Beauty Salon

For the person who posted here that wanted to know of businesses that were in the area back then, I would suggest going to Westbury High and asking to see some of their early yearbooks. I was on the staff one year and we had to go out into the community to sell ad space.

I have the 65 and 66 editions of the Citadel and they don't have any ads, but the student telephone directories from those years are full of them. When I get a chance, I'll scan a list of the ads and post some of them.

If either of y'all have any information I could add to the Houstorian post, please let me know. Even just informal memories from you (LeeinMT) or your grandmother (Alpha), would be fun to add.

Well, my grandmother died in 1959 and my mother has Alzheimer's, so there's no way I can find out anything. I seem to remember going there once and I have a picture of my grandmother in a swimming pool, which is probably at Hot Wells. I'll have to look for it and see if there are any identifying buildings around it. If I find it, I'll scan and post it.

This is the picture from the inside cover of the 1965 Citadel

Hot Wells is still there. It is north of Barker Cypress on the southbound feeder road. It is now just a shooting range. It is still open to the public but there is no more swimming there. They do skeet shooting, conceled handgun classes, and just regular shooting range. My father used to tell me how they would go swimming there.

Thanks for the info, hellbilly. I did another google search and found this: http://houstorian.wordpress.com/2007/03/20/hot-wells-tx/

Does anyone remember a public swimming facility out Hempstead Hwy in the late 50's and early 60's? It seems like it was on the South side of the highway and could have been anywhere between 1960 (Jackrabbit Rd) and Waller. I remember it being real BIG but I have been trying to remember it's name and where it was. Our church youth group used to go there a lot.

My grandmother used to go to a place called Hot Wells. I think it was in that area, but can't find any evidence of it anywhere.

Wasn't where Town and Country Mall used to be...before the mall, supposedly there was an open-air mall anchored by Joske's (which carried over to the mall) and Sakowitz. Then they razed it to build the mall. Am I correct or do I have my facts all wrong?

Town & Country opened around 1966. I don't remember when Joske's was built, but Sakowitz opened in November of 1967. I know because I worked there from the time it opened until 1972. Behind Joske's was a mini mall containing a few stores, but the only store name I remember was The Berry Tree. There was also a store called The Mod Mart in the strip center that was on the east side of the street that runs from Kimberley to where Joske's was. It had nice gift items and I still have a glass lampshade that came from there. There was a Mini Max grocery store and SuperX drug store. There was also a James' Coney Island and Demaris Barbeque. They were both on Kimberley. The Mexican Restaurant was Casa Martinez.

This chart was published in the paper after the last snowfall we had on Christmas Eve, 2004

Houston Snow (I tried to format the columns, but it didn't work.)

YEAR DATE Inches

1895 February 14-15 20

1912 12-Jan 0.1

1918 11-Jan 0.2

1925 28-Dec 0.4

1926 26-Jan 0.8

1929 December 21-22 2.5

1932 March 10-11 0.8

1940 22-Jan 3

1944 10-Dec Trace

1949 30-Jan 2.6

1958 12-Feb Trace

1960 12-Feb 4.4

1961 25-Jan Trace

1961 13-Dec Trace

1963 14-Jan Trace

1963 12-Feb Trace

1964 21-Feb Trace

1973 11-Jan 2

1973 February 9-10 1.4

1973 February 17-18 1.4

1978 January 19-20 0.4

1980 2-Feb 1.4

1981 19-Jan Trace

1981 11-Feb Trace

1985 2-Jan 1

1985 1-Feb 0.3

1989 6-Feb Trace

1989 22-Dec 1.7

1994 12-Feb 0.1

1995 2-Jan Trace

1996 17-Dec Trace

2004 24-Dec Trace

Weather Research Center

5104 Caroline St. Houston, Texas 77004

(713) 529-3076

Off Topic...

I taught at the Town & Country school for one semester in 1971. I tried to find the location on the current maps, but I can't remember the address and couldn't find anything that looked like the campus. If you could tell me the address, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

Does anyone remember Margo's LaMode? I had a credit card from that store! It was semi-upscale and in larger malls.

I used to shop there all the time at the one in Memorial City. I always believed that it was a more upscale version of Craigs - owned by the same people - but I could be wrong.

My mother graduated from Sam Houston in 1944. I have her yearbook and would be happy to scan some pictures if anyone wants to see them. I thought there might be a picture of the school, but there is only a close-up of the front steps.

II have older memories of a farmers market/flee market with an ice rink next to what is now Memorial City. I also remeber one of those pony ride parks out west on Westheimer.

The flea market / ice rink was in Town & Country. It was torn down when the mall was built - early 80s. The kiddie amusement park on Westheimer was Wee Wild West.

I'd love to see some more of those directories Alpha. 62-63 was my first year (I'm still a young man), but I bet most of the faculty was the same.

Here's something for all you Greyhounds. I STILL have two of my directories (don't have the 62-63 edition)

If anyone is interested, I can also scan some of the pages (not the student lists, but I'll scan faculty and other info.)

I don't remember a lot of auto dealerships from those days....but I do remember those my parent's used...here might be some that have not been listed or pictured:

OK Bud Moore (on 59 and 610 North)

Aubry, Orville and Mack ( don't remember their company affiliation, they may have sold used autos)

Sam Montgomery Olds( on Kirby with the Rocket Ship coming off of the roof)

Rosenstock Plymouth/Dodge downtown ( oh those Dodge push button transmissions)DeMontrand(sp) Buick at Kirby and Westheimer

Art Grindle (at Chimney Rock and Westheimer) "I want to sell you a car !"

Jack Roach( at Buffalo Speedway and Bissonet) had stuffed animals in the showrrom

I may have mentioned this in another thread, but my cousin worked for Rosenstock and did their TV ads. I also had one of those Dodge push button cars while I was in college.

that mascot looked good in the back of a Birdkeeper's pickup. Go Cards.

BHS class of 66. I probably knew you Alpha.

I hate to do this, but I have to...

On the street of Old South Rice, known to you and I,

Stands an old abandoned OUTHOUSE,

Known as Bellaire High.

Sorry, but the devil made me do it.

I was there from 60 to 63 and took swimming lessons during pe class in 1960. We wore bathing suits.

ETA: I just remembered this. We not only did not swim nude, but we didn't want to strip down in front of each other to put on our bathing suits. In those days, girls still wore full petticoats. We would move the petticoat to our necks so that way we could put on our suits without anyone else seeing us.