Firebird65

I worked in that Kroger #159 from March 1983 to October 1987. Lot of fond memories there... I was sad to see it close too. I personally have known Pat since I was three years old. I remember my mom checking out in her line and me eating animal crackers there as a kid. LOL! Funny story... when I was there, an older lady named Margie opened the store in the mornings at 7 a.m. She was the only cashier until 9, when Pat would come in. I went in there one morning on my way to school at North Harris (I worked evenings) and I noticed Margie signed on with a passcode of... ta-da!... 1-2-3. The very thing they tell you not to use. Well, I already knew her checker ID number, so an evil thought ran through my brain. One night when I was the closing checker and no customers were around, I secretly signed on using Margie's ID and passcode. Then I changed her passcode, logged off, and signed back on as me. The next morning, I made sure I was the first customer in the door at 7 a.m. when the store opened. I got a pack of gum and was the first in line as Margie went to open her register. Well, she couldn't log on the checkstand as what she thought was her passcode (1-2-3) would not work (I had changed it!). Margie tried several times to log on, each time becoming more frustrated. I was turning red trying to hold back the giggles. There would be no one in the courtesy booth until 7:30 a.m. and the line was starting to back up. Finally, exasperated, ol' Margie just sat down on the register totally unable to do anything. Classic! No one ever knew what I had done... good thing too. LOL!

The history of the 9419 North Freeway space in the Hidden Valley Shopping Center is as follows: Piggly Wiggly 1966 - 1973 Rice Foods #44 1973 - 1985 Price Fighter Foods 1985 - 1986 (wasn't around long) Aaron Sells Furniture 1987 - 1993 Price Buster 1993 - ??? Family Dollar #3394 1998 - 2000 Caramba 99 Cent Store 2000 - 2004 Giant $1 2004 - present? The history 9411 North Freeway space is as follows: Mading-Dugan Pharmacy #10 1966 - 1970 Eckerd Drugs #336 1970 - 2004 CVS Pharmacy #6249 2004 - present Might as well give the rest, while I'm here... LOL! The space at 9421 North Freeway: TG&Y 1969 - ??? The space at 9423 North Freeway: Weiners #33 1971 - 2001 Also in the Hidden Valley Shopping Center at 9403 North Freeway: Hidden Valley Enco (latter Exxon) 1964 - ??? Checkers Hamburgers 1993 - 1996 Sonic Drive-In 1996 - present? It is possible this late at night that I have some of the ones in the grocery store space and the TG&Y space mixed. I'll have to look at my original notes tomorrow and I'll make corrections if needed. The U-Tote-M was Store #83 and was located at 715 West Mount Houston (or FM 149). It opened in 1963 in a strip center behind the Shell, which opened in as Hidden Valley Shell, also in 1963. I've done a lot of research on area retail businesses so if you'd like to know when a retail store, a gas station, a restaurant and such community things such as schools and churches opened, just let me know. I do have the name of that bar somewhere, but I'll have to look for it tomorrow too.

Articles like these are usually worth the paper they are printed on - and as they aren't printed, well... there ya go. The author of this "effort" seems to be basing his rankings of a stadium mainly on the availability of beer, both inside and outside the venue. Like that really has anything to do with a stadium. Pretty funny stuff. I remember a similarly worthless list from ESPN on baseball stadiums. The writer had all kinds of nice things to say about Minute Maid Park, but since he couldn't possible rank a retractable roof stadium next to his idols (Wrigley, Fenway and old Yankee), he had to ding them for something in order to shave off points. And he even said so in the article! LOL! So what was his "gripe"? The restrooms. They were too "clean and boring". ROTF! At least writing this article kept the author off the streets and out of the neighborhood bars for awhile, as drinking seems to be his main focus.

I am going to buy s3mh a Wal-Mart gift card when the new Heights Wal-Mart opens. Anyone else want to contribute?

Yes, there is one like that. I've posted in it, including putting up a listing of all the original stores when the mall opened in August 1976. The problem is that it is in the "Other Houston Neighborhoods" section. It's not in this Historic Houston section, where it probably needs to be. It's entitled "Greenspoint Mall: Any memories to share?" This should take you there: There's a couple of threads there that actually belong in Historic Houston.

Here is Carver's football record in its 11 UIL seasons: 1967 6-4 1968 6-3 1969 5-5 1970 9-2 (District 10-3A zone champs; lost district title game to Brenham) 1971 6-4 1972 9-2 (District 11-3A zone champs; lost district title game to Brenham) 1973 10-2 (District 11-3A zone and district champs; lost to Belton in Bi-District round) 1974 3-6-1 1975 3-7 1976 0-9-1 1977 1-6-1 So while the team had some initial success in its first years of UIL competition, posting a district championship and two zone titles, they had really bottomed out in the last four. Carver was barely competitive in its last two seasons. So how much their players really truly helped the other Aldine ISD schools in the first years is most certainly open to debate. Carver was no Yates North. It's fair to say they put an already pretty decent and rapidly improving Aldine team over the top, but they were not the sole source of the Mustangs' success, whether in 1978 or in the 1980s and 90s. Credit for Aldine's success belongs with the coach - Bill Smith. As Bum Phillips once said about Don Shula, "He can take his and beat yours, and he can take yours and beat his." Same goes with Smith. The guy could coach and knew what he was doing. Carver players never really accomplished much of note until they went to Aldine and once Smith left there, the team went downhill, even though they still have and get players from Acres Homes. That's proof enough right there. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the Carver players came to Aldine and I'm glad they got to enjoy in the success they helped create. But they were just a one part of the success, not the sole cause. Now, as for your point about wishing Carver had community support, you could say that about pretty much every school outside of Katy or the Woodlands. It's a function of our highly mobile times. People come in then just as quickly move out. They never become a part of the community. Their home and community isn't a place they live in, it's just a place they "stay". I guess I share in that. I moved from Aldine to the Alief area and, as someone with no kids, the only reason I even pay attention to the Alief schools is because now they are in the same athletic district as Aldine and I can now see them play at least once a year down the street at Crump Stadium. BTW - I'd sure like to put together a list of all of Carver's football scores and year-by-year records the way I did for Aldine. Unfortunately the local newspapers almost never published PVIL scores. I do have a few game results from each season going back to 1958 and most of the schedules from 1958 to 1966, but its far from complete.

That's a myth. Actually, the school that benefitted the most was MacArthur. The Aldine Mustangs finished the 1977 season with a 6-3 overall mark (the Carver game had been cancelled) and a 5-2 record in District 21-4A, which left them in a second-place tie with Smiley, one game behind Forest Brook, the district champ. Aldine had beaten Forest Brook. Had the Mustangs beaten Smiley in their last game (a 27-0 loss to the Eagles), then Aldine would have been district champs, not the Jaguars. Aldine was already a contending program BEFORE they received any Carver players. MacArthur, on the other hand, finished 1977 with a 1-9 overall mark, with a dismal 0-7 district record - the second year in a row they finished 1-9 and 0-7. However, thanks to an influx of Carver players, the Generals suddenly went from doormats to nearly undefeated, posting a 180 degree turnaround in 1978 to finish with a 9-1 overall record (best in the district) and ended district play at 6-1. Their only loss on the year was a costly one - 14-0 to Aldine - that robbed them of not only a 10-0 perfect regular season, but a district title and their first-ever playoff berth as well. Aldine, while finishing ahead of MacArthur in the district standings, finished the 1978 regular season at 8-2, one fewer win than the Generals. Clearly MacArthur, which improved by 8 full games and in almost any other year would have been district champs benefitted more than Aldine, which only won at best two more games (or maybe just one had the Mustangs played and beaten Carver) than the previous year, where it nearly won a title itself. Eisenhower, not to be forgotten, went from 4-6 in 1977 to 6-4 in 1978, although they played in District 10-3A at the time. The Eagles did dramatically slice their points allowed from 170 in 1977 to just 98 in 1978. Apparently, whoever the three schools got from Carver must have all been all-world on defense as neither the Mustangs, Generals or Eagles gave up 100 total regular season points in 1978.

That's close, but not quite. The school district in question was the White Oak District (Common School District 26). It was split between Aldine, Houston and Klein in 1937. I've found no reason as to why the school district was split. However, there were lots of consolidations of county-run school districts in the 1930s and 40s. The North Houston District (Common School District 49) was another separate district to the north of White Oak and west of Aldine that Aldine, Klein and the Fairbanks district split in 1935. As with White Oak, I've never found a reason why it happened, only that it did happen. But I can assure the previous poster it most definitely not for desegregation purposes... certainly not in 1937. Considering the times, I'd imagine (and I'm only wildly speculating here) no one wanted the White Oak district as it consisted of blacks and rather they had it forced on them. So that lends credence to the idea the state probably shut it down. Ultimately, for about 10 years, Aldine was no doubt glad it annexed at least part of White Oak, as the then southernmost part of the annexed section was developed in Oak Forest in the 1940s, providing Aldine with a very good postion of its tax revenues until it was forced to cede it to HISD in 1959. It was lifted in 2002.

Here is a map of the first three high school buildings, shown on an aerial from March 2011: Blue = Marrs School (now the Lane School) Red = Marrs High (now part of Aldine Middle School) Yellow = Aldine High School I

Here is a new and improved map of all of the additions to the school since the current campus opened in 1956: This map includes the recent addition of the fine arts wing, which I didn't have in the last one. White = 1960 additions Blue = 1970 additions Red = 1973 additions Yellow = 1978 additions Green = 1997 additions Purple = 2010 additions

Here is a map of the school as it appeared in the fall of 1970. Additions are in blue.

Here is a map of the school from the February 9, 1969, Mustang. I've taken the original map from the paper, which detailed the upcoming additions to the school, and altered it to make a map of the campus the way it was at the time. Then I colored it and enhanced it so that it would be easier to read. I'm working on the same map with the additions of the lower 300 hall, the 400 hall and the larger cafeteria included. When I finish it, I'll post it. Might be tomorrow before I can get to it. Do note that in 1969 the office is next to the library on what is now known as the 700 hall. There was an entryway between the library and the office that has now been sealed off.

West (and East) Montgomery was a rather informal name. Airline was also known as East Montgomery after it joined up with Fulton going north. Going south, East Montgomery followed Fulton to downtown. As for West Montgomery, it followed Yale after meeting with Tidwell, down to Whitney and then a dogleg over to Main where it went to downtown. http://www.texasfreeway.com/houston/historic/road_maps/images/1955_houston_humble_highres.jpg I believe that once you got into "town"... that is, you passed Tidwell, neither of those designations were really used, other than on maps. As far as East Montgomery Road, I don't really see any references to it in phone books after the 1930s. As far as West Montgomery Road... if you were on North Main, I don't think anyone other than the mapmaker called it West Montgomery. It was more of a route name, if I understand it correctly. One road was the way to eastern Montgomery County, the other was the way to western Montgomery County. That's the way I've interpreted it. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me. Here's a few more maps. They're pretty inconclusive: 1913: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/maps/images/map0435.jpg 1935: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/maps/images/map0436.jpg

I now have a partial answer. The larger building was cosmetology. Still trying to get an answer for the smaller one. My money is on Air Conditioning classes.

That block scheduling sounds like one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. Who in the world came up with that?!? As for those buildings, I'm trying to get an answer. My source says they weren't there when he was there in the early 1960s, but he knows someone who was there in mid-decade and is going to ask. He thought one building might be for cosmetology. That's a good guess I think. Wouldn't surprise me if it was right. I'm thinking the other might be for the air conditioning class, which started at that time. If my source can't get an answer, I also know someone from the class of 1966. I'm oretty sure between the two of us we can find out.

Well... truth be told... Wonderful. Then don't shop there. And that should be the end to the conversation. Somehow I'm thinking it won't be.

LOL! This is the second time you've brought up clothing and soon thereafter I was able to find info for you. According to the 1970-71 Roundup yearbook, girls were allowed to begin wearing pant suits in December 1970. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they were allowed to start wearing jeans in 1975.

A very nice explanation. Too bad it will go over his head.

Aerial of the school circa 1965: Aerial of the school circa 1979:

Girls were first allowed to wear jeans in 1975. I'll have to take a closer look to see what they wore before then. It didn't occur to me to notice before. So those were the library windows. Makes sense. The library doesn't have that many books as it is. If they had a wall of windows, they must have had far fewer books as they had no place to put them. The class pics were still there when I visited last month on the 600 hall. When do you think they had a map of the school on their website? It may still be possible to see it using the Internet Archive, although if it were an attachment it would not be archived. If you could give me an approximate date (year will do) I can go check. Finally, you mentioned block scheduling in an earlier post and I saw a reference to it in the 1996-97 yearbook. Can you explain what that was and how it worked? You said you only took four classes a day? Did it alternate like colleges, with some classes being M-W-F and others being Tue-Thu? And lunch was apparently one hour and was for everyone? The yearbook said you could anywhere, as long as it was on campus. When did all this start? 1995-96? Thanks.

That's your choice and you are absolutely free to make it. Whatever makes your boat float. However, I'd like to be free to decide for myself to go to their store in the Heights, and when it opens, I will, if for no other reason than to support free enterprise and oppose... well, I'll be nice and leave it at that.

Here is the original front of the school, circa 1962: The yearbook folks wonderfully decided to make sure the binding ran along the right hand third of the pic. This, the only really good shot of the original school facade. I tried to take it out as best I could.

According to you. But are you a Wal-Mart executive or do you own Wal-Mart stock? Then I'd say it's a very safe bet your "opinion" carries no weight at Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters and that soon you'll be joining me and a whole lot of other people shopping at the Heights Wal-Mart. I can't wait. How about you?

The pool has always been there, since the day the school opened. I thought I had posted a story on the pool, but I guess not. I'll post it next go around. I sent that map to someone I know and he told me that building next to the mini-gym was built at the same time. It's a storage center for old equipment, he said.

The pictures weren't as good as I had hoped. Oh well. I may be going to the Astros game next Sunday. If so, I'll swing by the UH Library and make copies of the two Greenspoint advertising sections from August 1976. I think my understanding of copyright law was a little out of date in my last post. Seems as if they added an extra 50 or so years to existing copyrights before 1978, so copyrights on those remain in effect until the 2040s. I kinda doubt I'm going to be posting here then... although you never know. Still I don't see any restrictions about posting that kind of material here, and it is for historical research, which falls under fair use. So if I get it, I'll post it and if the mods don't like it, they can always remove it. But I seriously doubt anyone is going to have a problem with me posting 35 year old advertisements, many of which are for business that are now defunct. And if Sears doesn't want the free advertising, it's small wonder they're closing shop. BTW... have you visited the History of Aldine Schools thread? I've been posting a few things there that might be of interest to you.