NUNS IN QUEEN'S PARK TORONTO DURING A HEAVY SNOWFALL - 1966 OR 1967 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
Sunday, July 15, 2018
WHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE: HISTORICAL PHOTOS OF CHICAGO AND TORONTO LOCATIONS PLUS SOME OTHER PLACES, HISTORICAL PHOTOS OF THE CHUCKMAN FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND MANY OBSERVATIONS ABOUT LARGER EVENTS AND CHANGES UNDERWAY DURING THE PERIOD COVERED BY THE PHOTOS
NUNS IN QUEEN'S PARK TORONTO DURING A HEAVY SNOWFALL - 1966 OR 1967 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
JOHN CHUCKMAN IN THE LIVING ROOM (BACK WINDOW IS THE DINETTE - THOSE APARTMENTS WERE SMALL) OF OUR APARTMENT BUILDING AT 7904 ESSEX AVE 3RD FLOOR SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO - ALPERT'S DELI WAS DOWNSTAIRS ON THE CORNER - I HAVE MY BONDS BLUE SUIT ON (MY FIRST SUIT) AND I'M WEARING MY BELOVED CONTINENTAL TIE WHICH I UNDOUBTEDLY WORE TO A FRAZZLE OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS - THOSE WINDOWS LOOK DOWN AT THE WHITE CASTLE ACROSS ESSEX AT 79TH - I LOVED THOSE LITTLE ONION-COATED HAMBURGERS - I REMEMBER A FEW TIMES ON A WEEKEND DAY GETTING A FEW OF THEM AND SOME COFFEE AND WALKING OVER TO RAINBOW BEACH TO WATCH THE SUNRISE AND SKETCH IT WITH COLORED PENCILS - 1961 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
HERE'S SOME OF WHAT I MEAN (BELOW) ABOUT ALWAYS BUILDING GARDENS - I WAS ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THIS LITTLE GARDEN I PUT IN NEAR BOTTOM OF THE DRIVEWAY OF OUR TOWNHOUSE ON BROWN STREET AT PORT DOVER ONTARIO (ON A BLUFF RIGHT ABOVE LAKE ERIE) - I HAD SEEN ROPE-WRAPPED PYLONS USED HERE AND THERE AS A DECORATING MOTIF, SAY, IN FRONT OF A HOUSE AND I WANTED TO USE THE IDEA IN A GARDEN - I HAD TO SEARCH AROUND QUITE A BIT FOR SOME SUITABLE ROUND TIMBER - I CUT EACH SET SO THERE WAS A DESCENDING HEIGHT PATTERN WITH THE THREE ELEMENTS IN EACH PYLON - I WRAPPED THEM WITH HEAVY ROPES AND STAINED PYLONS AND ROPES IN TWO SHADES OF GRAY STAIN - THE PYLONS ARE ACTUALLY QUITE LONG FOR STABILITY IN THE GROUND SO I FOUND MYSELF AGAIN DIGGING DEEP IN BUILDERS' FILL OF CLAY AND ROCKS - I CUT A SHAPE AROUND THEM IN THE SOIL SUGGESTING A POND AND FILLED THAT WITH "POTATO STONE" - THE PLANTS CONSISTED OF A BEAUTIFUL HYDRANGEA (HERE IN BLOOM) AND A FEW TALL JAPANESE GRASSES - I LOVED THE FINISHED GARDEN - IT WAS UNIQUE AND HANDSOME AND I WISH I HAD A BETTER PHOTO BUT I DON'T - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
CHUCKY'S LITTLE EVERGREEN GARDEN IN THE BACK YARD OF OUR CONDO AT DUKE AND QUEEN IN HAMILTON ONTARIO - EVEN THE PAVING WAS MY DESIGN THOUGH I DIDN'T DO THE WORK - THE GARDEN WENT THROUGH MANY ITERATIONS OVER TEN YEARS BECAUSE THE SOIL WAS GODAWFUL BUILDER'S FILL, NOT ONLY VERY HARD TO DIG INTO BUT LETHAL OVER A LITTLE TIME TO MANY PLANTS WITH ITS LACK OF DRAINAGE - EARLY ON I HAD A ROW OF GORGEOUS RHODIES WHICH BLOSSOMED BRILLIANT PINK ALONG THE FENCE BUT THEY DID NOT SURVIVE LONG - I DID SOME SOIL REMEDIATION BUT THERE WAS NO REAL SOLUTION SHORT OF HAVING A BACKHOE DIG THE WHOLE THING UP FOR A FEW FEET DOWN WHICH WAS IMPOSSIBLE IN THE SPACE - THE TREE-SHAPED GOLDEN EUONYMUS WAS MY PRIDE AND JOY (IT GREW CONSIDERABLY LARGER AFTER THIS PHOTO) - IT THRIVED IN THAT HORRIBLE SOIL BUT THEN IT CAUGHT A NASTY SCALE INFECTION WHICH IS INCURABLE - I LEARNED YOU CAN SUPPRESS IT WITH WINDEX OR DILUTE AMMONIA SPRAYED REGULARLY THROUGH THE GROWING SEASON - A PLANT THIS BEAUTIFUL IS WORTH THE TROUBLE - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
WORDS WRITTEN BY JOHN CHUCKMAN FOR BOB SORENSEN (DEAR FRIEND AND FATHER-IN-LAW) ETTA CHUCKMAN (MY DEAR LOVING MOTHER) AND PRESTON UNEY (DEAR OLD FRIEND IN SOUTH SHORE)
JOHN CHUCKMAN: CHICAGO TRIBUNE NEWSPAPER IN MEMORIAM FOR ROBERT SORENSEN MY BELOVED FATHER-IN-LAW AND DEAR FRIEND:
Robert Peter Sorensen, born Chicago Sept. 11, 1909, to Oscar Sorensen and Catherine Keeley; died March 14, 1990; buried March 16, 1990, Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, Canada.
Known to friends as Rip. He was part of a generation that dearly loved the city and the kind of man no one ever regretted calling a friend.
Now, he's back with Barney and the boys from the Ravenswood Line.
"It's nice, but it's not Chicago."
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MEMORIAL FOR MY MOTHER - AS PRINTED IN CHICAGO TRIBUNE:
Death Notice in the Chicago Tribune, Sunday, December 3, 1995:
PARA (CHUCKMAN)
Etta Lucille Para, in Quartzsite, AZ, Nov. 30, after a long struggle. Born Sept. 19, 1923, Clinton, IN, the daughter of William N. and Nellie McIntosh. Etta came to Chicago for opportunity after high school, a working girl with big dreams about the city. Not many years later, she was left alone to raise two young sons, a task to which she devoted herself, earning their living and creating a loving home, first in Hyde Park and later in South Shore.
Her bravery, devotion, and fierce honesty in the face of great obstacles were remarkable. The last quarter century of her life was blessed with a loving husband, “Wayne” Joseph Para, who cared for her to the end. She is survived by her husband in Arizona; her two sons, John and Bill Chuckman, three grandchildren, John, Bob, and Julie Chuckman, in Canada, and sister, Wilma McIntosh, in Chicago. Her ashes will be buried in Indiana at a later date.
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JOHN CHUCKMAN: ON THE DEATH OF AN OLD GOOD FRIEND:
WRITTEN FOR AN INTERNET NEWSLETTER ADDRESSING THE OLD CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS:
My old good friend, Preston E. Uney (Bradwell 1959/ South Shore 1963), died on July 7, 2008. He was an aeronautical engineer living with his wife and children in Colorado.
Preston's dad ran a small toy store on Stony Island in the 1960s until the changing neighborhood destroyed his business. The family lived for many years in a small house on Kingston Ave. just south of 79th.
His older sister, Marie, taught us both to dance, however awkward the results. His father, an immigrant from Russia, used to tell electrifying stories of the Russian Front in WWII.
Preston was an interesting independent-minded kid who must have been the only student carrying a Socialist Labor Party sign around South Shore High in the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon presidential campaign. He will be missed.
Robert Peter Sorensen, born Chicago Sept. 11, 1909, to Oscar Sorensen and Catherine Keeley; died March 14, 1990; buried March 16, 1990, Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, Canada.
Known to friends as Rip. He was part of a generation that dearly loved the city and the kind of man no one ever regretted calling a friend.
Now, he's back with Barney and the boys from the Ravenswood Line.
"It's nice, but it's not Chicago."
_________________________________
MEMORIAL FOR MY MOTHER - AS PRINTED IN CHICAGO TRIBUNE:
Death Notice in the Chicago Tribune, Sunday, December 3, 1995:
PARA (CHUCKMAN)
Etta Lucille Para, in Quartzsite, AZ, Nov. 30, after a long struggle. Born Sept. 19, 1923, Clinton, IN, the daughter of William N. and Nellie McIntosh. Etta came to Chicago for opportunity after high school, a working girl with big dreams about the city. Not many years later, she was left alone to raise two young sons, a task to which she devoted herself, earning their living and creating a loving home, first in Hyde Park and later in South Shore.
Her bravery, devotion, and fierce honesty in the face of great obstacles were remarkable. The last quarter century of her life was blessed with a loving husband, “Wayne” Joseph Para, who cared for her to the end. She is survived by her husband in Arizona; her two sons, John and Bill Chuckman, three grandchildren, John, Bob, and Julie Chuckman, in Canada, and sister, Wilma McIntosh, in Chicago. Her ashes will be buried in Indiana at a later date.
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JOHN CHUCKMAN: ON THE DEATH OF AN OLD GOOD FRIEND:
WRITTEN FOR AN INTERNET NEWSLETTER ADDRESSING THE OLD CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS:
My old good friend, Preston E. Uney (Bradwell 1959/ South Shore 1963), died on July 7, 2008. He was an aeronautical engineer living with his wife and children in Colorado.
Preston's dad ran a small toy store on Stony Island in the 1960s until the changing neighborhood destroyed his business. The family lived for many years in a small house on Kingston Ave. just south of 79th.
His older sister, Marie, taught us both to dance, however awkward the results. His father, an immigrant from Russia, used to tell electrifying stories of the Russian Front in WWII.
Preston was an interesting independent-minded kid who must have been the only student carrying a Socialist Labor Party sign around South Shore High in the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon presidential campaign. He will be missed.
WAYNE PARA (MY MOM'S HUSBAND) SHOPPING ON 79TH STREET SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO - SOUTH SHORE HOLIDAY FLORIST IS ACROSS THE STREET - I RECALL "FLOWER DAY" THERE ONCE A WEEK WHEN THEY'D GIVE EACH KID WHO STOPPED BY A FLOWER FOR HIS OR HER MOM - PRESTON UNEY AND I DID THAT SO OFTEN ON THE WAY HOME FROM BRADWELL IN THE LATE 1950s - I SUPPOSE THEY WERE JUST GETTING RID OF OLD STOCK BUT WHAT A NICE GESTURE IT WAS - I THINK THE CARS PARKED TO WAYNE'S RIGHT ARE IN THE JEWEL FOOD STORE PARKING LOT - WAYNE AND MY MOM ARE LIVING IN THE COURTYARD BUILDING AT 78TH AND COLFAX AVE AND I AM ON A BRIEF VISIT HOME FROM TORONTO - I WAS SOMETIMES SO VERY HOMESICK (IT REALLY CAN BE ALMOST AN ACHE WHEN YOU LEAVE BEHIND A PLACE YOU GREATLY CARE FOR) - COMING BACK FAIRLY OFTEN ON SHORT VISITS AS I DID THEN IS SOMETHING YOU COULD NEVER DO TODAY WITH INTRUSIVE CONTROLS AND COMPUTERS PACKED WITH PERSONAL DATA - APRIL 26 1967 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
CHUCKMAN KODACHROME COPY - JOHN AND BILL CHUCKMAN SITTING TOGETHER BY THE LAGOON ON NORMAL AVE (JUST A BIT NORTH OF 79TH STREET) AUBURN PARK CHICAGO - ON THIS VISIT HOME FROM TORONTO I REALLY RAN ALL OVER GETTING PICTURES OF OLD PLACES - THAT KIND OF SENTIMENTALITY JUST ALWAYS HAS BEEN PART OF ME - 1968 OCT 12 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
CHUCKMAN KODACHROME COPY - RETURN OF THE NATIVE - CHUCKY SITTING BY THE LAGOON AT NORMAL AVE AUBURN PARK CHICAGO ON A VISIT HOME FROM TORONTO - POSED A BIT LIKE ANOTHER PHOTO OF ME NEAR THIS SPOT FROM THE LATE 1940s - THE BACKGROUND OF THIS PHOTO REMINDS ME OF WHAT A SPLENDID PLANNING JOB THEY OFTEN DID IN CHICAGO BACK IN THE 1910s - 1920s - A BEAUTIFUL CITY NEIGHBORHOOD THEN - 1968 OCT 12 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
CHUCKMAN KODACHROME COPY - CHUCKY WITH HIS FAVORITE CORDUROY JACKET SITTING IN THE FALL SPLENDOR OF RAINBOW GARDENS SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO ON A VISIT HOME FROM TORONTO - I REALLY WAS VERY FOND OF RAINBOW GARDEN - I'M SURE IT INFLUENCED ME A GOOD DEAL BECAUSE IN EVERY HOME I EVER OWNED I BUILT A GARDEN, SOME OF THEM QUITE BEAUTIFUL I THINK - I CAN REMEMBER BEING ABLE TO HEAR THE RUSTLE AND RATTLE OF THE LEAVES IN THE POPLAR TREES WHICH LINED THE EDGE OF THE BEACH - 1968 OCT 11 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
CHUCKY IN MONTREAL - A DRAWING OF SOME OLD HOUSES IN PEN AND INK - THE CITY USED TO HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF ARCHITECTURE OF THIS VINTAGE AND CHARACTER - A GOOD DEAL IS GONE TODAY BUT IT REMAINS A BEAUTIFUL CITY (IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, SEE MY SITE CHUCKMAN'S MONTREAL ON WORDPRESS) - 30 DEC 1973 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
CHUCKY IN FRANCE - I HAVE NO PHOTOS OF MY TIME IN EUROPE SINCE MY CAMERA ALONG WITH OTHER STUFF WAS STOLEN IN ITALY - I HAVE A FEW DRAWINGS DONE WITH OIL PASTELS - THIS ONE IS OF A DRAMATIC TREE ON TOP OF A SMALL MOUNTAIN NEAR THE PICTURESQUE TOWN OF LE MONT DORE IN THE MASSIF CENTRAL - LE MONT DORE - 12 FEB 1971 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
CHUCKY IN FRANCE - ROOM IN A SMALL "PENSION" AT LE MONT DORE - I REMEMBER GOING TO MAIL SOMETHING ONE DAY ABOUT NOON AT THE POST OFFICE - IT WAS CLOSED WITH A SIGN ON THE DOOR SAYING THEY WERE AT THE CAFE ZOZO UNTIL 2 PM - A CHARMING ANECDOTE BUT I THINK FRANCE TODAY HAS CHANGED UNFORTUNATELY A GREAT DEAL FROM THAT TIME - 14 FEB 1971 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
COLFAX AVE SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO LOOKING NORTH FROM OUR OLD BUILDING AT 78TH AND COLFAX - IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL WITH THE TREES AND WELL-CARED-FOR APARTMENTS - I USED TO JUST ENJOY WALKING AROUND (WHICH WAS GOOD SINCE WE NEVER HAD A CAR) AND I THINK MY TERM "URBAN VILLAGE" FITS PERFECTLY - IT CERTAINLY HELD ITS PLACE IN MY HEART AS THE URBAN IDEAL FOR MANY YEARS BUT THIS PLACE TOO WAS JUST BEGINNING TO CHANGE WHEN I TOOK THIS PICTURE - BY THE EARLY 1970s, THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER WAVE OF REFUGEES LEAVING (AFTER THE EARLIER ONE I EXPERIENCED IN HYDE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD - SEE BELOW) FEAR AND INCREASED VIOLENCE AND BADLY DECLINING SCHOOLS - I RECALL SEEING A NEWSPAPER PHOTO OF "FOR SALE" SIGNS ON A BLOCK LINED UP LIKE KIDS GOING TO RECESS - NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE IT - PEOPLE WENT TO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES SUCH AS HOMEWOOD (MOM) OR EAST HAZEL CREST (PRESTON UNEY'S FAMILY) OR TO THE NORTH SIDE (AUNT WILMA) - OTHERS WENT AS FAR AS SKOKIE - OCT 11 1968 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
JOHN CHUCKMAN SITTING IN A WING CHAIR WEARING HIS FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER MASK AT AUNT WILMA'S ELEGANT LITTLE APARTMENT ON PHILLIPS AVE SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO - I REMEMBER BUYING THAT MASK AT THE OLD TREASURE CHEST STORE ON RANDOLPH STREET DOWNTOWN (A PLACE I LOVED) AND I USED IT FOR YEARS ON HALLOWEEN - I JUST LOVED THE AUTUMNAL MYSTERIOUS SENSE OF HALLOWEEN AND IN THOSE DAYS IT WAS EMBRACED AND CELEBRATED FAR MORE THAN IT IS TODAY - ONE YEAR I FITTED THE ELECTRODES ON THE NECK WITH FLASHLIGHT BULBS AND HAD WIRES RUNNING DOWN TO BATTERIES IN MY POCKET - EARLY 1960s - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
OUR THIRD AND LAST SOUTH SHORE APARTMENT - 7802 COLFAX AVE CHICAGO - 1ST FLOOR OVER DOOR ON RIGHT - STILL SMALL (A ONE-BEDROOM) BUT WE THOUGHT THIS BUILDING VERY CLASSY AND LIKED ITS BEING NOT OVER STORES - MOM WAS HAPPY BEING AWAY FROM WHITE CASTLE - I REMEMBER FEELING THE GREATEST SENSE PRIDE IN THE HANDSOME COURTYARD - THOSE OLD APARTMENT BUILDINGS DID THAT TO YOU, MAKE YOU FEEL MUCH THE SENSE OF PRIDE HOMEOWNERS FEEL - TAKEN ON VISIT OCTOBER 11, 1968 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN PHOTO
OUR APARTMENT BUILDING AT 7904 ESSEX AVE NEAR 79TH FROM ACROSS STREET - OUR SECOND APARTMENT IN SOUTH SHORE - RIGHT SIDE CORNER TOP FLOOR - WHITE CASTLE IS ACROSS ESSEX ON 79TH STREET, SOMETHING MOM DID NOT LIKE WITH THE NOISES AT NIGHT AND THE SMELL - SHE WAS NOT A FAN LIKE ME - EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT DIRECTLY OVER STORES IT HAD A SENSE OF BEING SO - THERE WAS WHITE CASTLE FROM THE WINDOWS AND IN THE BACK WITH THE PORCHES THERE WAS THE BACK OF THE STORES ALONG 79TH STREET - I REMEMBER ONCE WITH MY ROCKET EXPERIMENTS FIRING ONE OFF THE PORCH ON THE THIRD FLOOR (THERE WAS A VERY LONG GANGWAY BEHIND THE STORES AND BETWEEN OUR BUILDING) AND SEEING JACK ALBERT SHOWING UP IN HIS WHITE APRON IN THE BACK OF HIS DELI (CORNER 79TH AND ESSEX) MUTTERING ABOUT THE NOISE AND SMOKE - OCTOBER 11 1968 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN PHOTO
BILL CHUCKMAN ON A VISIT FROM CHICAGO PLAYING WITH THE SPITTOON WE KEPT AS A DECORATION IN THE LIVING ROOM - LOCATION HERE UNCERTAIN BECAUSE WE HAD THOSE SHEER CURTAINS BOTH AT JAMESON AND MILLWOOD - BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A DOOR KNOB ON THE LOWER RIGHT SO THAT WOULD BE THE HIGH-RISE ON JAMESON AVE TORONTO - DATED FEB 24 1967 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
BILL CHUCKMAN COMING OUT OF WATER AT PERCE ROCK IN QUEBEC - THIS WAS A WONDERFUL TWO-WEEK TRIP WITH KATHY JOHN BILL AND GRANDPA - WHEN THE TIDE IS OUT YOU CAN WALK COMPLETELY AROUND PERCE ROCK, AND BILL AND I DID - BUT THE TIDE CAME BACK BEFORE WE GOT BACK AND WE WERE SOAKED - IT WAS A LITTLE SCARY WITH WATER RISING FAST AND NOT THE BEST FOOTING - WE DID MANY INTERESTING THINGS ALONG THE GASPE AND IN NEW BRUNSWICK (WHERE MY OLD PONTIAC BROKE DOWN IN THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE - WE GOT SOME TERRIFIC HELP WITH THAT) - I HAVE ONLY THIS PICTURE DIGITIZED - IT IS ASHAMED BECAUSE I HAVE BURIED AWAY A NUMBER OF IMAGES OF THIS WONDERFUL TIME - I HAD A SECOND MOTIVE FOR THE TRIP - BILL, LIVING IN CHICAGO, WAS APPROACHING DRAFT AGE AND I WANTED TO SHOW HIM SOME ATTRACTIVE PLACES IN CANADA TO ENCOURAGE HIM TO COME - HE EVENTUALLY DID AND STAYED WITH US ON MILLWOOD ROAD FOR QUITE SOME TIME UNTIL HE HAD EVERYTHING SORTED OUT - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT QUEBEC'S PERCE ROCK AND PARK LOOK LIKE, THERE IS A NICE PHOTO HERE:
https://chuckmanphotos.blogspot.com/2018/07/john-and-marjie-on-st-lawrence-quebec_3.html
BILL CHUCKMAN SITTING (SORT OF) IN ONE OF THE TWO TUB CHAIRS IN THE LIVING ROOM OF OUR MILLWOOD ROAD TORONTO THIRD-FLOOR APARTMENT - THIS WAS THE NICEST APARTMENT WE EVER HAD IN TORONTO AND I PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO IT FROM SANDING FLOORS TO PAINT AND WALLPAPER - NOTE THE TOE STICKING OUT FROM ONE SOCK - UNDATED BUT THIS WOULD BE AROUND 1967 OR 1968 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
BILL CHUCKMAN SITTING UP ON HID-A-BED IN THE PRISON PAJAMAS HE GOT AS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT - I REMEMBER THOSE SO WELL BUT NOT OTHER DETAILS OF THIS VISIT - SURPRISED BILL WOULD STAY FOR CHRISTMAS ALONE BUT HE MAY WELL HAVE COME WITH MOM AND WAYNE AND WE HAD NO ROOM TO PUT THEM UP SO THEY WERE AT A MOTEL - NOT SURE OF LOCATION BUT I THINK IT IS THE HIGH-RISE APARTMENT ON JAMESON AVE SOUTH OF KING TORONTO WHERE WE LIVED NOT MANY MONTHS WHILE TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING MORE SUITABLE (WHICH WE DID AT SOME POINT ON MILLWOOD ROAD LEASIDE NEIGHBORHOOD) - WE WERE ORIENTED TO THE OLD-FASHIONED STYLE APARTMENTS OF CHICAGO, AND TORONTO HAD VERY FEW OF THEM (IT WAS THEN MAINLY PRIVATE HOMES PLUS SOME HIGH-RISES THAT OFTEN WERE UGLY AND EVEN SOULLESS (CERTAINLY TRUE OF JAMESON AVE, ALL OF IT FROM END-TO-END - MADE ME THINK OF IMAGES FROM THE SOVIET UNION) - IN LATER YEARS MANY LARGER OLD HOMES IN PARTS OF TORONTO WERE CONVERTED TO APARTMENTS, OFFERING MORE CHOICE - HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION EXPLODED LATER - DEC 25 1966 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
BILL CHUCKMAN TYPING WITH TWO FOREFINGERS AND A BIG DISPLAY OF FAKE TEETH - HE WAS VISITING US IN TORONTO AT THE MAIN FLOOR 1520 BATHURST STREET APARTMENT NEAR ST CLAIR - I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS THE TIME HE CAME UP ON HIS THREE-WHEELER HARLEY MOTORCYCLE - WHEN HE HAD GOT IT (USED) I SENT HIM A GOOD SAFETY HELMET WITH LITTLE GOLD LETTERS "BEAST" ON IT - MARCH 1966 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
BILL CHUCKMAN PAUSES FROM TYPING WITH TWO FOREFINGERS AND A BIG DISPLAY OF FAKE TEETH - HE WAS VISITING US IN TORONTO AT THE MAIN FLOOR 1520 BATHURST STREET APARTMENT NEAR ST CLAIR AVE - I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS THE TIME HE CAME UP ON HIS THREE-WHEELER HARLEY MOTORCYCLE OR THEN MAYBE IT WAS THE TIME OF THE COLOR PICTURE BELOW - WHEN HE HAD GOT IT (USED) I SENT HIM A GOOD SAFETY HELMET WITH LITTLE GOLD LETTERS "BEAST" I PUT ON IT - MARCH 1966 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
BILL CHUCKMAN VISITING US FROM CHICAGO IN THE APARTMENT ON THE MAIN FLOOR AT 1520 BATHURST STREET NEAR ST CLAIR AVE TORONTO - I THINK IT WAS AROUND HIS BIRTHDAY (JULY 20) AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS I ARRANGED (MOST OF THE BALLOONS ARE STUCK TO THE WALL WITH SOME STUCK TO BILL) - NOTE THE LITTLE FIGURE ON THE MANTLE TO THE LEFT WAS THE LAST PLASTIC MODEL I EVER BUILT, THE RED KNIGHT OF AUGSBURG - ON THE WALL IS A PRINT FROM CHICAGO OF THE MILLINERY SHOP BY DEGAS A PICTURE I LIKE VERY MUCH - NO EXACT DATE BUT THIS WAS 1966 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
MYRA BRADWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS IT LOOKED IN ITS HEYDAY - 7736 S BURNHAM AVE SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO - THE VERY NICE LIBRARY IS IN ONE OF THOSE SETS OF WINDOWS - IT WAS A VERY GOOD SCHOOL - I WENT THERE FOR GRADES 5 THROUGH 8 AFTER EXPERIENCING SOME BAD SCHOOLS IN DECAYING HYDE PARK AND KENWOOD - BILL DID HIS WHOLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HERE - INDEED THAT DECAYING SITUATION WAS THE REASON MOM SOUGHT TO MOVE TO SOUTH SHORE (EVEN THOUGH APARTMENT RENTS WERE HIGHER) - AUNT WILMA HAD BEEN LIVING IN SOUTH SHORE A COUPLE OF YEARS - MOM WAS HEARTSICK OVER SOME OF THE STUFF I EXPERIENCED AND SHE DIDN'T WANT BILL GOING THROUGH THE SAME AS A LITTLE KID - I CAN STILL RECALL THE SENSE OF RELIEF I FELT BEING IN A DECENT SCHOOL WITHOUT GANGS AND STUPIDITY (ALTHOUGH MY TWO BRANCHES OF KENWOOD SCHOOL HAD BEEN GOOD PLACES - THEY HAD NONE OF THE FACILITIES BRADWELL HAD - AND I HAD ONLY GONE THERE FOR TWO YEARS WITH ONE EXCELLENT TEACHER ALMOST THE WHOLE TIME - I HAD EXPERIENCED THE CHARMS OF KOZMINSKI AND I FIRST STARTED AT AN EVEN WORSE HELL HOLE CALLED SHAKESPEARE SCHOOL NEAR 47TH STREET) - PHOTO TAKEN ON A VISIT FROM TORONTO - OCT 11 1968 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
MYRA BRADWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 7736 S BURNHAM AVE SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO - A VIEW FROM THE SOUTH END SHOWING ALL THE TREES - THE DOOR IN THE FOREGROUND WAS TO THE AUDITORIUM - IT WAS A NICE FACILITY AND WAS USED FOR MANY THINGS FROM AWARD DAYS AND GRADUATION CEREMONIES TO PRESENTATIONS FROM OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE ODD "CONCERT" - EVERY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WAS MOVIE DAY WHERE WE WE SAW INFORMATIONAL FILMS ABOUT INDUSTRIES AND THE LIKE - IN OUR DAY, EATING CANDY WAS FORBIDDEN EVEN IN THE DARK OF MOVIE DAY - THE RULE DIDN'T STOP A WIDESPREAD INDUSTRY OF SNEAKING IN CANDY TO EAT - TEACHERS PATROLLED THE AISLES LOOKING FOR VIOLATORS - SOME KIDS WERE REALLY GOOD AT SNEAKY EATING - MY FRIEND BOB PEARSON WHO LOVED SWEETS EVEN USED TO BRING A BOTTLE OF POP WITH A STRAW, APART FROM ALL THE STUFF JAMMED INTO HIS POCKETS, STUCK IN THE WAIST OF HIS PANTS - OCT 11 1968 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
MYRA BRADWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 7736 S BURNHAM AVE SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO - ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE NORTH END SHOWING ALL THE TREES - SCHOOL DESIGN IN THOSE DAYS (THIS BRADWELL BUILDING WAS BUILT IN THE 1920s AFTER AN EARLIER BUILDING) WAS VERY PLEASANT WITH THE TALL MULLIONED WINDOWS IN EVERY CLASS ROOM AND THE TREES OUTSIDE - I STILL REMEMBER IT FONDLY - BRADWELL WAS ALSO, I LEARNED LATER KIND OF A SPECIAL OR MODEL SCHOOL WITH ITS CURRICULUM AND SPECIAL CLASSES (WE HAD ART AND MUSIC AND GYM AND LIBRARY EVERY WEEK APART FROM ALL THE SUBJECTS LIKE MATH AND ENGLISH - THE TEACHERS WERE PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT, NOT THE KIND OF GENERALIST FILL-IN BODIES WE HAVE IN SOME GRADE SCHOOLS TODAY) - OCT 11 1968 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
COLFAX AVE SOUTH SHORE CHICAGO - LOOKING SOUTH FROM THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF OUR OLD APARTMENT BUILDING NEAR 78TH STREET - I THINK THIS PICTURE GIVES A VERY GOOD IDEA OF THE "FEEL" OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS - UP THE BLOCK JUST BEHIND WHERE SOMEONE IS WALKING IS 79TH STREET, WHICH WAS A SHOPPING STREET - THE MUCH LOVED BON-TON RESTAURANT WAS ON THAT CORNER - IF YOU TURNED RIGHT IN A FEW DOORS DOWN WAS THE VENERABLE CUNIS ICE CREAM SHOP WHICH MADE ITS OWN CANDIES AND ICE CREAMS - CUNIS MADE THE MOST WONDERFUL ORIGINAL MILKSHAKES, THICK WITH REAL ICE CREAM AND IN FLAVORS LIKE CHOCOLATE CHIP OR ORANGE (MY FAVORITE) OR PEACH PLUS ALL THE USUAL FLAVORS - THE PATTERN IN TRADITIONAL CHICAGO APARTMENT NEIGHBORHOODS WAS FOR THERE TO BE A COMMERCIAL STREET EVERY 4 BLOCKS (IN SOUTH SHORE: 71ST AND 75TH AN 79TH) WITH EVERYTHING FROM GROCERIES AND PHARMACIES AND SHOE STORES TO WOOLWORTHS AND RESTAURANTS AND MOVIE THEATERS - SOME COMMERCIAL STREETS, LIKE 71ST STREET, GOT MORE ELEGANT WITH FINE CLOTHING SHOPS AND FINE DINING - THE ALLEYS RUNNING BEHIND THE BUILDINGS ON EVERY BLOCK WERE EFFECTIVELY SERVICE CORRIDORS WHERE GARBAGE WAS PICKED UP AND THINGS LIKE TELEPHONE POLES RAN (IT WAS VERY ADVANCED PLANNING FOR ITS DAY, WHICH WAS IN THE 1910s TO 1920S FOR THESE APARTMENT BUILDINGS) - RAINY DAY ON A VISIT FROM TORONTO - APRIL 1967 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
JOHN AND BILL CHUCKMAN'S LARGEST SNOWMAN EVER - CYRANO DE BERGERAC - I TOOK THIS PICTURE FROM OUR APARTMENT WINDOW - EVEN THOUGH HIS HAIR WASN'T DONE YET I WANTED SOME RECORD BEFORE DARK - 78TH STREET JUST NEAR COLFAX - THE PARKWAY PARALLEL TO OUR APARTMENT BUILDING - MARCH 28 1965 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
DAD (JOHN) AND HIS BROTHER AL AND THEIR FATHER - I WASN'T GOING TO KEEP THIS PICTURE BECAUSE THEIR FATHER (MY PATERNAL GRANDFATHER) WAS JUST AN AWFUL MAN FROM STORIES I HEARD FROM RELATIVES AND MY MOTHER AFTER HER DIVORCE ONLY WANTED TO BE AWAY FROM HIM AND HIS AWFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH HIS FAMILY - BUT THE PICTURE HAS DAD IN HIS UNIFORM SO I KEPT IT - DATED AUG 1942 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
GRANDPA (BOB SORENSEN) IN HIS NAVY UNIFORM - NO DATE - GRANDPA WAS IN THE NAVY TWICE - HE JOINED AT 16 LEAVING THE OLD IRISH AUNTS HE WAS ORPHANED TO (BOTH HIS MOTHER AND FATHER DIED AT SEPARATE TIMES WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG TEENAGER AND WHILE THE AUNTS STOOD BY THEIR OBLIGATIONS I DON'T THINK THEY WERE REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE HIM AROUND - SO HE WAS ANXIOUS TO LEAVE) - HE TOLD ME OF FIRST COMING TO THE SIDE OF A BATTLESHIP IN A LITTLE BOAT AND IT SEEMED LIKE A MOUNTAIN - HE TRAVELED A GOOD DEAL IN THE NAVY TO PLACES IN ASIA AND JOINED AGAIN AROUND WW II TO SERVE IN SAMOA - HE BECAME A BOATSWAIN'S MATE WHICH IS A HIGHLY RESPONSIBLE NON-OFFICER RANK - THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT BOTH GRANDPA AND WAYNE (WHO SERVED AND SAW PLENTY OF SHOOTING WITH THE ARMY IN ITALY DURING WW II) WAS THAT NEITHER OF THEM RESENTED WHAT I DID ABOUT VIETNAM - INSTEAD THEY BOTH SUPPORTED AND ENCOURAGED AND HELPED ME - I NEVER FULLY REALIZED THEN HOW FORTUNATE I WAS HAVING THEM - SO MANY AT SUCH TIMES HAVE MUCH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES - GOD BLESS BOTH THEIR SOULS - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
GRANDPA (BOB SORENSEN) TALKING TO BRITAIN'S PRINCE PHILIP ON AN ELEVATED TRAIN PLATFORM IN AN OBVIOUSLY ARRANGED TOUR EVENT FOR THE PRINCE - I FOUND IT IN GRANDPA'S THINGS AFTER HE PASSED AWAY AND HE HAD NEVER MENTIONED IT - THE QUEEN AND PHILIP WERE IN CHICAGO FOR THE 1959 OPENING OF THE ST LAWRENCE SEAWAY - PHOTO IS UNDATED AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT WOULD BE THE DATE - "BOB" AS MOST CALLED HIM WAS HIGHLY REGARDED BY THE C.T.A. AND WOULD BE JUST THE MAN THEY WOULD PICK FOR MEETING THE PRINCE ON TOUR - I ALWAYS CALLED HIM, AND STILL CALL HIM, "GRANDPA" BUT BOB SORENSEN WAS ACTUALLY MY FATHER-IN-LAW BY MY FIRST (SADLY UNHAPPY) MARRIAGE - WE WERE ALWAYS VERY CLOSE AND I CONTINUED TO SEE HIM AFTER HIS DAUGHTER KATHY AND I WERE NO LONGER MARRIED - HE WAS ONE OF THE DEAREST FRIENDS I EVER HAD - THERE IS AN IN MEMORIAM I WROTE AND PUBLISHED IN HIS HOMETOWN PAPER THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE AND I HAVE IT ON MY SITE CHUCKMAN'S MISCELLANEA OF WORDS AT: http://chuckmanmiscellanea.blogspot.com/2007/09/newspaper-in-memorium-for-robert.html - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
JOHN AND BILL CHUCKMAN SITTING IN ONE OF THOSE PUBLIC PHOTO BOOTHS WHICH IN THOSE DAYS GAVE YOU A STRIP OF PHOTOS FOR 25 CENTS - IT'S IN THE RANDOLPH STREET I.C. TRAIN STATION - BILL KEEPS TRYING TO COVER MY FACE - MOM'S HAND INTERVENES IN THE LAST FRAME - A PRICELESS SET OF PHOTOS WITH BILL CLOWNING AND ME HAVING "THE REGULAR GUY" LOOK - SEPT 1957 - A JOHN CHUCKMAN IMAGE
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