Otto-Eldred H.S.

Papa’s World – A look at early years to now!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

Way before I was born –

The roaring twenties of my hometown –

ELDRED, PA.

Here is Main Street –

Some of these buildings were still there when I was young.

Some had new store Fronts while others looked as these do.

It has always, I think, had that small-town feel.

I believe this might be even earlier.

Perhaps sometime in the 1800s?

This looks to be late 30s?

Or even 40s?

I recognize many of these stores!

An early picture of Scotty’s Eldred softball team.

Many of these men I knew growing up.

My best friend Bob – his father is lower right side.

I would assume this to be late 40s to mid 50s?

This was in the 1880s –

Our little town experienced yearly spring floods –

Into the summertime.

The Alleghany River ran in the upper center right of this picture.

Heavy rains and snowmelt seemed to always cause flooding.

The Eldred grade and high school!

First grade through twelfth grade.

I went to my first four years here-

And we combined school districts –

With Eldred- Duke Center and Rixford.

A new elementary school was built right across the street from the ball field.

I went to fifth and sixth grade and then was bused 7 or 8 miles to –

The Otto-Eldred High School in the seventh grade.

The old school – built sometime in the 1800s-

Being torn down.

My brother Roger –

Second bottom row from the right-

On the Eldred H.S. basketball team.

I knew many of these guys growing up.

My father – Bob- second from left –

Part owner of the Western Auto-

A supervisor for the South Penn Oil Company.

On the school board, when uniting the three school districts along with the township.

Here is the picture of when in Buffalo –

The Eldred team won the championship!

The Eldred fire department, as I knew it growing up,

I lived just up the street on the opposite side.

There was and still is –

A ten o’clock curfew –

The siren would sound every night, and you had to be home and off the streets!

My Junior year of H.S.

I am second row –

Third from right –

Number 65.

My senior year – I was in a car accident-

And spent 51 days in the hospital.

Not knowing if I would ever walk again.

My older sister, Donna, and her husband, Bill.

She worked for the town.

Bill was the Police chief when I was growing up!

And later became Mayor.

Today, this little town of Eldred, Pa.

It is home to a huge WWII museum.

All in this picture is the building.

Many tour buses make a stop here.

They come from all over the country to see the exhibits!

It is a marvel and a bucket list to see!

I have a lot to smile about!

Growing up here –

I would not trade.

This was home to me for 30 years.

Sherry and I – July 2024 – celebrating our 75th birthday on the beach with our families.

Growing old and aging as healthily as we can.

www.https://sfitzsimmons.juiceplus.com

PAPA’S WORLD – A LOOK BACK AT THE EARLY YEARS OF WHERE I GREW UP – ELDRED, PA.

Papa’s World – The many folks of the past- Eldred!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

Good day – this blog is my memories-

Growing up in Eldred. Pa.

As a young lad,

I had roller skates before I had a bike!

It was a chore to skate the sidewalk down to Slavins’ auto store and furniture store.

The sidewalks were uneven!

That was as far as I was allowed to go!

Today, this building is the WWII museum.

And to the right and behind it –

Slavin’s auto garage and furniture store.

Back in my youth, this was Frisbee’s insurance building –

And Penn Electric is in the back.

They parked their trucks –

In the lot in the rear.

Today, all that has changed- the two buildings are now connected-

And are in the museum!

I could not skate to the insurance office.

And almost directly across from the insurance office-

Was the Eldred Fire Hall!

I was not allowed to cross Main Street and skate on that side either!

But growing up in such a small town – 800 to 1000 residents-

I knew many of the men and women,

And they knew my parents.

I knew most of these men growing up –

On the far right, bottom row-

Was my buddy Bob – his father Lyle!

This was “SCOTTY’S” softball team.

“SCOTTY’S” was one of the bars in town and a hangout for the men of Eldred, along with Slavin’s!

The Gold Eagle is another one.

I grew up knowing Lyle because of Bob,

And he, in turn, knew my parents.

We would eat and sleep at each other’s houses!

In my Junior year, we started riding to school with Lyle-

And take the bus back home, six or eight miles away.

My father -“FITZ”- second from left –

The tall man in the middle- Don – who was related to Bob-

Had the insurance office and building.

Eddie – second from the right – is to Lyle’s right in the softball picture.

So you can see how small the town was and all the connections.

Here is a picture of the ELDRED HIGH SCHOOL basketball team –

Before the merger with OTTO Township to form OTTO-ELDRED.

Which comprised ELDRED- DUKE CENTER and RIXFORD.

My older brother Roger is second from the right!

He graduated from EHS in 1957.

I knew more than half of these older boys while I was growing up-

And the coach, Joe,

He was my Little League coach and teacher at the school.

Many would be at our house!

Today – my buddy BOB – his wife Pam –

Our neighbor Diane and Sherry, and I.

We still get together after all these years!

Bob and my varsity high school football team when we were juniors!

I am second row, third from right –

Number 65 and Bobby are to my right –

I believe number 83.

He started at end-wide receiver and safety on defense.

I started at left guard and linebacker on defense.

The JV and Freshman are not in this picture.

Memories in pictures of long ago in little ELDRED, Pa.-

And OTTO-ELDRED HIGH SCHOOL!

Papa- Pam – Bob and Sherry.

Thanks for reading my blog –

Papa’s World –

My site- livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

For over TWENTY YEARS-

AGING AS HEALTHY AS WE CAN

http://www.sfitzsimmons.juiceplus.com

Papa’s World – Golfing Sea Trails with childhood buddy!

/ Tom / Leave a comment

We had planned this since last year – when they came to a campground near us – we would play golf!

Bob and I lived in the same town growing up – grade school – Jr. High and then High School!

We both graduated from Otto-Eldred H.S.

Grade school – Eldred Elementary School – we went here for fifth and sixth grade!

Our first four grades were spent here in the old grades 1 through 12 High School!

Otto-Eldred H.S. where we played sports – and graduated in 1967 – a very long time ago!

We had stayed in contact through class reunions and then the past five or six years –

when they decided to tour the country in their RV.

Since then they have stopped and at times stayed with us or in a campground!

Sharing many old memories and creating new ones –

Best buddies for all these years!

Bob about to hit the green – we played a scramble – for two old duffers who can not putt-

we left about 5 strokes in putting on the first nine – we managed a 41!

Thanks for reading PAPA’S WORLD – my site: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog

PAPA’S WORLD – GOLFING SEA TRAILS WITH CHILDHOOD BUDDY! MEMORIES PAST AND PRESENT!