  Tponetom Member Username: Tponetom Post Number: 206 Registered: 06-2007 |
About 65 years ago I opened a bank account in an East Side, Detroit Bank. It offered free Safety Deposit boxes for account holders. At the time I did not have very much to deposit but I kept the account open. I did not have any jewels or pieces of gold to hide in a safety deposit box but I did have a badge that I revered and I put it in a box.. Oh! There it is. Kind of beat up after 64 years . It sort of looks like me. Every year, I would deposit some trinkets or a scrap of paper with some scribbling on it to remind me, in the future, of some outstanding event in my life that I would never want to forget. My bank account never prospered in the normal, financial sense or is it cents? But many years later it supplied me with a wealth of material that I am still using to this very day. One of the things I use, on special occasions is my father’s Longines wrist watch. It is one of the early ‘automatic’ watches. No winding. I pin the Caddie Badge on my Chi Chi Rodriguez hat when I play golf on Sunday in a mixed doubles field, and with a flair I offer my services, as a caddie of course, to any of the women who would have me. In truth, I founded the bank I refer to. The name of it is, “My Memory Bank!” It has long been overflowing with memories, minutiae and sometimes, monotony. It mostly amuses me, inspires me and helps keep my foggy brain from collapsing into a helpless pile of CRS. The Badge, the Watch? I keep them here on my desk. They are stored in a rather unique wooden cigar box. The underside of the lid displays a Palace Guard in full dress uniform, and emblazoned along side of that image, printed in what appears to be an Olde English Script, is the name, “House of Windsor” (Palmas) 15 cents. Nothing but the best for my mementoes. The ‘safety deposit box’ is of an ethereal nature. However, it does contain physical realities. That is where I keep the nostalgia. It is a mixed bag of good and,,,,not so good. More than a few friends and correspondents have suggested that I view the present world through rose-colored glasses and I happily agree. It is exactly 8:27 PM. Mountain Standard time. The President should be finished reading his State of the Union message. Hmmmm, I wonder if they make rose-colored hearing aids. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 2630 Registered: 01-2005 |
Most of the 'treasures' of my past are long gone, Tp. Seems like I would take care of them, and then over the years and through various moves, they just disappeared, one by one. The one I really wish I had was the 1950 Tigers program I got Harry Heilmann to autograph. Damn, I wondere what happened to it. Had a bunch of WW II newspapers, too. Germany surrenders, A-Bomb hits Japs, and We Take Beaches, among others. They were getting pretty beat up around 1970 or so, and I think the wife got tired of falling over them in the attic and pitched them. Oh, well, at least she kept me. But I did manage to keep all the old family photos. In recent years they've all been tidied up and placed in new albums, along with the complete family history. The history goes back to 1530, but I have to settle for 1859 as being my oldest photo. If you call a tintype a photo. The only 'not-so-good' memories are of the passing of family members, but their ghosts happily linger on in my mind. Another real safety deposit box. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 7534 Registered: 10-2003 |
Thank you so much for your "trivial" memories. They make the past so much more relevant and personal by hearing your stories. Don't stop. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 704 Registered: 08-2007 |
Oh you guys, I just love your stories. I agree with Jams - don't stop. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 2112 Registered: 11-2003 |
My "safety deposit memory box" includes: 1. Zenith Transoceanic radio going back to the late 30's.Works fine. Tube radio. Heard the Tiger games (tape delay)on it late at night as a kid 2. Mother's 19 photo albums-first one starts in 1933. Pennington Street in Detroit, Bishop Road near Mack--all open fields back then. 3. Family Civil War letters--original ones, sealed in cellophane. Makes for sad reading. 4. Dad's (AAA legal department) business cards going back to CHerry exchange telephone number in the UA building. 5. 1920 black/white scroll photograph of 1920 Republican Presidential Convention in Chicago-Warren Harding nominated and won. 6. 3 foot by 2.5 foot Judicial portrait of Grandfather that hung in the old courthouse in downtown Pontiac in the late teens. 6. 1960 Michigan-Ohio State football program, signed by Bo a few years ago. 7. Oh yes, can't forget the Western Union telegram framed over the bar dated May,1964, informing me I had passed the Michigan Bar Exam. LOTS more, but let's hear from a few others. | ||
Omaha Member Username: Omaha Post Number: 95 Registered: 12-2007 |
I agree with Jams and Eriedearie. We are all products of our varied and checkered pasts. This is fun reading. My contributions are more recent and more mundane by comparison. I was an “Indian Village” kid. By definition when it comes to $, I chose my parents well. As a result, some but not all of, my early treasured mementoes are the result of a certain degree of affluence: I have my father’s 1937 Eastern High School yearbook. What a hoot! I have a photo of Mom and Dad “out on the town” with another couple on the west coast somewhere during WWII. Dad and the other guy sure look good in their naval officer uniforms! I have a “Turner’s T” emblem that I “won” for being the first in my young boy’s Turner’s gym class back circa 1954. I have a copy of the program that I sold for during 1956 swimming Olympic trials held at Brennan Pool. I have swimming ribbons and medals that I “won” in my youth swimming for each of the two private clubs on Belle Isle. And I still get nostalgic looking at my school yearbooks from Liggett, GPUS, and two eastern boarding schools that I was fortunate enough to attend. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 2646 Registered: 01-2005 |
:3. Family Civil War letters--original ones, sealed in cellophane. Makes for sad reading." Rock, I have transcripts of a dozen of the same (originals are in a PA historical society). Make ya a deal. Lets start a new thread on the non-Detroit. You post yours. I'll post mine. One at a time to enable reflection. Whatcha say? (Here's gt gramps, B.H.Downing, 49th PA Vols)  | ||
Tponetom Member Username: Tponetom Post Number: 211 Registered: 06-2007 |
Ray 1936: There is little doubt in my mind that if we could reach back, far enough, we would discover Adam and Eve in our family genes and perhaps, the apes, before that time I need some help on how to transfer (paste?) some 'scanned' info onto the posting site. I scanned the material into my Word Perfect program and also into Word Pad. I then copied it but it would not 'paste' into the "Post". What to do, what to do? Anyone? Please. I had two Great-Grandfathers in the Union Army and my first cousin had her Great-Grandfather in the army as well. Her Great-Grandfather was awarded the Medal of Honor. His name was Fasnacht. (That is another interesting story) I tried to post some photos also, but without success. How do I do it? I feel like the ninety year old man who was found crying on a street corner,,,because he couldn't find his way home to his sexy, twenty something wife. Ray: If you start another post on Non-Detroit, I will respond in kind. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 4404 Registered: 12-2005 |
http://www.detroityes.com/0faq .htm#How_do_I_post_a_picture https://www.atdetroit.net/cgi-bin/f oroum/discus.cgi?pg=formatting #images | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 2647 Registered: 01-2005 |
Click on those links above, Tp, and it will help. One thing the advice doesn't mention is that to bring up the name of the file in your computer, it's usually easiest to hit "Browse", and then look through your files to find the photo you want. Double click it or single click on the 'open' icon. You also have to make sure the size is limited. If you don't have software to reduce the photo size to no bigger than 550 x 550, let me know. We'll work something out. This could be an interesting thread. I'll start it on Non-Detroit. I'll title it "Words from Long Ago". | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 2114 Registered: 11-2003 |
The letters from our relative, James Stout, who was only 17 when he enlisted in Michigan's 6th Cavalry, Company I, are all handwritten. They are difficult to read, and he was of limited education , but I will type out one just as he wrote it when '36 starts his thread. | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 4514 Registered: 10-2003 |
Great stories. They remind me of personal time capsules. The letters would be great to read. Let me know if you need any technical help. If there is a need to post an image beyond the set size restriction, we provide 'side doors' to bypass that limitation. For those who like civil war letters, those of Detroit's very own Alpheus Williams [in book form as "From the Canon's Mouth - the Civil War letters of Alpheus Williams] are unsurpassed. I have a momento box too, just a small plain brown cor-board box. A traditional beaded Swazi necklace from the Peace Corps days, wrestling medals from High School and College, a piece of the Berlin wall that I personally hammered off while an unconcerned soon-to-be-retired East German border guard looked on, tiny stones, scraps and shells from places civil war battlegrounds, Europe, Mexico and other places I have visited. Most recently a terra cotta shard from 'Slumpy'. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 474 Registered: 11-2007 |
From my "Bank", Can anybody identify these steamers from the Detroit/Traverse City areas? My best guess is late teens or early 20's last century. Thanks  |
