To celebrate my birthday, I decided to take a stroll down memory lane. I compiled a list of 42 memories of moments from my childhood that have gone by the wayside, are gone but not forgotten.
For better or worse, relegated to the “dustbin of history.”
Editor’s note: My list is my list. It is Northeast Philadelphia, with a touch of sports and politics. It contains names, places, and faces that impacted my life or those I knew, in some way, large or small.
Don’t be offended if you live in rural Pennsylvania and your school closed and I omitted it.
Also, I’m getting older, and as I age, I am forgetting far more than I remember. In other words, I may have missed something.
Here’s my list, Gone (or just about gone), but not forgotten and may it spark memories of your own:
- Conservative Democrats
- Liberal Republicans
- St. Bernard School, St. Leo School, St. Timothy School, Our Lady of Consolation School, St. Bartholomew School, St. Joachim School, Benjamin Crispin School
- Northeast Catholic High School for Boys and Cardinal Dougherty High School
- Sears Wish Book
- Philadelphia Stars, Philadelphia Phantoms, Philadelphia Wings, Philadelphia Kixx, Philadelphia Fury, Philadelphia Fever, Philadelphia Bulldogs, Philadelphia Rage, Philadelphia Charge
- USFL, WFL, XFL
- Veterans Stadium
- JFK Stadium
- The Spectrum: America’s Showplace
- VCR, Betamax, 8Track, record players
- Atari, Sega, Colecovision, and Intelivision
- Jersey pig farmers picking up garbage pales weekly from driveways
- Heavy smoking in public areas
- Music videos on MTV
- PRISM
- Channel 48
- Cold War
- Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia
- Pathmark, Pantry Pride, PharMor, Carrefour
- Galaxy Arcade
- NWA, WCW, and GLOW
- Liberty Bell Race Track and Garden State Park
- A Kardashian was an attorney
- John Wanamaker’s, Clover and Woolworth’s
- Poloroid Instant Camera
- Playtown and Kiddie City
- The Bulletin, The Montgomery County Record and The National
- OJ was a football player and an actor
- Billy Penn Hat Rule
- A Woody was a station wagon
- “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” actually hosted by Dick Clark
- Orleans, Mayfair, and Devon Movie Theater
- Payphones and rotary phones
- Blockbuster and Video Village
- Pennypack Circle
- The Huckster (Strrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwbbberrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrieeeeeees!)
- Unorganized sports for children
- Styrofoam fast food containers
- First Pennsylvania Bank
- Electric Playground and United Skates of America
- Harry and Whitey: The Soundtrack of Summer