“Reading about Karen and Donald Bergeron’s 60th anniversary,” says Karen Poirrier, of Lutcher, “reminded me of an unforgettable experience when Karen and I were 8th-grade students at St. Michael Catholic School in Convent.
“The church had a bell tower and bell that rang at noon when school was in session. An elderly gentleman, Israel, was responsible for ringing the bell.
“One day during recess a group of students wondered how Israel rang the bell. Karen and I decided that we’d climb to the bell tower to identify the mechanism.
“Entering through a door in the choir loft, we climbed up dark stairs that seemed endless, stroked the bell and its clapper, and noted the thick rope Israel used to ring the bell.
“The most memorable parts of our excursion were the beautiful view of the Mississippi River — and students’ not ratting us out to Sister Joan of Arc, our teacher and school principal!”
Too much excitement!
Speaking of nostalgia, Ruth E. Brown tells this tale of wild times in early Baton Rouge:
“My family bought their first car in 1927. Our family was large, and an activity for all was a ride to parts of the city which would end by ‘making the drag.’
“The drag was driving on Third Street from North Boulevard to Main Street, and window shopping as we passed Sears, Dalton’s, Lerner’s, and Rosenfield’s.
“All the traffic signals were equipped with a bell, which rang when the light changed color.
“Occasionally we were treated to an ice cream cone. What a day!”
Fightin’ Crustaceans
Jim Nichols, of Lafayette, adds another very cool school mascot to our collection:
“Port Lavaca is along the Gulf Coast of Texas. There used to be a Port Lavaca High, which evidently merged/consolidated to make Calhoun High (for Calhoun County).
“But thankfully they kept their mascot, the Sand Crabs.”
Music’s more fun
“Speaking of the days of real live telephone operators,” says Anne Maverick, “here’s an interesting nugget from author Michael Woods via Wikipedia:
“‘Until telephone exchanges and switchboards came along (in the 1870s-’80s), pipe organs were the most complex contraptions in the world.’
“I never operated a switchboard, except possibly in childhood games, but I’m sure it couldn’t possibly have been more fun than playing a pipe organ, which I get to do every week.”
Hold that line!
Lucy Perry, of Kansas City, Missouri, says, “Discussion of party lines brought back my husband Ross’ memories of his Grandmother Daisy here in Kansas City.
“Back in the mid-’60s, she still had a party line. At a certain time every Thursday night she’d take the phone off the hook, so nobody could call her and interrupt ‘Perry Mason.'”
Special People Dept.
Lena Marcello Rome, of Donaldsonville, celebrated her 92nd birthday Sunday, April 30.
Dodging the mud
After Tony Falterman’s Saturday story on banquettes in Napoleonville, Terry G. Zeringue, of Prairieville, responded:
“The literal translation of banquettes is ‘little benches.’ They were popular in the early days of New Orleans.
“The raised wooden sidewalks allowed pedestrians to avoid the low muddy streets of the French Quarter.
“Although the streets have long been paved, the banquettes could still serve a purpose today, especially during Mardi Gras.”
Anthropology or trivia?Â
Oneal Isaac, of Baton Rouge, offers the opinion that some items in this column could be called anthropology, “the study of human societies and cultures and their development:
“They examine lesser-known findings in archaeology and anthropology to highlight all that we don’t know about human history.
“Your column fills in some of the blanks that future anthropologists will surely inquire about as they study the artifacts of our time period, e.g. front porches and how they were used.”
(But I’m not offering class credit or grading my readers on their responses. And, of course, no student loans…)
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