Cold War and Cowboys and Indians

1953, Dayton, Ohio

This is a birthday party when I was 6.  I'm second from the left in the first row. Robbie is wearing the hat. Peter has the bow tie.  That's all I can remember. It is in Dayton Ohio at 334 Fountain Ave. I remember my phone as Oregon 8990. I can also remember how to walk to kindergarten at Van Cleve Elementary (bet you don't know who Van Cleve was do you?).

This was the year that my parents would let me go the Saturday matinee at the Main Theater with my friends and of course walk to and from school. 

Cookie Willis lived next door. He was a Korean War vet and took one day to shooting up the neighborhood "so we would learn what war was like".  They got him alive and took him away.  We survived.

The most popular TV shows were Captain Video and the Lone Ranger.  I think Gogi Grant sang "The Western Wind was a Wayward Wind" or something. I'm not going to look it up.  I'm just trying to figure out how moms got 6 year olds in white shirts and ties. (not me by the way). My first girl friend (because she could play "cowboys and Indians" in the back yards) was Sasha and she is behind me to my left. Her family was from Germany and I liked her. 
They (Sasha's family) lived across the street in a funny apartment building with parking in the basement.  When I was allowed to cross the street at some place other than the corner at the stop sign, she and Peter who lived there too would come out and we would visit the woman up the street who baked cookies. She had an older brother probably about 15 or so. My sister didn't like him.  Her dad was an air force related something or other and worked with some other Germans at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  I imagine there was quite a story there but will never know. The "how they got to Dayton" must have been a doozie.


In 50's, they didn't have a lot of friends.