Register Volume 2

Loved looking at the old Alexandria. Brought back memories of a bride from Oklahoma and her Georgetown husband paying a visit to the "big" city in Louisiana with her in-laws who thought this "big" city girl needed to see that Louisiana had big cities, too. LOL I have remained here after divorce and love my adopted state and area. Thanks for this beautiful memory.
Elaine Berthelot
Pollock, la USA - Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 12:48:31 (GMT)

I wish you had included photos of Providence and Menard. Those are, for many of us, the real memories of Alexandria in the 40's and 50's.

I love your idea, and the joy many of the pictures invoked inside of me. thanks for sharing.

Joan Lanius
Alexandria, LA USA - Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 04:41:01 (GMT)

Editor's Note: Unfortunately, when I designed the original Retrospective in 2000, these two schools no longer existed, and hadn't for 20 years or so. And since the Retrospective is based on my own photographs, I had to sadly leave these two fine institutions out of the Retrospective. But now they do appear in the Alexandria Postcard Collection and elsewhere on the site to help fill that gap.

I moved to Alexandria when I was in the middle of the eighth grade. Bolton High School had three (3) floors (I'd come from a school in Lafayette with only two) and I got lost every day for the first full week. There were so many students, from eighth grade through seniors (no Junior High's back then). The times were lots easier in the 50's, but we didn't know it.

The Air Base was in full swing, and "downtown" was still downtown. It mostly consisted of 2nd, 3rd, & 4th streets. All the stores shown on the Retrospective, plus many more unmentioned, were where everyone shopped, worked, and played. Bolton Avenue was in the picture as an "alternative" place to shop. The MacArthur Drive Shopping Center was still a field, only a plan in someone's mind, just around the bend of time.

I remember taking the bus to Suburban Gardens, then walking the rest of the way down Jackson Street Extension to the empty lot, and tending, watering and feeding my horse every afternoon. When my parents built a new house on Camille Street, Jackson Extension was still gravelled and barely two lanes. No subdivisions, no offices, no Alex Sr. High, etc., just open and empty fields, except for the two large plantations (now gone) along the road. Our narrow vision kept us from seeing what was yet to come in the ensuing years.

I remember a trip to Suburban Gardens with my Dad every Friday night to share a half dozen raw oysters. What a treat. When I started dating, the place to go with friends was Lazarones on Lee St., or Fuzzy's on Bolton Ave.. A burger and curley Q's was the only thing to order there. The Drive- In theater at the intersection of MacArthur Drive and Leesville Hwy. was the place to see a movie. Oooohhh, I can still taste the hot dogs loaded with chili and onions. Only memories now, that an "old stomach" would reject.

Progress????? I guess they call it that. What about you? We can't go back to those times. I don't regret the old days, but I miss them. We had lots of good clean fun. Times long ago, but not forgotten, for sure !!!

A. Stevens USA - Wednesday, January 15, 2003

But our world is full of wonders.
A horse and a cart over the fields
Will carry you out to a railway train,
Which flies like a demon over the fields
Till it bringsyou to a ship with a lower deck,
Which takes you away to New York downtown--
And this, indeed, is my only consolation
That they will not bury me in you--
My home, my Zlochov."

--Moyshe-Leyb Halpern (1886-1932)
Marc Caplan
New York, NY USA - Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 22:35:10 (GMT)

Thanks for bringing back to me many memories. The Gulf Service Station on Bolton Avenue was owned and operated by my dad in the late 1950s and through the 1960s. It was of three stations he had in Alexandria. I worked at one time or another at all three when I was in high school and college in the 1950s.

Paul H. Bergeron
Knoxville, TN USA - Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 20:03:37 (GMT)

I loved this web site and what a stroll down memory lane! I too was born in Alexandria in 1948, grew up at 2442 Alma Street, and went to Our Lady of Prompt Succor School. I remember Sister Cordelia, Mrs. Knoblock, Mrs. Bledsoe, Sister Constance, Sister Miriam Dorothy (the principal), Sister Mary Linus, Sister Euphrosine, Sister Marcella Marie and Sister Helen Margaret (principal before Sister Miriam Dorothy).

Look at the list of Sisters that taught us, now there are very few sisters teaching. Our catholic schools have mostly lay teachers these days. I graduated from Providence Central High School in 1966, went to college and never really returned to live in Alexandria. I visit every few years and like the creator of this web site, I take trips down memory lane every time I'm there.

Adrienne Marie Dunham Bernhard
Slidell, LA USA - Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 19:52:39 (GMT)

This was so exciting to be able to take another look at our past, here, in Alex....my Dad's name was mentioned...which made it more important for me and viewers, to look at this beautiful piece of artwork that was so nicely put together.

Thank you for including my family's name...it made it very special...

Mary L. Kearns Ducote
Alexandria, La USA - Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 11:42:50 (GMT)

Never thought such a bunch of dilapidated buildings could evoke such memories. Richly done and very strong. Thanks.

Rod Masterson
USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 23:51:05 (GMT)

Thanks for the photos and retrospective. My father grew up in Alex; I've raised my children here. I live today on Albert St., only a few blocks from my childhood home on Thornton Court, 4 houses from Lee St. and the old Billups filling station.

On Albert St., we have five families living side by side, all 1965 graduates of Bolton, all of us lifelong friends. I will pay closer attention in the future to the fading physical evidence of our past. Again, thanks.

John W. (Jock) Scott
Alexandria, La. USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 18:44:46 (GMT)

Ken,
Thank You. Great Job! Lots of memories.

Jack Sleet
Los Angeles, CA USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 16:27:40 (GMT)

We have a lot to offer, as you show. Ken, why did you leave?

Sincerely, Jack Randall (Menard HS, '61)
Jack Randall
Alexandria, La USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 16:05:42 (GMT)

Great piece. One great institution you missed was 16 Bolton Avenue: Gravel's Drug Store and Cherry Nectors (I am prejudiced). The building is now a furniture store. Time goes so fast , thanks for putting this together.

Paul S Gravel
McLean, va USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 15:27:11 (GMT)

I love the memories. On great spot was Holsum's bakery, late night hot bread spot after a few drinks at Skippy's. Thank you great memories.

Van Provosty
Atlanta, GA USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 14:22:57 (GMT)

I enjoyed the journey of reflection. Alexandria was my grandparents' home, my parents' home and my home. No matter where life takes me, it will always be home. I was born in 1942, graduated from Menard High School, USL and SMU. Thank you for preparing the "journey" back in time.

As I viewed the pictures, I remembered just about everyone of the sites, and reflected on some moment in my life where those places fit in. It also brought tears to my eyes as I remembered people who no longer are alive, and how special they were to me.

Alexandria was, and is, a different kind of town. When people ask me about the personality of Alexandria, I tell them you had to live there to appreciate it.

It was a great place to grow up during the years of my youth. Thanks so very much for sharing the Alexandria Retrospective.

Kind regards, Ken Ardoin. Most people remember me as Kenny.
Ken Ardoin
Flower Mound, TX USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 13:15:23 (GMT)

I was born in Alexandria and still have relatives there. I have been gone from there for almost 30 years, but still manage a trip home every few years. I enjoyed your Retrospective.

Sue Ledig Semans
San Jose, CA USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 05:42:41 (GMT)

So what's my free association: Wellans, how I joined the famous picketting of Wellans at Christmas, 1969, when an up-and-coming 'leader' of the black community organized a boycott because upper middle class white high school girls got jobs giftwrapping presents at Wellans, but black girls applying for the same jobs were turned down. How can I forget the day my dad left the Texada Clinic and drove directly to the Principal's Office at 'new' Menard, how puzzled I was at how Fr. Biggar tried to explain to me JUST how irate Daddy was, how this was a REALLY big deal, and how I learned a lot that day (during and after the threats to have all my college funding from my parents cut off) for having been so intemperate to put the family in an embarrassing situation. Yep, those are memories of 'coming of age' in Alex.

Too bad the author (who did a great job on this website) couldn't remember the name of Turpin Pontiac. Merrick Turpin spent many a night in our house playing poker, losing money hand over fist most nights, laughing delightfully, having FUN out with 'the boys', and not caring all that much about the monetary losses compared to the recreational gains.

Mike Miller
Madison, WI USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 02:09:30 (GMT)

Thanks for the memories....sad as they are. Yes, Alexandria is the people and not the buildings nor the neighborhoods. It was a great place to grow up.

Fran Aertker Barbato
Lafayette, LA USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 01:19:37 (GMT)

Born and raised in Alex, I remember all of these places. We also stood in front of that furniture store and watched the shows on their television set, especially when they had color. We had a black and white set which was only affordable because we gave up our family outing once a week to the Rex theater.

My dad decided since we could not afford the color, we would buy one of those 3 dimensional color papers to put over our TV so we would have color! Was that a waste of money! The hair was green, the face blue! What a laugh now and what wonderful memories!

Thanks for sharing this retrospective and all of your hardwork.

Elaine LaJaunie Klibert
Marrero, LA USA - Monday, January 13, 2003 at 01:02:54 (GMT)

Wonderful memories. Alexandria was really such a great place for kids back in the '50s and '60s, though we often thought it was a really "square" dump by the time we were in high school.

I especially remember the Don, the Paramount, and the Joy theaters, Kiddyland, Reed & Bell, Nehi, cherry nectars, the Christmas decorations on the lawn of the old courthouse, the city swimming pool, Wellans, the hook and ladder fire truck at the city park fire station, Rizzo's grocery, Fuzzy's, and of course, Menard and Providence high schools.

I also remember you and your dad, Kenneth. You were a year ahead of me at Prompt Succor and Menard, and your dad sold insurance to my dad. Does anyone remember the name of the Bakery located near the old Trailways station at the end of Elliott that sold a marvelous cookie that they called "sand tarts"?

Glen Saucier
Branford, FL USA - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 20:45:04 (GMT)

The old red boarded up business on North Bolton Avenue was once a Gulf Service Station managed by my father, Lawrence Thiels in the 50's. The old house on Main street was owned by my neighbors sister Ms. Edna Haynes. Thanks for the trip back in time.

Nita Thiels Poole
Zachary, La. USA - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 15:33:05 (GMT)

I have lived in Alexandria now for 42 years, born and raised a half block from Our Lady of Prompt Succor, a half block from the old Menard Memorial High School, which is now an empty city-owned lot.

I remember sitting outside my grandmother's house behind the school and selling lemonade to the football players after practice. I also remember the old A&P on Bolton. Many times I rode my bicycle there to get cokes or candy.

Albert Parr
Alexandria, LA USA - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 14:04:09 (GMT)

I lived next door to the Rapides Bank on Bolton Avenue (behind the bank) at 3 y.o, on Fisk Street before that. I remember the Pack O' Fun Club at the Don, the CYO, Lazarone's, those old clubs just outside the city limits that stayed open after midnight, the Tiki, and I remember seeking who I was, finding meanings at every step.

Your photos are great reminders of the markers of our lives, of our dreams forming from little toy cars at Kress's to the first Grand Prix for sale.

All along those sidewalks, I think we were looking for happiness, seeking to avoid suffering, and now when I walk along the old streets, spirits speak. The parade of seekers moves like a wind along the old brick roads, and through the empty streets...our youth's spirits roam still in the night.

Glenn Guillory
Alexandria, LA USA - Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 12:35:29 (GMT)

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