Register Volume 3

Memories!
Bill Heinberg
Wilmington, NC USA - Friday, January 17, 2003 at 22:20:41 (GMT)

Thanks Ken. Your photographs of the buildings on 3rd Street, particularly of Wellan's, bring back wonderful memories: being thrilled when Wellan's established the Generation III floor, just for teenagers, and being able to take clothes home, on approval; the escalator and the vacuum tubes at Weiss's; every Fall, when in high school at Bolton, going to People's to buy new Weejuns; Homecoming parades; movie dates at the Paramount; glancing furtively at the poster for "Darling" out front of the tiny foreign movie theater (memory fails as to what it was called); dances at Convention Hall, sponsored by K"Dixie"BS; shopping, with my mother, for wedding presents at Schnack's and at Koblen's; as a little girl, having to wear white gloves to lunch at the Bentley.

Apart from 3rd Street, I used to love to go to Gorden's Travel Agency to visit the minah bird and to Allen's Bicycle Shop to see their latest offerings. Going to the Saturday Matinee, at the Don, was fun, too, especially if a trip to the Jack and Jill Shop, around the corner, on Jackson Street, was in the offing, afterwards. Going to the Cream-ee for soft ice cream.

I still worship at St. James Episcopal Church, on Bolton Avenue, and live in what we now call the Garden District, mere blocks from where I grew up. Bridges' Drug Store, at the corner of Polk and Bolton, is now Fowlco Printing, although Annell Bridges Lewis still lives in the family's Polk Street home, right behind. The Bottle House, in her back yard, remains a marvel (some of my wedding champagne bottles, along with my sister's and my mother's, are part of the walls) and I'm still intrigued by the elevator in the main house. A few things haven't yet faded away and I am grateful.

Elizabeth Weber Levy
Alexandria, LA USA - Friday, January 17, 2003 at 17:47:08 (GMT)

I was born in Alex in 1966, at England Airbase hospital. At various points throughout my childhood, I grew up in Alex: I came back for 7th grade and stayed through highschool (2yrs at Menard and 2yrs-graduating from Bolton in 1984). My mom, Judge Swent, my Grandmother, Marion Donaldson, my Sister and her husband, and numerous more distant family and friends still live in Alex. My grandfather, Col. Donaldson bought Tyrone Plantaion on Bayou Rapides, half a century ago, and my family still owns it today.

We were just in town for Christmas with my 4yr old and 7 month old. Mat Matherne was my grandmother's sister's husband who owned the Esso, my mom worked in the Guaranty Bank building downtown at the Provosty firm when I was in high school.

I have been in the buildings. I know the nostalgia. Thanks for putting this together. I want a CD so I can show my kids some day--this is where daddy grew up. Thanks again.

William Swent
Greenville, SC USA - Friday, January 17, 2003 at 15:33:41 (GMT)

It was nice to take a trip down memory lane with you. Growing up in Alexandria, a place I considered where time stood still, where everyone knew everyones family name and were some how connected one way or another.

Memories of walking to school with our neighborhood friends, treating ourselves to a frosty root beer at Reed and Bell's on a Sunday Afternnon. It is heartbreaking to return to see how things have changed and how those around there have forgotten how safe it was to walk the streets with out fear of being mugged or murdered. How leaving your doors unlocked and stopping to help those in need are a thing of the past...
Kathryn White
Dallas, TX USA - Friday, January 17, 2003 at 15:25:57 (GMT)

This trip back brought tears to my eyes. Even my mom was mentioned in one of the slides. I'm forwarding this to the people who I know grew up in Alexandria and moved away. Thanks for some great memories.

Ernie Knobloch
Terrytown, La USA - Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 23:07:08 (GMT)

Being in only my early forties, I have cherished memories of many of the same sites pictured here. It's amazing how my memories and my fathers memories are so closely related to those of Ken and apparently many others. It certainly puts a new light on my feelings towards Alexandria and the closeness of the community. Buying my first bag of marbles from Kress, taking my first bus ride with my great Aunt Olivia, and watching the Christmas parade from my fathers office near the top of the Guaranty bank building.

Thanks Ken for taking the time and energy to put together such a nice presentation.

Emile P. Oestriecher, IV
Denver, CO USA - Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 21:14:52 (GMT)

Kenneth, what a wonderful trip back in time. My mom used to say that time got faster as you grow older. Somehow it's hard to argue that now. It was great fun looking at the photos and reading the captions. You did a super job and also did a great service to the community.

Traveling back to Alex from time to time to see family, I have looked through many of the windows of change. But, it's always fun to see the things that don't, like brick streets and old alleys where I use to ride my bike..... Let's have coffee sometime.

Gene Baker (Menard '69)
Steamboat Springs, CO USA - Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 21:01:31 (GMT)

No picture of the Rapides Parish Library where I worked for 6 years, or the schools I taught in, both parochial and public. All four kids went to Cabrini and Menard and then to different La. colleges. The have nice memories of their school days. And they called Alex home. Two Yankee parents of 4 Southern children...oh well. Never could find a decent restaurant once Plantation Manor closed. Nothing but fast food on MacArthur drive. Our son still lives in Alex, the other children were glad to leave for the excitement of big city life. Me too.The North is where I come from and the weather suits me, no huge cockroaches, no bile gree bayous,no mosey trees, and decent roads and highways (which I hear finally got to the center of the state. Not only that, but my English is understood up here, unlike in Alex which spoke a different language. We were there only because my husband was stationed at England Air Force Base as a pilot, and pilot instructor. He retired there from the military in 1974 .We stayed because the kids were in school .That is until we ran away from home after our last child went to L.S.U. and moved to Europe for 5 glorious years. We still have friends in Alex who just moved to Baton Rouge and who sent this nice rememberance to us. They too were misplaced northeners , but liked Louisiana and stayed. Things really changed since 1968....we visited our son last in 1998 in Alex...and it has changed again. My allergies were just as bad though.And still no decent restaurants! I remember a year when it flooded and I walked from Lee street on Texas Ave up to my thighs in water swirling around me.In all those years i finally figured out how to drive with water above the hubcaps. Got practice in New Orleans too doing that.

Toni Priest
Pittsburgh, PA USA - Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 18:08:58 (GMT)

Thanks for the memories. Your web site is a wonderful idea and jumpstarted a lot of thoughts. The old Murrell's Clinic on Murray Street at Bolton Avenue (building still stands and houses a radio station and other businesses) was where I was born. I lived in Alex, graduated from Bolton High in '68, married, moved away in '69, moved back several times over the years for short periods, and moved back again nearly 12 years ago.

Family activities in the 50's included viewing the animated Christmas displays in Wellan's windows each year, trying out the newfangled fast-food joint called Burger Chef on MacArthur Drive, driving around to gasp at the new autos each year through the showroom windows at the dealerships, & going to the old drive-in theater ('Twin Theater'?) on South MacArthur. Joe Ellis with the Weather Bureau gave us the weather forecasts by telephone on KALB evening news (he later became my father-in-law).

Other memories include eating at Herbie K's on Lee Street, and their sign that read "World's Best Food, World's Worst Service", collecting bottle caps to see free Saturday morning movies at the Paramount and Don Theaters, ordering curly-q's at Lazarone's Drive Inn, shopping at our first discount store, (Gibson's on MacArthur Drive), and going to work with my Dad at the Standard Printing Company downtown (where the Holiday Inn in now standing).

Most memories of buildings seem larger than life, but the massive and staturesque building that is Bolton High School looks the exact same to me today as it did over thirty years ago.
Rita Litton Ellis
Alexandria, La. USA - Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 17:22:43 (GMT)

Wanda Chicola Ozier
Pineville, LA USA - Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 15:06:02 (GMT)

Thanks for the Great Pictures down memory lane. My family is from Alexandria - My father owned the Burger Chef back in the 60's (before there was ever a MacDonalds). Some of you might remember my brother - Bobby Ball - he went to Menard, graduated in 1964. He dated Cathy Chandler and ran around with Leon Medica all thru H.S. Unfortunately he was accidently killed at the age of 52. He was a great guy and I really miss him. My sister Linda Ball, was a cheerleader at Bolton in the late 60's, she married Joe Brocato and they still make their home there.

Some of my memories of Alex - that I see no one else has mentioned was of Caster Plunge and the City Park and the rides and Zoo. I also remember at the ripe old age of 7 - serving hamurgers and sweeping the parking lot of the Burger Chef while all the H.S. kids were cruising around the parking lot - I think a few of you might have tried to run over me - but I thought I was really something big and was really trying to impress you guys. I now live in Tomball Tx, a suburb of Houston, but would give anything to move back to Alex or Natchitoches (I played baseball at NSU from 1976 to 1980).

Thanks again for the site and would love to know if anyone out there might have a picture of the old Burger Chef. God Bless.

Randy Ball
Tomball, TX USA - Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 15:32:52 (GMT)

Editor's Note: Click here for more contributions from Randy Ball on this site.

Gosh, this brought back so many memories. I was raised in Alexandria and still live here. Things have changed so much, but it's good to look back and see where we've come from.

I have forwarded this web site to our relatives in Belgium. Thanks for all the hard work!!

Janel Thiels Gaines
Alexandria, La USA - Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 19:20:50 (GMT)

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