Mrs. Mary (Hyde) Rydzewski and the Venture students of Jordan Road School in Somers Point, NJ would like to take this opportunity to thank the following "seniors" for helping us with our interviews:
Doris (Ford) Baum, Lois (Mulford) Broomell, Jeanne Carlson, Peggy (Horton) Eckbold, Jim Foreman, Janice Fugee, Dick Hayes, George Hyatt, Ann Johnson, Ruth (Mulford) NewsomeRobert Sannino, Joan Wilson
“ I remember going to the Gateway Dance-athon. I won a duck but my father wouldn’t let me keep it. -Reported to Karina Biacan by Janice Fugee
“ I went to Kensington High School for girls. They had different schools for boys and girls. I was in the school’s Choir and Art club. -Reported to Karina Biacan by Janice Fugee
"I was working at the Ventnor Boat Works making PT boats during WWII. I remember the FBI taking away one of the workers. Turns out he was an escaped German POW! Dick Hayes to Mrs Rydzewski
“I tried not to associate with the hippies. I didn’t like their lifestyles. “-George Hyatt to Rachael Franklin
“There was no such thing as bad grades; we were expected to be responsible and good.”-Mrs. Eckbold to Rachael Franklin
“ My grandfather had a home in Hickory Point since 1909 and it is still standing.” -George Hyatt to Rachael Franklin
“ In school I used to remember in the old days we used to get slapped anywhere, and the teachers were allowed.”-George Hyatt to Stephanie Barber and Rachael Franklin“
All sports in school were mixed with boys and girls and intramural.”-Mrs. Eckbold to Rachael Franklin and Stephanie Barber.
“My house was the second house built in Somers Point, right after the Somers Mansion.”
-Mrs. Eckbold to Caroline Pimpinelli
“ There were no fights in school, everyone was good-behaved and there were no bullies.”
-George Hyatt to Stephanie Barber
“ We loved to go to the beach to hang out and play car tag at High Banks (Kennedy Park).”
-Joan Bird Wilson to Joanna Jelesnianski and Brittany Bird.
.“For senior year we used to take the head of a duck statue at the duck farm for laughs.”
- Joan Bird Wilson to Joanna Jelesnianski and Brittany Bird.“We would have air raid testing in school. We use to bang pots and pans.” Joan Bird Wilson to Joanna Jelesnianski and Brittany Bird
“Mostly stayed away from the hippies and tie-dye shirts.”
- Joan Bird Wilson to Joanna Jelesnianski and Brittany Bird.
“In school the girls had to wear knee-length skirts and plaid shirts.”
-Joan Bird Wilson to Joanna Jelesnianski and Brittany Bird
“Dawes Avenue School was made out of beach sand.”
- Joan Bird Wilson to Joanna Jelesnianski and Brittany Bird
“When my husband was in school, he got a detention and he climbed out the window, went to the candy store and came back through the window.”
– Joan Bird Wilson to Joanna Jelesnianski and Brittany Bird.
“Like you have fire drills we had bomb drills and had to hide under our desks.”
- Anna Johnson to Samantha Vicchiarelli
“I remember going down to High Banks (Kennedy Park) as a young girl and finding arrowheads one after another. It was really cool being down there and finding that many historical artifacts.” -Reported to Marc Appenzeller and Jon Beamer from Lois Mulfred
“Slacks were not allowed for girls.” “Girls could only play softball and there were no baseball leagues.” Lois Broomell to Justin Monroe
“ When you got in trouble you went to the Principal’s office”
Lois Broomell to Justin Monroe
“My Grandfather was a rumrunner. I remember a story about a secret tunnel and I found arrowheads at MacArthur Blvd.” Lois Broomell to Justin Monroe
“ The Depression? The only thing I remember was that as kids we were on food stamps and we weren’t allowed meat. We usually ate spaghetti for months—it was cheap and times were rough.”
-Margaret Oliver to Jenna Gray
My girl friend, Marion Jones, and I went swimming in Lousey Harbor before Memorial Day. The kids use to jump off the bridge to swim in the harbor. They changed the name of the habor to Bass Harbor. Reported to Mrs. R by Doris (Ford) Baum.
“ My family owned a dry cleaning plant. I remember that it got good business and we were very busy. When my dad died, my mom took over. And my brothers worked in the plant too. I used to go over once in a while and search the pockets—you would find money in those pockets! The name of the plant was Ocean City Cleaners if I’m not mistaken. We owned the plant for years. We had it before my father died when I was 7.”
-Margaret Oliver to Jenna Gray
“I worked at the Point Diner for 14 years. I was young! I only went to high school till my sophomore year and then I got nervous and dropped out. I met my husband there.”
-Margaret Oliver to Jenna Gray
“My husband Thomas Oliver He was Chief of the firehouse for many years. He was the founder of the rescue squad in Somers Point.”
-Margaret Oliver to Jenna Gray
“Girls had to wear dresses to school and boys could wear anything.”
-Ruth Newsome to Jack and Chris
“ When torpedoes came close to the shoreline or hit boats, we would hear and feel the ground shake. Also the lights would either flicker or turn off for a while. “ - Dr. Carlson to Stephanie Barber
“My brother was in World War II. He was an air force pilot and we sent letters over to him. His plane was shot down over Italy and he is buried in St. Louis. -Reported to Karina Biacan by Janice Fugee
“ Food was rationed during World War II so we had to use stamps to buy certain things; we saved up to buy food. During school we were taught how to act during an air raid if the Japanese invaded. -Reported to Karina Biacan by Janice Fugee
“I was on my honeymoon when my husband was called to do service in World War II. He was told not to leave the honeymoon because it was a special time for us.”-Reported to Marc Appenzeller and Jon Beamer from Lois Mulfred
“When torpedoes came close to the shoreline or hit boats, we would hear and feel the ground shake. Also the lights would either flicker or turn off for a while. “ - Dr. Carlson to Stephanie Barber
“Even during the war the news was less violent then now.”
- Anna Johnson to Samantha Vicchiarelli