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Me in front of our
home at 6927 Mohawk Street. John Muir
Elementary School can be seen in the
background at the corner of 69th and Mohawk.
One Saturday a month a large truck would park
in front of the school. At the appointed time
the driver would drop down the back of the
truck and then collect a dime from each of us
as we nicely marched single file inside. After
we were seated in the little chairs that he
had set up inside, he would show us old movie
reels of black and white cartoons. When the
show was over he again dropped down the back
end of the truck and, as we filed out, he
presented us each with a piece of bubble gum.
We were all very well behaved, as we didn't
want to miss the film. One push, one shove,
one loud word, and you were out of there!
Those Saturdays were great -- listen to "Let's
Pretend" on the radio at 9 am and then walk to
the school to watch a cartoon inside a truck!
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Looking west from
our home towards John Muir Elementary. Note
that Mohawk was a dirt road at the time.
During the summer a water truck occasionally
watered the road to keep the dust down. Some
of the neighborhood kids used the truck as a
moving sprinkler. Parents said it was
dangerous and forbid it, but some boys didn't
listen! During the ‘40s some of our San Diego
friends thought that 70th street was the end
of civilization. Actually, at that time, 70th
street was the dividing line between San Diego
and La Mesa. There was no stop light at 70th
and El Cajon and the previous owners of our
house kept horses in the stables on our "back
forty".
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| My 5th birthday
party: Left to right -- Paul Montgomery and
unknown friend, Charlotte Stout, unknown,
Jeannine Berger, Kathy Brown, unknown.
Charlotte Stout later became a President of
the San Diego Teacher's Union. We remained
dear friends until she passed away from breast
cancer in 2001. |
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John Muir Girl Scout
Troop about 1950 -- Donna McPherson. Leader.
Top row, left to right, Eleanor, Bonnie, Janet
Reed, Joann, Roberta Wilkerson, Vicki Heramb,
unknown, Jeannine Berger, unknown, unknown.
Bottom row, left to right: Judy Bailey. Linda
Smithson, Andrea Russell. Rowene Ashley, Alice
Fox. Donna McPherson's parents owned a
restaurant called "McPhersons' Farm”. It was
located at the El Cajon Blvd. and Montezuma
road "Y". It was a two-story farmhouse with a
screened in porch, on top of a hill. They
served the best chicken and dumplings
imaginable. Donna taught us the trick to
making great spaghetti too. The farm is gone
now and the hill was bulldozed into the gully
where the horses used to graze. It is now a
flat shopping center and a bunch of
apartments.
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| My 7th birthday
party: Left to right -- Diane Paine, Judy
Bailey, Rowene Ashley, Barbara Ann Thrailkill,
Jeannine Berger, Kathy Brown, H.B. Amey, Paul
Montgomery and Charlotte Stout |
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Looking east on
Mohawk toward 70th street. Me, the family cat,
and our new car!
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Joy
Dance Studio marching in the 1948 North Park
Toyland Parade. (Remember double exposures?
-- JF)
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I think this is the
Hoover High ROTC marching in the 1954 North
Park Toyland Parade. My brother, Bob Berger,
was a member. |
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Horace Mann 9th
grade graduation, 1957. Left to right: Karen
Poulson, Rosemary Erickson, Betty Martinico,
Jeannine Berger, Patty Harrison. |
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| (Left) Jeannine and
Karen Poulson on the way to Central Ballroom's
Monday night dance. Karen and I have been
friends since 7th grade and still visit on the
phone weekly. (Right) Crawford Pom Pom
Lieutenant Jeanine in 1960. |
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My
Father was in charge of the opening of the new
Enchanted Land at Belmont Park. My friends and
I were part of an Old West play that was
performed on opening night. I shot Charlotte
with a cap pistol hidden in my garter. It
scared a little boy so bad he cried. We all
felt bad and Charlotte got up and gave him a
hug! We were all chagrined when we saw the
newspaper photo. Charlotte didn't know she had
lifted her leg quite so high!
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