For all those born before 1945

For All Those Born Before 1945

Here’s a little mid-winter ditty for ya, this has been around for years and I’m not quite sure who the author is, but I thought you might enjoy it.  I added a few little changes to bring it home to Conshohocken, you should read it slowly, thinking about what your parents or grandparents were born into.  This goes out to anyone born before 1945, and still living today, man, you guys are survivors.

We Are Survivors!!!!!

Consider The Changes We Have Witnessed:

We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees and the PILL.

We were born before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ball point pens; before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip dry clothes, and before man walked on the moon.

We got married first and then lived together.  How quaint can you be???????????

In our time, closets were for clothes, not for “coming out of.”  Bunnies were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens, and Bunnies were not strippers.  Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne, and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along well with our cousins.

We thought fast food was what you ate during lent; and Outer Space was the back of the Riant Theatre.

We were born before house-husbands, gay rights, computers, computer dating, dual careers and computer marriages.  We were born before tweeting, twitting, E-Mail, and internet.  We were born before daycare centers, group therapy, and nursing homes.  We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, 8-Track Tapes, electric typewriter, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings.  For us, time sharing meant togetherness—not computers or condominiums; a “Chip” meant a piece of wood; hardware meant hardware and software wasn’t even a word.

In 1940 “Made in Japan” meant junk and the term “Making Out” referred to how you did on your exam.  “MacDonald’s” and instant coffee were unheard of.   

We hit the scene when there were 5 and 10 cent stores, where you bought things for five and ten cents.  Woolworths sold ice cones for a nickel or a dime.  For one nickel you could ride a street car, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards, with a nickel you could buy a newspaper and get change.  You could buy a new Chevy coupe for $600.00 but who could afford one; a pity too, because gas was a nickel a gallon.

In 1945 you could have gone to Charlie Hicks Music Store located next to the Riant Theatre and purchase all the latest records including “Rum and Coca-Cola” by The Andrews Sisters, “Till the End of Time” by Perry Como, “Chickery Chick” by Sammy Kaye, and “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby.

In 1945 you could have gone to the Riant Theatre and viewed the Academy Award winning movie “The Lost Weekend” when it just came out.  Perhaps you remember seeing other top movies of the day including “Spellbound,” “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” “Meet Me IN St. Louis,” and “The Bells of St. Mary.”

If you were born in 1944 so was Danny DeVito, George Lucas, and Michael Douglass.  If you were born in 1945 you were in good company because so was Goldie Hawn, (still looking good at 68) Robert DeNiro, (still kicking ass at 68) and Bette Midler, (still sassy at 68).  If birthdays mean something to you we should also mention that Tom Selleck, Mia Farrow, Eric Clapton, Anne Murray, and Henry Winkler, (The Fonz) were all born in 1945.   

If you were born in 1945 or before we should tell you that cigarette smoking was fashionable, GRASS was mowed, COKE was a cold drink, and POT was something you cooked in.  Rock Music was a Grandma’s lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the Principal’s Office.  

 If you were lucky enough or rich enough to own a radio you were listening to “Break The Bank,” “Meet The Press,” and “Green Hornet.”

 In Conshohocken you went shopping at Wilkinson’s Meats, located at 72 Fayette Street, Socket’s Shoe Store located at 74 Fayette Street, Gold Seal Market at 66 Fayette Street, Redmond’s Shoe Store at 71 Fayette Street, F. M. Phillips at Hector and Harry Streets, J. A. Warrell’s Store located at 23 Fayette Street, George Rafferty’s Drug Store at 49 Fayette Street and W. T. Grants Department Store once located at 110 Fayette Street.  Haircuts could be had throughout the borough like The Barber Shop of Frank Butera once located at 816 Maple Street, (later at 7^th and Maple St.) but the MOHAWK or the MULLET weren’t quite in style yet and you could shop at Rea’s Fashion Shop once located at 64 Fayette Street, but if you asked for Bell Bottom pants, Rea might have thought you wanted bells sewn onto the bottom of your pants.

We were certainly not born before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change; we made do with what we had.  And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think you needed a husband to have a baby.

No wonder we are confused and there is such a generation gap today. 

But we survived.

What better reason to celebrate!!!!

If you were born in 1945 or before you are currently 68 years of age or older.

If you were born in 1945, life expectancy was 62 years, you’re already beyond the curve.

It’s a wonderful thing, to live long enough to be a pain in the ass to your kids.

Here’s to all the 1945 and before gang, God Bless You!  

And to be clear, you couldn’t shop at Coll’s Custom Framing back in 1945, but you can shop at Coll’s Custom Framing today, located at 324 Fayette Street.  If you were born in 1945, you could visit Dr. Hargraves at 324 Fayette Street back then.  If you visited 324 Fayette Street from 1958-2001 you were likely there to get your hair styled from Charles Guarino.  We here at Coll’s Custom Framing have been satisfying customers since 1997.

Check out these fine Publications

Conshohocken Then and Now

Remembering Conshohocken & West Conshohocken

Conshohocken & west Conshohocken Sports

Tales Of Conshohocken & Beyond

And many others