80 Things Worth Remembering
(some … not so much)
Published by Oxford Park Publishing, In memory of Head Librarian, Heather ‘Mercedes’ Mancari. All rights reserved even though all content is unreserved. Content is the sole responsibility of the main character featured in the content and no names have been changed to protect the innocent because nobody is innocent. To be filed in the Library of Congress, London Branch, at the heritage site of Collison’s Dump, Oxford Street West. All laughs & bad jokes are copyrighted and trade marked to Hewitson Hughes, which means there are no rights – and very few laughs.
The ‘good old days’ we’re always good … now they’re just old. But never too old to take the time to reflect and remember – with gratitude!
A slice of your life in a few indelible memories
Y
ou and I have collected a lot of “stuff” over many years but none more valuable than the indelible memories. The Milt Schmidt jersey may be gone; the road hockey goal posts run over; the 45 rpm records lost (didn’t pay for them anyway); the moon discs stolen; the Leaf’s Stanley Cup hopes exhausted; Judy Saunders now old and overweight; chips & gravy and cherry cokes no longer available; Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Orville McDowell dead … but our memories will endure.
1 Foster Avenue Héros Rex the Wonder Dog and Milt Schmidt (the wonder was more Rex than Milt)
2 90 Foster Avenue Home … that doubled as a road hockey locker room, gang headquarters and a hideout from trouble. And spying on Judy Saunders and Judy Holman. (*boyhood home of Johnny Bucyk)
3 154 Foster Avenue Back up gang headquarters. (*boyhood home of Jean Beliveau)
4 Midget We had a real midget and Lil the wicked witch living on our street.
5
Sans moon discs 58 Pontiacs “owned” Dundas Street on Saturday nights. Okay, okay … it was the Riddler brother’s white, dropped Parisienne with lake pipes and double-spots. But a couple of people noticed the robin-egg blue Pathfinder with moon discs. (Your dad must have gotten a real discount on that colour)
6 Back up Saturday night getaway car. Looked better with the hub caps off. But Nonnie didn’t care (But hub caps were the only thing coming off ).
7 Died and gone to heaven Thank you Mr. President of Arliss Shoes!
8 We always stopped by Telfer’s gas station to check out Leslie’s dual-carburetors.
9 Girls in the ‘hood’ Donna Wells Judy Saunders Sylvia Foreman Claudette Charbonneau Judy Hudson Donna Raebeck Betty Carter Marianne Gorange And a few not so innocent, not to be named to protect the innocent
10 We were big game hunters Beware, rats, street lights, Pete Samways and Ralph Avery’s unbreakable glasses (this thing will go through cheap jackets worn by dumb-ass kids).
11 Collison’s Dump A rich jungle for wilds kids looking for something to kill – anything. (“Bundles” Hull’s cannon got this one).
12 Collison’s Hockey Colosseum Home of the Green Rock Valley Cup and seven sudden-death, overtime championship games – every week from 1954 to 1959 (Bucyk & Beliveau were perennial MVPs – and Gordie Howe).
13 Oxford Park Our very own Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Social convenors: Sylvia Foreman and Claudette Charbonneau provided 45 rpm record player and an extension cord to plug in (and it was the only thing gettin’ plugged in).
14 Elvis was pissed we didn’t buy his records We had the blue suede shoes and white bucks (Arliss specials) but never paid for Elvis’s records … thanks to Heintzman’s “student lift program.”
15 Saturday was special. It all started at the YMCA and putting up with “Frenchie,” “Dutch” and the fuckin’ cold water. But we did learn how to hate swimming.
16 Saturday drug spot The very best .25 cent milkshakes in town at Cairncross Drugs (drug apprenticeship in full swing). Then we’d catch the Superman serial at the Patrica Theatre, then off to Arliss Shoes, Simpson’s & pick up the latest fashion items at Grafton’s
17 Arliss Shoes A quick drop in to suck up to the owner of the red Buick convertible and confirm its availability for Saturday night.
18 Arliss Shoes Thank god for an “Insider” at Arliss Shoes so we didn’t have to steal the shoes. The price, $10.95, plus family discount, filled our closet with dancing shoes. West London’s coolest guys!
19 Simpson’s A quick “Hi” to the “hottest” sales lady Simpson’s ever had … then a high-speed Indiana Jones adventure of ditching Midget on the escalators. Then a pick up at Heintzman’s before heading to The Lounge.
20 Dangerous job Don’t ever forget who got you your first legit job – in a basement. Actually, it was a London Life insider, Aunt Barb. But ya’ still owe me.
21 Mancari Mafia There were talks with the Toronto “Mancari family bosses” about expanding into London but the Foster Ave gang decide to control things on there own
22 “Little Pigs Pentry” A Mafia hangout. Long before MacDonalds, this was our hang out. The chocolate marshmallow sundae was to die for, especially late at night (“Hold the nuts”)
23 Home of the 1/4 mile track where your run to fame began. With Dunc Hoople yelling, “You can run Mancari but ya’ can’t play football.” (I can’t believe they replaced this historic track).
24 Medway Alumni Dunc Hoople Sharon Legg Bobby Bloxam Sharon Legg Miss McIntrye Sharon Legg Jerry Legg Sharon Legg Mr. Clark Sharon Legg Garth Hudson Sharon Legg Katie Gallagher Ellen MacDonald Sharon Legg The rest didn’t matter
25 You’re kidding … we actually thought these girls were “hot?” The socks were hot – and cool!
26 “Jack … Stop the bus, we’re gettin’ off!” Gotta pick up a few things from Heintzman’s and Grafton’s for the Saturday night dance.
27 “Fuck we had fun.” “Great memories and none of them to do with academics … well, maybe math teacher Pat Arthur. Far more memorable: Judy Myers, Cathy Burns, ‘Blackie,’ Ann and Carolyn Askew and Tenant’s and Marshall’s hot cars with a ‘283 & 4-on-the-floor.’
28 Great foundation We got a solid grounding in important career options, majoring in track, football, basketball and women. (Even today, if it wasn’t for the knees, we could still make the starting-five).
29 The most famous Oak of all time (or … maybe it was Judy Myers) Running all the way into the Canadian track record books.
30 “Chick Hangout Club” “Jack … Stop the bus. Again!” Gotta go to The Lounge for chips & gravy and a cherry coke. The chicks will be there. If they’re not, we’re gonna waste the day at the Strand.
31 Dance Club The best dance club on Saturday night was “The Three Cs” and we were trend setters. Which is probably why they boarded up Wonderland – after I picked up Clare Davidson there, with NO help from you (Deke saved my ass).
32 “Cheap Beer Club” As trend setters, we kick-started the Ceep’s long success story with the consumption of a lot of .25 cent draft beer.
33 The Bend What goes on in The Bend, stays in The Bend. And what we remember we should keep to ourselves.
34 Imperial Hotel We shall remember Labour Day weekend 1959 like it was yesterday! Dropped into the Imperial on Saturday night to grab a beer and say, “Hi” to Gerry McGinnis.
35 Ronnie Hawkins Once again, we were trend setters, making “The Hawk,” Garth Hudson and The Band famous before they were famous.
36 Medway Alum at The Bend We flunked music class (I think Mr. Clark threw you out because you couldn’t even whistle). At least we can brag about being in the same class as Garth – or not. I wonder if he ever bragged about knowing the fastest kid at Medway?
37 The Mustang years It was time to get serious … sort of.
38 J. W. Little had no idea The stadium was named J. W. Little back then (whoever the hell he was). But after you burned up the track (47.3 sec), I voted to rename it R. K. Mancari Stadium. I even offered to make a donation (old 45 records) but they ignored my recommendation.
39 Ya’ just kept running and the records just kept coming
40 Recognition Okay, okay … now that your name is permanently on a Hall of Fame wall, I’ll admit you were faster than me. But the name “Hands Hughes” (aka “Brittle Bones”) is still carved on the wall in the men’s room at Oxford Park.
41 Ya’ can clean him up but he’s still the wild and crazy kid from Foster Ave.
42 Go west young man Headed west and a stop at Bowling Green turned into a Master’s degree. But there had to be other [‘pretty’ good] reasons for staying? Maybe it was the career defining job at the bowling alley that got you into Bowling Green.
43 “Huey will wet his pants” Huey once said, “I’d kill my grandmother for a Corvette,” so Kelly drove to DePauw to show off his ride (he forgot my grandmother had already died). BTW, his beauty broke down on the side of the road before he even got to DePauw.
44 Blown career After gettin’ you the bowling alley job (not gonna let you forget it), I opened the door at CFPL-TV for you to start your career as a sports announcer … “Move over Paul Soles and Ward Cornell.” Alas, you were the wrong “Kelly,” it was the guy who actually owned the Buick convertible.
45 Fanshawe In the beginning … it was just the name of a lake where we went swimming. Then you turned it into a legendary career.
46 Making Collison Dump hockey alumni proud Ya’ should’ve taken the head coaching job with the Leafs, they couldn’t have done any worse since 1967.
47 Orville said, “That Mancari kid might be a bad influence … a bad example." “I am extremely disappointed, I might even say angered,” Fanshawe College head Dr. Howard Rundle told reporters Monday. “We will not have those people as students of this college.” Footnote: An undisclosed source said some alumni may have been “a bad influence.”
48 Speaking of bad influences Old buds, old roommates, old age are always a bad influence.
49 Speaking of old buds and roommates
50 Billy says, “Feed me.” Billy Jean says,“Pet me … or fuck off”
51 “40th surprise party” … Surprise, it was 40 years ago! Somethings never change – hanging out at bars, smoking a pipe (that’ll take a few seconds off the 1/4 mile), yakking about ‘the good ol’days. “Nice sweater.”
52 The under-age bartender is now 51.
53 Age is a funny thing, you rust out but the memories never do … well, a little The Westphalia was not designed for all the mileage, fun, neglect and who-knows-what you put it through. Neither was your body!
54 May the music never stop Like a fine scotch, some old stuff gets better with age (us) and some is worth holding onto – just in case there are sightings of Elvis, Buddy Holly, Sharon Legg, Carol Jarvis or Donna Wells … aah her, not so much.
55 Eat your heart out Riddlers Dundas Street has never seen the likes of the Mancari auto entourage (circa 2000)
56 Mancari Garage
57 A happy man with his fair maiden, his castle and his chariots
58 Near ‘picture perfect’ – except for the missing willow trees Think about how the garden might have flourished if in high school you had learned husbandry (pun intended).
59 New London by-law (effective 2021): All ladders prohibited on this property. Use at your own risk & stupidity.
60 You were always faster than me Of course faster in the 1/4 mile. But also faster getting to Donna Well’s house; faster getting outta Heintzman’s; faster at gettin’ drunk; faster at getting in trouble; faster at getting out of trouble; faster at climbing ladders – and falling off; and … faster at gettin’ to 80* (*with more spare parts than me).
61 That’s it! There comes a time to stop counting the years and it usually happens when you can’t remember what year it is (until family members throw a party to remind you how old you are). Forget 80. It’s no big deal. Just go back and remember the good old days, again … and again and again. So as to not remind you of being 80, I’m stopping the count here. Besides, I ain’t got the memory or energy or knees to get this little ditty to 80. For the rest of the story, you’re gonna have to add in a few of your own memories – if you can remember them.
62 WTF … that’s it? See … I just told ya’ “that’s it” and you’ve already forgotten. Like I said (which you probably forgot), at our age we should stop counting.
80 Here’s to everything!
Kelly, we celebrate you!