1964 CRADOCK HOMECOMING PARADE
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- I hope you will enjoy this clip from an 8 MM home movie filmed by my dad in 1964. It shows the Cradock Admirals Homecoming Parade on Afton Parkway in the Cradock neighborhood of Portsmouth, VA. The second part of the clip features the homecoming queen, whose family lived next to us on George Washington Highway. I was a youngster at the time and don't recall many more details, but I think we walked over to the school and watched the football game as well. I chose "Do-Wah-Diddy" by Manfred Mann to play along with the film as it was a hit around this time, so turn the volume up and enjoy the music too!
Hi John! Thank you for posting that video. My name is Micky Hirst Gastmeyer and I think we lived right next door to you. I also think I babysat for you. Did you have a sister? Was your dad in the navy? If the answers to these questions are yes, then we did share a front porch. Is your mom's name Cathy or did I remember that wrong? The video is a special gift to all of us from Cradock. I see so many familiar faces and love seeing Afton Circle in the background. It really brings back wonderful memories. To see the video of my mom, dad and grandparents standing there made me cry. Is your mom in the video, standing with my parents? I would love to hear from you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Micky
Yes to all, Micky! Mom and dad were Cathy and Jack Smith. They called me Mike back then and I had two younger sisters. We lived at 4023 GWH. Dad was a junior officer in the Navy at the time. It's hard to see because of the backlighting, but I think at the end when the camera swings to the right, my mom is the one on the far right. The older of my two sisters runs towards the camera at about the same time. I am 'somehow' I'm not in the movie. Both mom and dad are gone now and I have been sorting and scanning our family photos to share with my siblings, but have done little with our many reels of home movies. When I realized I had the parade film and it was 50 years ago, I scrambled to get it published for the Cradock weekend. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope your Cradock classmates and friends did as well! You are most welcome and it's great to hear from you!
John Smith
Hi again John. I would like to have sent this message privately but can't figure out how to do that. Anyway, this isn't extremely personal but something I would like to share with you. As I said before, I babysat for you and your sister. I don't remember a second sister, unless she was an infant at the time. We lived at 4021 GWH, right next door. Your mom had me sit with you all when she went bowling, I believe it was on Wednesday nights. Your Dad was at sea. She was the sweetest woman and was a great neighbor. I was so impressed with how you and your sister knelt and said your prayers. After you said them, you'd each ask the other, "What did I do good today? What did I do bad today?" Then you'd each tell the other. Most times you had to think hard about what the other did wrong. It was a pleasure to stay with you both. Your mom made a cute two piece swimsuit for me, which was adorable. And I remember some advice she gave me. We were talking about who I was dating. She told me that whenever I got serious enough to marry to make sure that we agreed on religion. She felt that was at the core of a strong marriage. It was good advice. Thank you again for the gift you gave me in this video and the fact that I could be in touch with you. Take care. Micky
John Smith John, somehow my previous message was sent through my daughters account. I'm not sure why. I just wanted to clear up any confusion. thanks.
***** Micky, you have a great memory. By the fall of '64, there were three of us: myself and two sisters, with the youngest born in '63. We later added a brother to the mix after being transferred out of the area and then back again. Mom bowled at the lanes across from MidCity shopping center, and she was pretty good. Dad was too, when he was not sailing the seas. I remember saying my prayers every night, but not a daily self-assessment! Mom was probably laying the groundwork for later when she could just give us "the look" and you knew you were in trouble! As a kid, it seemed like she was always making or fixing clothes: patterns all over the place, trips to the fabric store, and the sewing machine always ready to go. The advice she gave you came from her own experience. She was a devout Catholic all her life even though she was initially shunned for marrying outside the church (back in those days, the church did not recognize a civil marriage so they considered her to be living in sin). It was a very difficult time for her and her family. She was a great mom and a good person; I'm glad that you remember her and that she helped you along the way the same as she did for us! Thanks for commenting, it was good to hear from you!
Thanks ! We used to live around the corner from the Presbyterian Church -25 Prospect Parkway from about 69-79. The cadets are confirmed Frederick Military Academy - I saw Drum and Bugle Corps and Color Guard- I (and my brothers) went to FMA. Sadly both are now gone. I posted this to the FMA group- we may have some cadets from that period on Facebook. What a great thing to share!