MacDowell School 1960s Memories

We're On Facebook Now

2010-03-18T03:49:00.000-07:00

This group has moved to MacDowell 1960s Memories on Facebook.com. Not too much activity lately- but maybe you can join and change that.

The Portables

2008-06-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

I love that name- "The Portables". It sounds rather like a part of the English Lake District, or perhaps someone's elegant country house. "Yes, we're summering with Reg and Trish at The Portables..."

What they were of course was temporary structures that were made permanent by inaction. I imagine they were trucked in and dropped there pending some expansion of the school building to handle the boomers, but they must have stayed there for deaces. They never did expand MacDowell, but instead built Beaubian Junior High a few blocks away on the site of the old Nike Missile base.

(Speaking of which: Do any of you recall playing there? Bob Gordon and I used to sneak in, as his street came to a dead end against the old missile base property, and if I recall, his house was the last on the block.)

I remember we had kindergarten in the main school building, and then were exiled off to the Portables for first through third (?) grade. Returning to the main building kind of meant you'd arrived, status-wise. What I don't remember was tromping back and forth between the Portables and other classrooms, the gym, and the auditorium. Did we do that?

Air Raid Drills and Fire Drills

2008-05-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

What was the alarm code? Four buzzes (or bells?) for fire, and ten for Air Raid? I think that was it. We'd line up, two by two, and march silently into the basement, where we'd sit alongside ancient barrels of potable water and crackers, each with a large civil defense logo- the initials "CD" inscribed in a triangle, inscribed in a circle- on the side.

When I was very young, I was unclear on exactly what an Air Raid was- I had the idea that something was going to fall from the sky, possibly sent by evildoers, but maybe it was a natural phenomenon. (Years later I read a SciFi short story that involved a terrible doomsday weapon that filled the sky with billions of tiny burning particles, and I thought, that's it! That's what I was imagining.)

We'd sit there for a while, and then return to our classes the same way we'd arrived, two by two, in silence.

Fire drills were infinitely preferable to Air Raid Drills, as we got to go outside for the fire drills. This was more work for the teachers, as they had to keep us in line when we were outside on a beautiful spring or fall day. (I don't think we had fire drills in the Winter.) We still lined up two by two, though.

The Gym

2008-05-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

I suppose the MacDowell school gym was pretty much like any other gymnasium, although I was always amazed at how it magically transformed into a lunchroom when I was very young. Wait, is this the same room? Where'd they get those tables? And that cafeteria? I almost always walked home for lunch, so it remained a mystery room for me.

My strongest memories are tumbling on the mats, trying to climb that damnable rope (I never learned the technique until I was in high school), and learning to square dance to what must have been the only square dance record the school owned, "Climbin' Up Them Golden Stairs", while Mr. Shane called the dance. (I asked a friend, a professional dance caller, about the tune, and he affirms that it's a real oldie.)

We also did a sort of obstacle course run, with hurdles, or at least a single hurdle, set before a gym mat. I think there was an equipment locker that held the hurdles, gym mats, and other gear that we had to drag in and out from time to time.

Thanks, Michael! My memories

2008-05-12T18:41:00.001-07:00

Michael,

Thanks for setting up this blog. Hopefully, other MacDowell-ites will find it and post their memories.

Here's my free association of my years at MacDowell:

Mrs. Hoskins- science- and her turtle. The old wood framed windows in there. Going outside to learn how to identify trees by their leaves, then pressing the leaves into books.
Mr. Birchie- everyone loved him. I can still picture what he looks like.
Mrs. Carter- my favorite teacher of all. African-American woman. Sensitive; big heart. Put up with my neurotic ways, ie severe school phobia.
Mrs. Simon- gym teacher. Couldn't climb the rope for the life of me, but got to clean her erasers every day.
Mrs. Nern (?)- librarian, I think.
Mrs. Beeman. Yep, she had glasses, black hair. I think she wore it tightly pulled back. Sadly, my memory is of her paddling the "bad" kids. I remember standing up from my chair and to my horror, my wrap-around red plaid skirt came undone.
Mrs. Kitchen- choir. Great teacher. No nonesense and knew how to get a great sound from us.
Mr. Shook and his bright red cheeks and butch cut.

Ta-da--

Old Lady Knight! A true icon; frail, probably psychotic. Always falling down the big wide staircase and breaking her hip. Kids wore perfume to watch her have an allergic reaction. Talked to pencils. Talked to herself, actually.

Snowball fights. Staff finally put up targets in the schoolyard to stop the violence.
Portables!
Double sections. Who the heck could concentrate on their work when the other side of the class was being taught their lessons?
School bags- worn across our shoulders, with a black leather strap/buckle.

.....and so much more.

11/22/63

2008-05-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

My strongest memory of McDowell was being home alone at the age of 12, the day Pres. Kennedy was shot. I was home sick, school anxiety sick, watching a movie, when the voice came over the air saying that Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. I started walking toward the school, because I was afaid to be alone, when I met my neighbors walking home, because school was closed. For a long time after that, everything was a blur.

Auditorium Class

2008-05-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Whenever I tell friends who grew up in other cities that we had a class called "Auditorium", they get a puzzled look. "How can you have a class called 'Auditorium'?" they demand. "That's not a subject, like 'art' or 'geography'. It's just a room!" "Well," I counter, "we had other classes named after rooms. "We had 'Gym', and 'Library'." But that usually does not satisfy them.

"Auditorium" was a general purpose class that could mean seeing a movie, or a play, or even a short a concert performed by by visiting members of the DSO. It could also mean a filmstrip produced in the 1940s about preventing the spread of tuberculosis, or just sitting quietly and Not Talking or Bothering Your Neighbor.

Auditorium was taught- if we can use that word- by Mrs. Beeman. I don't recall what she looked like, though I have a vague memory of cat's eye glasses on a long chain of the sort usually associated with librarians.

Mr. Birchie

2008-05-12T18:06:00.001-07:00

I think the one teacher I remember most fondly was Max Birchie, the science teacher who replaced Mrs. Hoskins (and her box turtle, Virginia.) He formed an after-school science club that I joined, and I remember that one winter he brought in a number of perch he'd caught ice fishing for us to dissect.

Welcome to the Blog

2008-05-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, this blog was set up to collect memories from people who went to MacDowell Elementary School, in Detroit, in the 1960s. We're looking for memories of homeroom, kindergarten, Auditorium with Mrs. Beeman, learning to square dance in Gym with Mr. Shane- anything you'd like to contribute!

If you'd like to add to the blog, contact me at mje@spamcop.net and I'll add you to the authors list.