My brother, Jim's High Notes for the Scioto Voice ... SamKat

 

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High Notes 11-20-2014 Inbox x Jim Kegley 11:57 AM (5 hours ago) to Scioto Debbie,   My column for the week     Jim Kegley     High Notes 11-20-2014   If you’ve never tried to write using a computer, you may not understand why, when you can’t access “Google Search”, you really are “at a loss for words”!  Oh, I know the words, I just have to verify their meaning if I want to use them for those reading this column to understand. I actually was “Googling” a memoir I’d read many years ago, written by Ernest Hemingway’s widow, Mary, entitled ‘A Movable Feast’ (1964).  A. E. Hotchner, Hemingway’s biographer, suggested the title, from his memory of Hemingway saying, in conversation, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then whatever you do, for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” I was going to use the concept of that story as the basis for my last-minute, and harried, offer to the newspaper Gods.  Unfortunately, my (not-so-smart) smart-phone wouldn’t allow my use of the search engine, and that’s why I, at 7:36 a.m. on Tuesday, November 11, Veteran’s Day, my absolute-deadline time, was trying to write for “The Scioto Voice”.   I’ve known for years that many people who lived in Scioto County during the 1950’s, our A-plant boom times; carry fond memories of Portsmouth.  Somewhat less culturally diverse than Paris, France, but youthfulness has its unique departmental brain divisions of memory, ala, achieving maturity, and Portsmouth during those years was a pretty exciting place through our teenage years. As you may know, I didn’t get my column done and to the office on time, and missed last week’s publication. Sorry! A Portsmouth moveable feast would include the many wonderful culinary delights available at places like: Joe and Ann’s Shake Shoppe - Chocolate Chip ice cream; The Park Shoppe - Pork Barbecue; The Original Hamburger Inn, The Turkey Shoppe – giblet green gravy over fries;  The Shawnee Drive In – Big Chief burger; Ollie’s Kentucky Fried Chicken, Crispie Crème donuts’, The Blue Pig – frosted mugs of root beer;  Casey’s Eat Shop – best hot ham sandwich;  Henry’s Café, The Sugar Bowl, and Pop’s Restaurant.  Who could forget: A & W Drive In, Blackie’s Drive In, Nick’s Hot Dogs – ooh the sauce; The American Restaurant, The Coachman, The Cameo, The Town House – Crunchy fried chicken;  Porky Pig, The Trail Inn, Wonder Bar, The Modern Grill, Coney Island Lunch, White Front, The Cycle Inn – two tiered Cycle burger;  The Lane Shop – Chili;  The Courthouse Inn, Fergie’s Lunch, Morton’s Restaurant, Benny’s Café – Spanish steak sandwich and cold draft beer;  Reese’s Hamburger’s, White Front, Harold’s Restaurant – Chateaubriand – roasted beef tenderloin with wine sauce, surrounded with a ring of whipped potatoes and Florintine Salad with anchovies; Patsy’s Inn, Pat’s Café, Darone’s Pizza – 10 cents a slice.  I know you remember:  Johnson’s Terminal Restaurant – Greek style spaghetti;  River Side Inn, Luchi’s Lunch, Andy’s Hot Dog Stand, The Cottage, Eureka Lunch, Kilcoyne’s – Codfish sandwich;  The Millbrook Inn, Langwell’s Cafeteria, Lowe’s Pool Room – Mabel’s blue-plate specials;  Shumpie’s Bar-B-Cue, State Bar, Silver Moon, Super Club, The Horne Inn, The Stonepipe – Prime rib au jus;  Liberty Café, Libbey’s Lunch, The Coffee Shop at Chabot’s, Greyhound Post House (24-hours), Jimmy’s Corner, Mountel’s Lunch, The Four Keys. This is a small list of the three pages of restaurants listed in the 1957 Polk City Directory for Portsmouth. Many of those names must conjure memories of the scents, sounds and tastes that we grew-up with during those years, and what we all would give to do them again.  No, we can’t go home again, except in our memories and our minds.   I was thinking then, (Tuesday, Nov. 11) and am thinking again today of Elmer Frasher, the retired architect, with whom I used to imbibe, while sitting the bar at one of the service/social clubs we used to frequent.  Elmer died a couple of weeks ago, and I have to admit that I hadn’t seen him in nearly two years.  I used to pass by the American Legion building on Court Street and see Elmer’s Lincoln, and would think, “I should stop and say hello”, but I never did. Now, I’m sorry!  Here’s an incident I remember about my old friend…he once said, in telling me a story…”The man was portly, somewhat like you!” And, I responded…”Portly? That’s a helluva way to describe someone”, and Elmer just twisted that swizzle stick around in his mouth, and said…’Well, you are portly!” referring to my beer-belly physique! The few people at the bar, who could hear us, laughed at our exchange. I guess I couldn’t really argue the point. That was just Elmer’s direct, no holds barred, way of talking. Elmer Frasher was an easy-going, introspective sort, who was dedicated to his close friends and family.  He loved the club-society he frequented, and was an active member of the American Legion Post 23 in Portsmouth through the years.  Elmer was a graduate of Portsmouth West High School, and after serving in the military, returned to use the G. I. Bill to attend, and graduate, from the University of Cincinnati, in architecture. Elmer designed many buildings around the area, and he told me The Hudson House, on Fifth Street (where I once lived) was one of them.  Elmer loved baseball and basketball, and had been an active amateur player in school, and on local teams. He used to talk about Hawaii a lot, and said he maintained a long-standing membership in one of that state’s American Legion clubs.  The obituary in the local daily newspaper, said Elmer served in Korea, however, I don’t recall him mentioning Korea.  I know he would have turned 18 on October 8, 1945 Funeral services were held, Tuesday, November 4, and burial was in McKendree Cemetery, while arrangements were under the direction of F. C. Daehler Mortuary Co. Adieu old friend, adieu!

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