Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Sunday School memories When I was around five years old, my mother took me to Sunday School pretty often. It was held in the basement of the Methodist Church. We didn’t go every Sunday, but we went pretty…
Author: Bill Boyd
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Mrs. Hudson When I was a kid, my dad told me that the most important thing about my paper route was that it taught me to be responsible. He said that paper routes make youngsters realize that there…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. ––– Hettie and I I was born in 1932, in the house of my grandmother, Hettie Tracy, at 423 West Fifth Street. Then, during the early depression years, my mother, two sisters and I lived with Hettie, while my…
Editor’s note: This is another column in Bill Boyd’s new series, “The Way It Was,” about growing up in Marysville. Bill continues to work with the Union County Historical Society to obtain information for his stories. With Marysville and Union County celebrating Bicentennial anniversaries in 2019 and 2020, respectively, these articles help depict what life was like in those early years. A pruning problem We use a small local lawn service company, to do our mowing, pruning and mulching. They do the pruning several times a year to keep the shrubs looking nice. We have used that same company…
The kid next door One of my best friends while I was growing up in Marysville was a kid named Fi McAllister. His real name was Richard, but everyone called him Fi. The “i” in Fi was a long i (pronounced eye). For several years Fi and I lived next-door to each other, and we spent many hours playing together … in my backyard, in his backyard, and all over town. Fi was a smart kid, and he loved American history, especially the Civil War. In fact, I think he knew more about the Civil War than most history teachers.…
I’m not sure why it is, but when we are young, time seems to pass at a snail’s pace. Then the older we get, the faster it passes. I think the longest year of my life was when I was 15 years old. You see, the next year I would be able to get my driver’s license, and I can’t tell you how much I wanted that. Throughout my 15th year, I started preparing myself for the big day. When I was sitting in the passenger seat of our car, I concentrated on every move the driver made, no matter…
Flying high in Marysville In the spring of 1943, there was a kite-flying contest for boys in Marysville. As I recall, it was sponsored by some civic organization, maybe the Lions Club or Kiwanis. The rules were simple: 1) no “purchased” kites were allowed. 2) the kites must be made by the kid who flew it, not by his dad. 3) prizes would be awarded to those who got their kites to the highest altitude. Although my knowledge of aerodynamics was limited, even for an 11-year-old, I figured I had a pretty good shot at a prize. So I planned…
Editor’s note: We have heard from so many readers who enjoyed reading Bill Boyd’s columns about growing up in Marysville during the 1930s and ‘40s that we are going to rerun columns 1 through 52 on Fridays for the next year. –––– Track comes back to Marysville When World War II ended, one of the returning veterans became a teacher in Marysville High School. His name was Bob Wagner, and he taught speech classes, directed plays, and the like. He was a great guy and a favorite among students. Bob also had an interest in track and field, and he…
Editor’s note: We have heard from so many readers who enjoyed reading Bill Boyd’s columns about growing up in Marysville during the 1930s and ‘40s that we are going to rerun columns 1 through 52 on Fridays for the next year. –––– Watch out for Jimmy Dean There’s a mailbox not far from our house, and I took a handful of letters there this morning. On the way, I passed an elementary school, and the kids were playing outdoors during recess. As I listened to them playing, it occurred to me that one or two kids yelling and screaming can…
Editor’s note: We have heard from so many readers who enjoyed reading Bill Boyd’s columns about growing up in Marysville during the 1930s and ‘40s that we are going to rerun columns 1 through 52 on Fridays for the next year. –––– Off to see the Wizard Having grown up in Marysville during the 1930s and 40s I must have seen hundreds of movies in the Avalon Theater. There were some great ones, some that were only so-so, and some real stinkers. But the one I remember most was my first “solo” movie, that is the first movie I ever…
Editor’s note: We have heard from so many readers who enjoyed reading Bill Boyd’s columns about growing up in Marysville during the 1930s and ‘40s that we are going to rerun columns 1 through 52 on Fridays for the next year. –––– Sea monster As near as I can remember, it was sometime around the summer of 1940, when some very unusual entertainment came to Marysville. It was even more unusual than the side shows of the carnivals which occasionally came to town and set up in the fair grounds. Sure, the carnivals had some pretty unusual bearded ladies, but…
Editor’s note: We have heard from so many readers who enjoyed reading Bill Boyd’s columns about growing up in Marysville during the 1930s and ‘40s that we are going to rerun columns 1 through 52 on Fridays for the next year. –––– Soda fountain memories Growing up in Marysville during the 1930s and ‘40s was great. One of my favorite memories was the commercial area in the center of town, where there must have been 60 or so retail businesses. I’m talking about the small, two-block area along Main and Fifth streets. I recently took a 1940 mental walk through…
Editor’s note: This is the last of a series about growing up in Marysville during the late 1930s and the 1940s written by Bill Boyd. Each article has been a snapshot of the people, businesses and activities during that era as seen through the eyes of a young boy. Boyd was born in Marysville in 1932, graduated from Marysville High School in 1950, and lived the greater part of his life here. –––– One last word I have been writing these columns about growing up in Marysville for about two years now, and it has been a lot of fun.…
Editor’s note: This is the 98th of a series about growing up in Marysville during the late 1930s and the 1940s written by Bill Boyd. Each article is a snapshot of the people, businesses and activities during that era as seen through the eyes of a young boy. Boyd was born in Marysville in 1932, graduated from Marysville High School in 1950, and lived the greater part of his life here. –––– Pheasant hunting I have always thought that the ring-necked pheasant was a really beautiful bird. Their bright, iridescent colors, combined with their graceful lines and long tail feathers,…
Editor’s note: This is the 97th of a series about growing up in Marysville during the late 1930s and the 1940s written by Bill Boyd. Each article is a snapshot of the people, businesses and activities during that era as seen through the eyes of a young boy. Boyd was born in Marysville in 1932, graduated from Marysville High School in 1950, and lived the greater part of his life here. –––– Charlie and me Like just about every other kid who grew up during the 1930s, radio was a big part of my life. There were loads of comedy…