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.
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It was a big day for me when the Marysville swimming pool opened in 1937. I was five years old and we had been following its construction for months. Every now and then we drove past the site after dinner. My dad bought a season ticket for us, and we were all thrilled about that.
My mother bought me a swimming suit. It was kind of medium blue, and it had a bib with a white sailboat on it. If you are wondering how I can remember so much about that swimsuit, it’s because my mother kept it for years. She would get it out every now and then to look at it. I am not sure why she did that, but she seemed to enjoy it even when I was in high school.
On the pool’s opening day, just about everything had been completed except the stone bathhouse. That wouldn’t be finished for a year or so. A temporary wooden structure was used. Oh yes, some of the metal ladders that went down into the pool were also not completed. So temporary wood ladders were used.
I will never forget my first day in that pool. I was splashing around in the baby pool with a boy named Terry Smith. Our mothers sat together in the grass nearby. At some point, Terry and I got out of the water and sat on our towels with our mothers. There were some older boys playing “leapfrog” in the grass in front of the bathhouse, so Terry and I went there to watch.
I only knew one of those older boys. His name was Owen Thorpe, and he was a pretty ornery kid, about three years older than Terry and I. As the two of us watched those boys jumping over each other, Owen took a wad of chewing gum from his mouth and pressed it into Terry’s hair.
Terry was a pretty spunky kid. He didn’t cry, but he obviously was upset. I thought I would try to help Terry get the gum out of his hair, but as I did that, another boy put a wad of chewing gum in my hair.
Oh man, there we were, two five-year-old boys with our hair full of chewing gum. Our mothers wanted to take us home to get the gum out of our hair, but we wouldn’t hear of it. Terry and I swam the rest of the day with the gum in our hair. My mother had her camera with her, and she took a photo of the two of us. I think I still have that picture. If I ever run across it again, I’ll be sure to show it to you. Then you can tell me what you think of my swimsuit with a sailboat on the bib.
Those wishing to contact Bill Boyd can e-mail him at williamboyd514@gmail.com