kg4fxg
Well-Known Member
Well,
Back in the 80's the economy was much better or at least prior to the 80's. Prior to 81 I worked as a teen janitor. Great money and night work. Companies like Honeywell, Borg Warner, Federal Building. I also worked many years downtown where West State dead ends and the street becomes a mall. It was a drug store called Osco's. My grandmother lived a few blocks away in what was called Luther High Rise looking at the river. I graduated but did not attend my HS in 1981.
My grandmother lived prior to that on School Street. OK, now here is where it gets dicy so please no one take offense. The church we attended was Saint Patricks which had a school and convent but it is closed today. The whole west side turned black. It was very unsafe and went down hill fast. It turned into a slum. I remember the transition well but I did not understand it growing up. I took trips every other week to get my haircut with my Dad at a barber shop downtown that was across from the Metro Center. Back then it was not there. I saw the beautiful two story houses where my grandmother lived change to having garbage on the large front porches. I was not allowed to walk anymore to the parks and play.
We have good friends in Loves Park and I recall that was nice as was the new mall called Machesney? (Excuse spelling).
As I recall industry was bad, lots of factories shut down and it was hard to find work as a blue collar worker. My parents moved to Florida after spending time out west in Arizona. They just wanted a place that was warm. My father worked his whole life at the post office after WWII. My mother stayed home so I guess you could call our family much like Leave it to Beaver?
After I graduated in 1981 I spent 2 years at Rock Valley College. Then on to Lewis University in Romeoville near Chicago. I came home some but not much. So after I graduate in 1986 from Lewis I went on to Grad School and really never came back to Rockford. I went to Seminary to study to be a Catholic Priest. Spent three years in Seminary one in Baltimore and one in Indiana. I studied for the Atlanta Archdiocese which is how I landed here. I did not finish but I really enjoyed the study of philosophy. Went to work in accounting.
Please don't hesitate to ask more questions. BTW, houses and cost of living is real cheap here. A few years ago I checked and that tiny three bedroom ranch home had property taxes of $4,000. I have a 2,400 square foot two story house and pay half that here. Much cheaper to live here but I still miss the snow.
B
Back in the 80's the economy was much better or at least prior to the 80's. Prior to 81 I worked as a teen janitor. Great money and night work. Companies like Honeywell, Borg Warner, Federal Building. I also worked many years downtown where West State dead ends and the street becomes a mall. It was a drug store called Osco's. My grandmother lived a few blocks away in what was called Luther High Rise looking at the river. I graduated but did not attend my HS in 1981.
My grandmother lived prior to that on School Street. OK, now here is where it gets dicy so please no one take offense. The church we attended was Saint Patricks which had a school and convent but it is closed today. The whole west side turned black. It was very unsafe and went down hill fast. It turned into a slum. I remember the transition well but I did not understand it growing up. I took trips every other week to get my haircut with my Dad at a barber shop downtown that was across from the Metro Center. Back then it was not there. I saw the beautiful two story houses where my grandmother lived change to having garbage on the large front porches. I was not allowed to walk anymore to the parks and play.
We have good friends in Loves Park and I recall that was nice as was the new mall called Machesney? (Excuse spelling).
As I recall industry was bad, lots of factories shut down and it was hard to find work as a blue collar worker. My parents moved to Florida after spending time out west in Arizona. They just wanted a place that was warm. My father worked his whole life at the post office after WWII. My mother stayed home so I guess you could call our family much like Leave it to Beaver?
After I graduated in 1981 I spent 2 years at Rock Valley College. Then on to Lewis University in Romeoville near Chicago. I came home some but not much. So after I graduate in 1986 from Lewis I went on to Grad School and really never came back to Rockford. I went to Seminary to study to be a Catholic Priest. Spent three years in Seminary one in Baltimore and one in Indiana. I studied for the Atlanta Archdiocese which is how I landed here. I did not finish but I really enjoyed the study of philosophy. Went to work in accounting.
Please don't hesitate to ask more questions. BTW, houses and cost of living is real cheap here. A few years ago I checked and that tiny three bedroom ranch home had property taxes of $4,000. I have a 2,400 square foot two story house and pay half that here. Much cheaper to live here but I still miss the snow.
B
And my son goes to school at St Patrick's, there's a charter school now.
