Is this the NAVY BASE school song?

 Is this the NAVY BASE school song?

=NAVY BASE SCHOOL WE HONOR YOU, AN EDUCATIONAL AND LEADERSHIP BEACON DAY AND NIGHT.

=WHEN THE NAVY BASE MIGHTY ‘EAGLES’ GET IN A FIGHT THEY ALWAYS WIN BECAUSE THEY ARE BRIGHT AND RIGHT.

Saturday dance class in the York Room of the Lakewood Terrace

Did you, young ladies and gentlemen, take a Saturday dance class held in the York Room of the Lakewood Terrace restaurant in the late 1950s or early 1960s?

Class leader was Russ Saltmarsh. His wife and dance partner was Jean Saltmarsh. They lived with their family in Lakewood.

There was a lad who played records on an electric record player. Each record had a number. Russ knew all the dance tunes on records by number by heart. He asked the lad to play a tune and it was done.

There was classic (not classical) dances taught/ learned. But there were also those more contemporary, too. For example, the twist and “The Madison.”

Wikipedia says:

--The Twist is an American pop song written and originally released in early 1959 (having been recorded on November 11, 1958) by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.”

--“The Madison is a novelty dance that was popular in the late 1950s to mid-1960s. ... Its popularity inspired dance teams and competitions, as well as various ... The jazz pianist Ray Bryant recorded "Madison Time" for Columbia Records in 1959.”

Here are some of the steps in the Madison line dance:

IT'S MADISON TIME

2:03 "Now, when I said 'hit it!' I want the big strong basketball with the Wilt Chamberlain hook. (pause) Hit it! Two points!"

2:17 "Now this time, when I say 'hit it!' I want the big strong Jackie Gleason and back to the Madison. (pause) Hit it! (pause). And, a-w-w-w-way we go!"

"You're looking good!"

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/ray-bryant-combo/the-madison-time

 

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Instructors Russ and Jean Saltmarsh announced the opening of a series of lessons on Latin American and ballroom dancing will begin Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. The classes are for Elks members and their guests. Reservations must be made.

… TNT/Tacoma News Tribune Sept 24, 1960

 

Eating their cake and keeping it too are Mr. and Mrs. Russ Saltmarsh.

Long interested in ballroom dancing and often teaching, they are on a six-week cruise on the SS Mariposa in the South Pacific as dance instructors.

When they arrive back in San Francisco on July 13 after traveling as far as Australia with stopovers in fascinating cities of the world, they will be joined by their  children to journey down to Disneyland

At present, the youngsters are being cared for by their paternal grandparents, the G. H. Saltmarshes of Seattle.

Also on board the ship is another Tacoman, Mrs. Charles Lund.

… TNT/Tacoma News Tribune July 3, 1960

French fries, Lakewood's McDonald's

Do you remember which year McDonald’s came to Lakewood near Villa Plaza and across the street from Shakey’s? It was before 1966. Did you know McDonald's started switching from fresh potatoes to frozen French fries in 1966?

= Marne Noreen said 11/16/2023: I remember it being available during my junior year; 64-65. But I don't know for sure.

= Phil Nesse said 11/16/2022: Am guessing, but maybe 1964.

Postscript: Watching through outside window as potatoes cut into fries was a way to briefly while away time before order ready. As we well know, no drive through back then!

...............

Lakewood's McDonald's Golden Arches, a "self-service" restaurant at 6002 100th St SW, opened in April 1964. Across the street, at 6006 100th St., was Shakey's Pizza Parlour & Ye Public House. It may have opened during the summer
of 1965.

McDonald's incorrectly said it was in Villa Plaza. Shakey's said correctly that it was at an "Entrance to Villa Plaza."

A large ad (part of which is posted here) in the April 2, 1964, TNT/Tacoma News Tribune, said the new McDonald's at 72nd and Pacific in Tacoma and Lakewood's Villa Plaza Shakey's were open.

 A story in the same TNT issue said the Tacoma McDonald's had opened a "few weeks ago."

 

Charles ‘Chuck’ Croasdill: Beloved and caring teacher and father taught at Lakes, Clover Park, and Fort Steilacoom

Charles ‘Chuck’ Croasdill: Beloved and caring teacher and father taught at Lakes, Clover Park, and Fort Steilacoom 

It’s been more than 55 years since Nora McNerthney John was a Lakes High School student. She has never forgotten her favorite teacher at the school: Charles Croasdill.

He taught her journalism classes and was adviser of the ‘Lakes Ledger’ student newspaper of which she was co-editor.

“Mr. Croasdill's dedication to teaching and his interest and respect for his students was genuine,” said John, who lives in Marysville.

“He gave me and other students opportunities to expand and test our self-confidence and knowledge and was a mentor in a quiet way. He was the only teacher who I felt cared about their students as people and wanted us to succeed. Mr. C’s Journalism classes and his guidance for our ‘Ledger’ staff was a big bright spot in my high school memory.”

Croasdill came to the Clover Park School District in 1955, initially teaching at Clover Park High and advising ‘Clover Leaves’, the school’s student newspaper.

In 1963, while continuing at Clover Park High, he added teaching at new - it opened in 1962 - Lakes High and advised its student newspaper, the ‘Lakes Ledger.’ During his time teaching at both schools, the two newspapers had one combined Lakes/Clover Park issue a school year focusing on a single topic.

He was adviser to Clover Park and Lakes chapters of Quill and Scroll, an international high school journalism honor society.

After 23 years in the district he retired in 1978. But, he didn’t stop teaching.

“Dad’s motivation in teaching was to prepare his students for the next phase in their lives,” said his daughter, Helen Croasdill Montfort of Jacksonville, Florida. “He genuinely loved teaching. He enjoyed working at both schools …”

Confirmed his daughter, Carolyn “Lyn” Croasdill Hill of Olympia. “He loved his job as a teacher and always hoped to make an impact on his students.”

“There was a time in dad’s life as a teacher that few people know about,” said Helen. In the 1960s – this was when he was teaching at both Lakes and Clover Park -- he and another teacher taught night classes to the inmates at McNeil Island Penitentiary. After school they would take the prison boat from Steilacoom to the island. He would be home around 9 o’clock in the evening. Their teaching enabled the inmates to graduate from high school or earn their GED.

Charles Watson Croasdill IV and Ruth lived in Lakewood, where they raised their family. He died at age 80 on May 12, 1997 in Lakewood. She died at age 92 in Edmonds on April 21, 2016.

“Chuck” – the name he preferred – was born in Seattle on Jan. 1, 1917. He graduated in 1935 from Seattle's Roosevelt High School where he competed in track & field and cross-country. His student activities also included being an editor of “The Roosevelt News" student newspaper.

He studied at the University of Washington in Seattle. Very athletic and extremely competitive, while a UW student he completed and lettered in cross-country and lettered, too, as a miler and half-miler for the track & field UW Huskies. He was a UW track team captain. And, he played varsity tennis, too.

The 1938 UW ‘Tyee’ yearbook, covering the 1937-1938 academic year when he was a junior, said his 3.9 grade point helped improve his Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house's member grade average.

After graduating in June 1940 with a bachelor of arts degree in education from the UW College of Arts and Sciences, he taught in eastern Washington in Wallula near the Washington-Oregon border, at Columbia Union High School. That ended when he joined the U. S. Army during World War II.

The Army sent Private Croasdill to Alaska's Aleutian Islands. He was trained as a radio operator with the Alaska Communication System, said Helen. "There was a very small base and because of the brutal weather, not much to do. The Army supplied the men with cigarettes and playing cards.”

Playing cards came in handy in the Croasdill Lakewood home. He held ‘legendary; monthly poker games at which friends, including teaching colleagues, took part. But, back to serving in the Army …

… Traveling on a passenger train to home in Seattle on furlough from his Army duties in Alaska, he met Ruth Evelyn Matheson, a Canadian (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba), who was living in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In November 1945 he was honorably discharged from the Army at Fort Lewis, Washington.

Chuck and Ruth married on April 12, 1946, in Seattle. In 1951 she became a U.S. citizen.

They moved to Aberdeen (Grays Harbor Co.), Wash., where, over nine years, he worked first for Grays Harbor College and later for Aberdeen (Weatherwax) High School.

The Croasdill children – Helen, Carolyn (“Lyn”) and Charles (“Charlie”) -- were born in Aberdeen. They all graduated from Lakes High, Helen in 1966, Lyn in 1968 and Charlie in 1970. None of them had their father as a teacher.

At the college, his duties included serving as an adviser of the ‘Timber Line’ student newspaper. At the high school, he taught English and journalism and was adviser of the ‘Ocean Breeze’ student newspaper.

From Aberdeen, the Croasdills moved to Lakewood in 1955 and to duties in the Clover Park School District. They became Little Church on the Prairie members.

During three consecutive summers in the early 1960s, the Croasdill family lived in Provo, Utah, while Chuck attended and taught journalism classes at Brigham Young University. He was among a select number of high school journalism teachers from across the nation awarded fellowships from The Newspaper Fund, Inc., made possible by grants from the Wall Street Journal.

The fellowships were designed to "encourage more talented young people to choose journalism as a career by assisting high school newspaper advisers and journalism teachers, according to an Associated Press story in May 1960.

Following his 1978 retirement from the Clover Park School District, he taught English for seven years (1979-1986) at Fort Steilacoom Community College (now Pierce College)

After his second retirement in 1986, he and his wife, Ruth, enjoyed traveling.

“They had a small motor home. For the winter they would drive it from Lakewood to Florida where my husband and I and our children lived,” said Helen. “They would park it in our yard and spend time with us. My sons had lots of help with their English homework!”

Chuck and Ruth’s travellust went beyond the United States. “They weren't afraid to go anywhere. One time they took a three-month trip on a freighter. They got off the ship at each port. The ship only took a small number of passengers so this was a special adventure,” Helen said.

“My parents were very devoted to each other and both worked very hard to provide for our family. I appreciated that we always sat at the table together for dinner and talked about how our day went. My dad always had something interesting to say,” said Lyn.

“Dad had a really great sense of humor and always provided some laughs,” said Lyn. “We spent summers camping & visiting national parks & I have always treasured those memories. My four children cherished them both as grandparents.”

“Our father was an active and involved sports fan," said Charlie of Tacoma. “He really enjoyed playing golf and bowling, including with fellow teachers. He was also an expert at solving crossword puzzles.”

His love of sports manifested itself another way. At Clover Park he was public address “voice” for boys’ basketball games and radio play-by-play “voice” for Clover Park football games.

“Not only was he a collegiate athlete in two sports, he continued his love of sport as an adult. He was an avid spectator and participant. I have fond memories of him teaching me and my sisters to play golf and tennis and there was the ever present badminton "court" in the backyard. It was ‘lined’ just like grass football fields. It was the site of many hotly contested games and great memories. 

‘He would watch any sporting event on television and was always organizing betting pools with friends. I remember as a young boy being fully engaged as he told me, “Charlie, do not ever bet on a baseball game without knowing both pitchers". Sage advice!

“I always thought it was an adventure to get to accompany my dad when he would announce the football or basketball games at Clover Park High School.

“The football games were the best as we would have to traverse a scary wooden catwalk to the announcer’s booth at the top of the old Thompson Field stadium. I would use binoculars and be his ‘spotter’, while eating free hotdogs. He would have coffee and a cigarette going. He was in his element calling the game into a big old microphone.

“It is perfect that his birthday was January first. He would spend the day watching every football bowl game on television, all day long.  It was always the best birthday gift ever, for our dad, the sports fan.”

At Chuck’s death in 1997, survivors included Ruth, his wife of 51 years; daughters Helen Montfort (Ed), Carolyn “Lyn” Hill (Rick) and son Charles “Charlie” Croasdill (Kristine); sister Kit Hall; brother Walter Croasdill; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Captions for four photos and one graphic …

PHOTO (Sitting at desk with typewriter) – Chuck Croasdill started as a teacher and student newspaper advisor at Clover Park High School in 1955.

PHOTO (Standing/leaning over table with pencil in hand) – Journalism teacher and student newspaper adviser Chuck Croasdill of Lakes High School in the late 1960s.

PHOTO (With person with binoculars on far right) – He enjoyed all sports. Chuck Croasdill was radio play-by-play “voice” at Clover Park High School football games on Thompson Field in Lakewood.

PHOTO (Family, sepia) – In the back, Charlie and Chuck. Then (l-r), Helen with Michael, Chuck and Ruth’s first grandson. Behind Michael is Lyn. Ruth is in front of Chuck.

GRAPHIC (in red) – A Story about Chuck Croasdill.

 

If you live in Alaska you have a truck. Lakes 1966 classmate Phil Nesse, a teacher in Alaska, does.

If you live in Alaska you have a truck.

Alaska teacher Phil Nesse (Lakes Class of 1966) does.

Here are photos (taken June 24, 2022) of Phil and his Toyota Tundra.

Phil points out the truck’s engine block heater plug and the Alaska license plate.

At night and other times when you leave your car (truck in this case) outside (or even inside in really cold weather) you plug an extension cord into an electrical outlet and the plug from the engine block into the other end of the cord. 

Why an engine block heater? 

An internet source said, “The main purpose of an engine block heater is to make it easier to start the engine, but preheating the engine oil, antifreeze, and internal engine components also reduces wear and tear, reduces emissions, and makes for a more comfortable environment inside the vehicle by allowing the heater to blow hot sooner.” 

 

 

 

 

LAKE CITY SCHOOL, 5th GRADE, 1958-1959, MRS. TURPIN

LAKE CITY SCHOOL, 5^th GRADE, 1958-1959, MRS. TURPIN

Phil Nesse (Lakes Class of 1966) has a black & white photograph of his Lake City School (Lakewood, Clover Park School District) 5^th grade class. Mrs. Margaret (Marguerite) Turpin. 1958-1959. Can you identify his classmates? (Phil is in the front row, second on the right.. He is shown June 24, 2022, with the class photo in a scrapbook given to him by his mother.)

Nils Olson (Lakes Class of 1966) has amazing recall. Here’s the ID he provided for those in the photo. Correct? Have names of the missing?

Back Row (L to R): Mrs. Turpin, Susan Grant, Betty Clifton, Patty Reed, Nora McNerthney, Barbara __?__, Sharon Kirby, Ed VanHorn, Bill Weinman, Greg Saxton.

 

Second Row (L to R): Mike Chapman, __?__, Joe Berg, Mary Warren, Steve McCann, __?__, Candy Hilliard, Jackie __?__, Daisy VanArsdale, __?__, Daisy Villa.

 

Third Row (L to R): __?__, I want to say Linda Geroux (but could be mistaken), Frances Frye, __?__, Larry Bennet, __?__, __?__, Alan Pederson, Phil Nesse, Ronnie White.

 

Sitting (L to R): __?__, __?__, Lee Thoren, Jim Haskins, Jim Shepherd.

 

(If you have the same photo and it's in good condition, could you please scan it as a TIF or JPG and send it to me? The photos I took of Phil’s photo has glare on the right side.)

Flett's Dairy: Located in the 'wetlands of Lakewood.'

Recall the Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup (a.k.a. the Puyallup Fair) during the fall? Students in the Clover Park School District got free tickets to attend the fair and a free school bus ride to and from the fair. One of the fair exhibitors was Flett's Dairy. Located in the “wetlands of Lakewood,” Flett's was in business 1902-1994. Most likely it provided milk for Clover Park School District student lunches. With that preamble, here’s a Flett's Dairy handout from the fair. It’s the cover of a photo holder. A black & white photo was taken of you and put in a photo holder (not show) part of the handout. Which fair? Maybe in the late 1950s.