High school was a fun age while living in the neighborhood on Kathleen and even though I was very shy in school; (including middle school and high school) the friendships in the neighborhood continued and we became very close throughout the high school years.
We all had an interest in water sports whether it was swimming, skiing, or hanging out by the river.
Some of us began having access to boats such as Michael, Barry, and me. During the summer months when I did not have to work, we would gather at the dock and each of us would launch our boats. From there we would race to the Squaw Islands in Tampa Bay, which were manmade after dredging the channel during that time to enable the ships to travel to the Tampa docks. This was the shipping channel that is still used today.
While racing, there was the straight shot from the Hillsborough River or you could travel around Davis Island (the long way in which Michael would always do); I’m not sure if he thought he would win going that way or just wanted a longer ride, but these were the routes we would take.
Once we arrived on one of the islands, we would beach the boats and just hang out (for most of the day) talking and swimming. Due to many barges going by throughout the day, we would all hold on to the boats, so that they did not get washed away or washed up on the islands (from the barge’s large waves); otherwise, we would be grounded until a higher tide would arrive. It was a “group effort” and at the same time a fun challenge to hang onto the boats, as if it were a carnival ride!
Many times going back in we would ride behind one of the large barges in order to have calmer waters.
The bay is not very deep (average fifteen feet) and with any kind of wind large waves could appear in no time.
In the 60’s, there were usually no more than one or two boats out at a time, especially during the week. We went together in case one of us had engine trouble. Engines were not as reliable then and we never knew when one would not start; although, we were never stranded. We learned many skills without instruction. We could read waves, by looking at the color of the water; we stayed away from low areas and knew when bad weather was approaching. Although, we were not boating experts, the experiences taught us to rely on each other and to help each other if needed.
Sometimes during bad weather, we would not go out to the bay, but travel in the river through the canals of Davis Islands. We all learned the canals and knew a place where a family kept a live monkey tied to a long rope and he was able to climb to different trees. We would stop for only a moment, as to not scare him and silently watch in amazement.
Dad’s first boat was purchased at the new Sears’ store on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa. In the front, was two seats and a pass through. In the back, was a bench seat. It was very light green on the sides with red water rails, windshield, and Bimini canvas top with mahogany wood on the deck. It included a 30hp Elgin motor of which both were purchased from Sears. I believe they were the “Yellow Jacket” line of boats and he must have purchased it in the middle or late 1950’s. The price tag including trailer was probably much less than $2,000.00. Roy Rogers, a famous television cowboy, owned and promoted them. Dad let me take the boat whenever I wanted (in the 1960’s) while we were living on Kathleen Street. He was finished with boating, so I refinished it while we were living on Kathleen St. by working on it our single car garage. I repainted it in the original colors and varnished all the wood. I then bought a Johnson 40hp outboard motor for it and loved it. I was proud I was able to connect the steering, the controls, and the mounting, but things were simpler then. Although it was only a 10 horsepower difference (motors still were not powerful then), it did help with the performance of the boat especially when skiing. The boat was taken apart as much as I could, turned over, and then worked on. I purchased all the paint and supplies from Mahoney’s Hardware at their original location. I used it for skiing, for driving around the intercostal waterway, and the Hillsborough River. In the late 1960’s, I sold it to a college acquaintance that never picked it up. Then a friend of mine, Cha Chi, picked it up, and later sold it. From what he told me that person, who bought it sunk it in Tampa Bay. I was sorry to hear that it ended up that way! The boat had given many years of pleasure to our father fishing, my weekend pleasure riding, and as a ski boat on Lake Anne.
My First Car, “Not Really, My Second Car”:
I call the car that I drove in high school my first car, but in reality I felt it was my second. The reason for this was that the store owned a 1954 Ford station wagon. It was in service for many years, even while we lived on St. Louis. As it was retired, we kept it in the alley behind our house. As a favor, I would start the engine from time to time just to keep it lubricated. After a rain, I would go outside to start the engine, and since it was a three speed manual transmission, I placed it in first gear, revved the engine, popped the clutch, to watch how many times I could get the speed odometer up to fifty or even sixty miles per hour never moving. Since the tires were slick and it sat on wet grass it was easy for this to occur. The car moved with us when we moved to Kathleen Street and it stayed in the back alley, but was more exposed to Columbus Drive. Since I did not have a car, I thought when I turned 16 this would be a perfect car to drive. I would fix it up for daily driving.
Although, this never happened as (I believe) the car was either sold or given away! My parent’s partner, Julian Turlington, and I really enjoyed working together. He was helpful and was always praising Mom for turning the store around. Uncle Paul arrived from Chicago and began making Italian, Polish, American, and many more types of sausages for the store. He began as part time, then Mom wanted him to work there full time as he was a great asset and he and Mom worked well together!
Julian and his wife, Lillian, had purchased a 1959 Ford Galaxy XL and later wanted to purchase a newer car. My parents thought it would be a good first car for me and I began taking care of it before I was sixteen, but did not drive it until I turned sixteen. I was always proud of the car! It was mostly white, a four door model and huge. Gas was inexpensive then and the car was in great shape. I tried to make it a teenager’s car by purchasing spinners for hubcaps and placing STP stickers on the back windows. STP was an oil company and we would joke that STP stood for “Spanish Talking People” or anything else we could come up with.
This is my first car parked in front of our home on 1708 Kathleen Street, Tampa, Florida.
A sad story took place in the home behind the car. It was the home of Richard Arnel, his brother, Mom, and Dad. The dad was very vivacious as were the two sons and both were very into Chevy cars at the time. The father could be found in the garage (at times) singing with them and playing his guitar. Right after high school the older brother, Al, accidently shot his younger brother, Richard. A few months later their father hung himself in the garage, as he could not take the horrific accidental death. The older brother would sometimes take me skiing on the river and I would try barefoot skiing, since they had a fast boat. I only tried once and hurt my shin, so never tried it again.
Of course being this was a “hot” car, I had to add gauges as you can see under the dash. I am sure this made the car “much faster.”(ha) So there you have it my first car: a 1959 Ford, which we all claimed Ford stood for First on Racing Day. All the Chevy people said it meant Fix or Repair Daily. Of course, it did not matter! The important thing is that I had a car, a very good one, and safe! It provided the transportation I needed for going to school, work, and having fun as a teen. It required no work that I can recall other than the normal maintenance of oil changes, tires, and gas. What a great first car! In my mind I always thought the station wagon was going to be my first car. One that provided many great memories as any first car would do. Memories that included placing a phone in the front seat and ”pre-tend” shifting by using the tire changer from the trunk. It provided many years of fun!
History of the 1958-1959 Ford Fairlane:
The Fairlane frontal styling for 1958 bore a familiar resemblance to that year’s new Thunderbird. Swathes of gold anodized body-side trim marked the flagship Fairlane 500s. The Fairlane and Fairlane 500 rolled into 1959, with more conservative styling and new rooflines featuring reshaped wrap-around rear windows on sedans. Soon after 1959 production started, though, Fairlane 500 closed models were demoted to mid-level status, as new Galaxie styles, with Thunderbird-inspired rooflines arrived. At the same time, a simple badging change converted 1959. As in 1958, all full-size ’59 Fords, except the Skyliner were offered with Ford’s standard 223-cid six-cylinder engine. Excepting the occasional Skyliner, the distinctive but rust-prone 1958 Fairlanes are uncommon today. The ’59s have seemingly fared better. A nicely turned-out 1958-59 Fairlane 500 is sure to attract admirers at any Ford gathering.