The holiday season started as early as Saturday, December 16, with a ‘Lunch with Santa.’ I can only assume that this something that we found out about through school, and I went along begrudgingly on behalf of my two-year old sister, who both believed in Santa and was most likely scared to death of him.

The next day came the traditional Christmas party at Eagles, the fraternal organization that my Grandparents were a big part of. Between my Mom and me we took an inordinate amount of photos of the event (which inexplicably included Hawaiian dancers). From the photos, I gather that the wrapped boys’ gift that I received was a nice art set, complete with paints. But what I really recall was the color-by-numbers Bee Gees poster and marker set that I got as a bonus gift. I was very familiar with the Bee Gees and their music, as Saturday Night Fever had gained momentum of the course of the past year. More on why I’ll never forget this poster momentarily.

Part of the afternoon’s Christmas entertainment…Hawaiian dancers

Santa Claus makes his entrance, guided by the Missus

Grandpa, Grandma, and Darlene all play a role in distributing the gifts

Denise does the sidewards lean, indicating that she wants nothing to do with this freak

Denise continues her struggle

I receive my gift – a nice art set

Having not believed in Santa for several years, this is the last time that I would really cooperate for the photo op

The warm-up photo of Denise, gingerly holding her Holly Hobbie doll, under the Eagles Christmas tree

A miraculously good photo of two-year old Denise

Pretty Darlene at the Eagles party

On Monday the 18th, Mom sent a Christmas gift along with me for the gift exchange. From the 1978 “Old Cars” calendar notations, it looks as though my last day of school prior to the holiday wasn’t until that Thursday, which was probably the day we held our gift exchange and First Grade Christmas party. (Incidentally, I was also off school on Friday, December 8, for some reason).

We (or at least some of us) also attended a Christmas party on Tuesday the 19th, although I don’t know which party it was – possibly my Dad’s company party. There was no notation made for the Beavercreek Church of the Brethren Family Christmas Celebration, but we usually went to that also. On Saturday the 23rd, Bev had the birthday party for my cousin Susie. Poor little thing’s Christmas Eve birthday almost always guaranteed that she’d have to be worked in around the holidays.

Christmas Eve came on Sunday. Needless to say, I was bouncing off of the walls all day, constantly asking when Bill & Dottie and the gang was going to be arriving. None of the pictures that I have reveal who was actually in attendance that night, but you can bet that Grandma & Oscar, Bill & Dottie and Lora and Robby, Carl and Arline, and Harold were all there. I’m not sure if Joe & Hazel were there or not. If so, it was our last Christmas with them, as Joe passed away the following year.

When the time came to open the gifts, I got the traditional gifts from my folks (the bulk of the gifts came from ‘Santa Claus’ the next morning). This year I got the huge Marx Guns of Navarone mountain playset. (Incidentally, in 2011, this toy is now selling for about $175). I had hand-picked this item from the Sears catalog (the arrival of which - for about five consecutive years for me - signalled the start of the Christmas countdown and gave Denise and I the opportunity to go through and pick out what we wanted that year). I had also requested the second gift that I got that night – an early version of a Doodle-Track car. That is, and battery-powered vehicle that would follow the line drawn by a crayon on an erasable board. Very cool idea, but didn’t work all that well. Denise got, among other things, her set of Bristle Blocks.

Denise is ready for our first Christmas Eve gathring at the Winterset house

The only photo of one of our Christmas Eve guests, the debonair Robby

Denise begins to dig in, next to what are presumably Harold’s knees. Note the infamous Bee Gees poster in the background.

Dad assists Denise with one of her gifts…

…and she is consumed in the highly addictive world of Bristle Blocks

A fabulous shot of me with the Navarone Mountain – and even more importantly, the entertainment shelf with our advanced sound system and Christmas decorations. In 2011, that shelf is currently in my basement.

I give the Doodle-Track van a spin

That night I slept poorly. I’d have to say that for some reason I was more excited about this Christmas than ever before. So much so, in fact, that at about 3am, I got up to go check out the gifts that had been scattered under the tree for Denise and me. After giving them the thorough once-over, I grabbed that blasted Bee Gees poster and sat at our tacky orange bar and began coloring. After about twenty minutes of this, Mom heard me up and sleepily came into the dining room and asked me what on earth I thought I was doing. I thought that she would just accept the fact that I couldn’t sleep, but noooooo! She made me go back to bed. I can’t recall if I ever fell asleep or not.

Eventually the morning came. Denise was mildly more interested in opening gifts than she had been the year before. And I was ripping threw them in a flurry of jubilation and greed. A lighted coin viewer here, a metal detector there, a rolled-up sled, some crayons, a Stretch Monster (akin to the old Stretch Armstrong dolls, and best of all, my very own Pachinko machine – albeit a plastic one. My parents had noted how enamored I was by the one that I had incessantly played during our summer trip to visit Louise and Carroll. That’s about all I can recall (or at least all I can identify in the photos). Denise’s haul was equally impressive and included a doll hi-chair, a Mickey Mouse bank, a Hasbro Mickey Mouse Castle, and a big orange slide. That giant orange slide lingered around our house for what seemed like many years.

Mom in her robe assists Denise in opening her doll hi-chair

I wonder what was in here 

Denise gets dressed for the day and we begin our afternoon of play

Denise mounts the giant orange slide

I remember specifically that this year, I asked my Mom how much they spent on us for Christmas and she told us $100. That was quite a bit back then, and although we were spoiled, by today’s standards of burying children with gifts, it doesn’t look as if we got all that much. But kids happier than us on Christmas, you’ll never find.

On Christmas Day, we were back at Grandma and Grandpa’s house on Kruss, after a one-year hiatus. There is a Lego set in the photo of me with all my loot and I believe that I received that at this gathering. At this point we were still holding the bulk of the celebration down in the basement. There would only be one more year down there and then they would move the Christmas tree up to their living room. I think I miss that house more than just about any place on earth.

Grandma and Grandpa Murphy distribute the gifts

Eager grandchildren Debbie, Chris, and Lori await their turn

Darlene, Bev, Mom, Diana, Grandma, Grandpa, and Jim assemble for a family portrait. The metal detector and Stretch Monster that I brought along with me, await play

Denise creeps into the family portrait – much as her twin daughter would do 31 year later

All the cousins up to that point. Considering we’re all looking in another direction, I’m sure that there must be a better version of this. In the back row: Cathy, Danny, Lori, me, Debbie (hidden), Chris. Up front: Susie, Denise, and Ben getting assistance from me

Christmas is over and all I’m left with is a toon of great loot – as seen in this invaluable photo

Life will continue as the decade begins its descent…in 1979…

We had a new principal this year as well. Mr. Huff replaced Mr. Mercer, whom I never met. Mr. Huff would remain at Fairbrook though my whole career there. I think I was only sent to him once, but he still knew me by name.

There were four First Grade teachers: Mrs. Buck, Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Hignite, and Mrs. Fulkerson, who was my teacher. She was a short older woman with an impish and raspy voice – but clearly a very kind lady. We got along swimmingly right off the bat, despite my tendencies toward being a class clowns. Usually my good grades offset any behavioral issues and it wouldn’t be long before I got the reputation as a ‘smart kid’.

Mrs. Rosenbaum had been a first grade teacher the year before, but had been bumped up to the second grade. I still remember some kid talking about how lucky we were that we didn’t get her and mentioned that she was a ‘rose’ when she was on the swing, and a ‘bomb’ when she slammed the closet.

We didn’t change classes or switch teachers yet, but there were numerous occasions where our class would combine with another for some project or educational film or program viewing. I think Mrs. Hignite was who we usually paired up with. I knew Mrs. Buck pretty well too and her grandson Jason Painter eventually would become one of my classmates. I gradually got to know all the kids in my grade over the years as we would mingle in the halls and on the playground even if we weren’t sharing a homeroom.

Here are the kids who were in my class:

First Row: Mrs. Fulkerson, Dustin Lowe, Mike Ross, Larry Nichols, Brian Snider, Melissa Wilkerson. Second Row: Traci Hertenstein, Niki Schaefer, Angel Borger, Toni Schockey, Jeremy Thompson, Doug Baker. Third Row: Eric Rybold, Lee Ballinger, Tony Kerr, Tina Rader, Marci Gauder, me. Fourth Row: Heather Jamison, Jennier Updike, Jennifer Lewis, Lisa Demeter, Jason Recker, Brenda Fielitz. Last Row: Matt Crowley

Noteworthy among these kids was Lee Ballinger. We didn’t meet until we started school, but I soon came to learn that Lee was living in my neighborhood. In fact, he was in the house facing Indian Ripple as you entered the plat. We soon became the best of friends during this time period. Often joining us at play was Chris Demeter who was a grade older than us. Chris was a really nice kid with rather strict parents. Lee was more of a rebel who was allowed to do pretty much whatever he wanted. I was a chameleon and could adapt to either style and personality. Although I spent more time with Lee, we also got in a lot more fights with each other. He was a rather tough kid too, and would also get in some serious skirmishes with Kenny Carroll up the road, and generally come out on top. He also beat up Stevie Mayne a few times.

Chris’ younger sister Lisa was in Mrs. Fulkerson’s class with me. I had a bit of a crush on her as well and delighted in the fact that we had ‘secrets from the neighborhood’ that other kids weren’t in on. Sometimes we would make up lies about things we did, like having a clubhouse or eating cat food.

And poor Jennifer Lewis was one of those poor souls who somehow once got sent to school in a dress and no underwear. Not so good for her. Plenty good for the boys.

Also joining me at Fairbrook for the first time was my immediate next door neighbor Mark Staples, an upper-classman getting ready to enter Fourth Grade. Mark and his Mom moved in next door in the late summer and I quickly became acquainted with him. His Mom had a boyfriend named Tom who was a nice guy who would sometimes take us to Riffles to get candy and Styrofoam airplanes. Mark thought Tom was a goof. We had an incident right off the bat when Mark’s bus from his old school showed up to take him to school. He came pounding on our door to ask my Mom what to do since his Mom had already gone off to work and my Mom advised that he go to the school that his Mom told him to, which was Fairbrook.

Kelly Nye was a fifth grader who lived on Birchall and would quickly get the job as baby sitter for Denise and me, despite the fact that she initially picked on me mercilessly at the bus stop when we had first moved in. Besides the fact that Kelly ended up being a lot of fun to hang out with, there was another perk to having her as our babysitter; the Nyes were the only family in the neighborhood that I know of withan in-ground pool.  Later we would add Kim Stanford to the payroll. I had a mild crush on both ladies.

We spent our first Fall on Winterset, doing the normal things. We attended church regularly, and I went to Sunday School where my teachers were Jeannie Campbell and Joy Hurley. Sometimes I lit the candles, and sometimes my folks acted as greeters or Dad worked the collection plate.

Mom resumed working at Connelly and Company after being on hiatus for nearly three years. She also resumed activity in her card club and I partook in the school fundraiser selling candy (nuts would come in later years). I checked books out from the library and participated in the Read-a-Thon. Mom went to open houses and teacher conferences.

There seems to be only one photo taken on my 7th  birthday, so I’m not sure what kind of celebration I had, but clearly Grandma Murphy and my new friend and next-door neighbor were on hand. I do recall that, in my mind, the age of 7 seemed so much older than 6.

The Spider Colorforms were obvious, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what that birthday gift is that I’m opening. Looks cool though.

Beggar’s night was Monday, October 30th. As you can see from the photos below, Denise went as Mickey Mouse and I was the Incredible Hulk, each of us clad in one of those cheaply designed store-bought masks. The TV show had made its debut earlier that year. There was no notation made on the calendar about where Thanksgiving was held, but I suspect that it was at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

I’m assuming that this kid is Denise

Rowrrr! Step away from my candy

As we moved into December, I was quite ready to spend my first Christmas in our new home on Winterset. And as I recall, it was a good one.

1978 will conclude with Christmas…

My best guess for the date of this trip was the August 5 – August 12 time frame. From the dates on the pictures, it appears that these were developed after the Youngstown trip and this week in August was completely blank on the calendar that my Mom used in 1978 – with no other appointments noted.

By this time, Louise (who is the sister of my Grandpa Murphy) and Carroll had moved from McLean and were residing in a lovely country home in Charles Town, West Virginia. My Great Grandma Murphy was also living three with them, so it was always nice to get time with her. We loaded up in our Grand Prix and drove the 8-hour journey almost due west until we had arrived.

The front of the house/playground

Another angle with our Grand Prix parked out in front like it belonged there

The back patio – with shufflboard court

This photo of Grandma Murphy may or may not have been taken during this trip

I don’t remember a great deal bout our time here, but I do recall some of the fun things that could be played around the homestead: the slot machine, the pool table, the shuffleboard on the back patio, Uncle Carroll’s g0-cart, and my favorite thing of all – the Pachinko machine. I spent hours of my carefree days feeding metal ball after metal ball into this ingenious device.

Dad humors me as I become obsessed with a new game

Go-cart riding with Dad in the long driveway that was perfect for this

Mesmerized by the Pachinko machine

Even Denise joins in. Either that or she tries to eat the metal balls.

I can’t specifically recall playing pool, but along with the Christmas parties at the Eagles Club, it is likely that this was some of my earliest exposure to the game. Dad enjoyed the go-carts just as much as I did. And this was my first games of shuffle-board, and loved playing it in successive vacations if I could find it. And it was quite a deal the way the slot machine work. Carroll would give me a roll of nickels to use, and whatever I won I got to keep…that is, if I didn’t end up feeding them back in – which I did.

Some big-time gambling fun for a 6-year old

As the photos below indicate, Louise and Carroll also gathered some of the other family members from the area, and we had a fun family night with some of my distant relatives. My Mom’s cousin Pat had a son named Packy that was my playmate for the evening. I got a kick out of that name Packy, and was confused when I heard Carroll call him Patrick. Then I learned all about nicknames.

Denise presents her Great Grandma with a Kermit the Frog doll

Uncle Carroll lounges and enjoys the family. He drank coffee 24-hours a day and smoked some very aromatic pipe tobacco.

Aunt Louise, the eldest of her three siblings, relaxes in the dining room

Carroll, Louise, and Great Grandma

Mom’s cousins Mike Murphy (son of Grandpa Murphy’s brother Duane) and Pat Stewart Gorman (daughter of Louise and Carroll). I got a kick out of seeing the cowboy Tim Conway look-alike who was Pat’s husband Bill.

Doing my best to win at Animal Twister

Mike, Pat, and Bill cheer us on

Great Grandma Murphy holds her newest Great Grandson, who belongs to Mike and Beth (who is looking on)

Resting up with Packy after a hard evening’s game of Twister

It would be three years until we would once again venture to the home of Louise and Carroll, but the great time that I had with them on this trip ensured that I was as excited as can be to see them once again – and play with all of their toys – during the Summer of 1981.

1978 will continue as I enter First Grade…

Matt and I did a remarkable job of avoiding us other throughout our seven grades at Fairbrook. We didn’t actually share the same classroom until our final year there – in Mr. Turner’s sixth grade. However, we certainly had plenty of times that we shared individual classes, playground time, and extra-curricular activities. He also lived relatively close by in Tara Estates so I think we ran into each other there a few times as well when I’d bicycle over there to play.

Matt’s senior picture. Why so serious?

I saw Matt back at the 10-year reunion in 2000, and spent ample time talking to his twin sister Aimee at the 2005 reunion. Thus far, they haven’t attended the same reunion at the same time. For the 20-year reunion, our Chopin fix was back to Matt again. He’s always been a great guy, very soft spoken and kind, and with a great sense of humor.

With Matt at the reunion

Deborah Hileman and I shared Mrs. Deets class in second grade and Mrs. Owens class in fifth grade. Again, it was a small school, so we bumped into each other all over the place throughout our seven years at Fairbrook. And like Matt, Debi went on through Ankeney and Beavercreek High School as well.

Deborah in second grade

Although I’d never say we qualified as friends, there was one memory that Debi and I still shared at the 20-year reunion – and that was that we actually ran into each other at Epcot Center during the summer of 1984, following our departure from Fairbrook. I was with another classmate friend Eric Welch on this trip when he tapped me on the shoulder and said “you’ll never guess who’s over there.” We all greeted each other then my Mom chatted with her Dad for a bit. It’s a small world after all.

Deborah’s senior picture

Debi had the distinction of being the former student at the reunion with most grandchildren. Currently living in the area and working at the Kil-Care racing tracks in Xenia, Debbie is quite a nice person today, and I regret that she and I were never really friendly in school.

Hanging out with Debi at the reunion

Brenda Fielitz and I went to the same schools for all but our kindergarten year. She didn’t join the ranks of the Fairbrook foxes until first grade, when we shared Mrs. Fulkerson’s first grade class (as seen at left). I have only good memories of my association with Brenda over the years, although we only shared that one grade school class. Brenda and I wound up in the same government class during our senior year.  She was never anything but sweet at all times. The night before the reunion, we had a great time recalling our mutual grade school and especially memories of our music teacher Mrs. Owens, who would begin each class with a series of rhythmic claps that we would have to echo. It was quite the scene.

Brenda wrote on the back of her senior picture: Brad, Hi! You have always been nice to me and you make government funner! I love your jokes and your drawings! Good luck in college and with your art! Please don’t forget me! Love, Brenda

Brenda married her high school sweetheart Tom Kowalski, and the two of them were completely responsible for putting together the 20-year reunion. As former class officers, they did their former alumni very proud.

With Brenda at the reunion

This concluded the reunions with the Fairbrook Foxes. Return to the 20-year reunion here…

Niki looks a bit confused in first grade

I had plenty of opportunity to get to know Niki Shaffer (above in first grade, and at the top of the posting in second grade) over the duration of my stay at Fairbrook Elementary. Although she attended the school from the beginning, she was in Ms. Lynch’s afternoon class and I was in Mrs. Neff’s morning class, so we didn’t meet until first grade in Mrs. Fulkerson’s class. After that we shard Mrs. Deets’ homeroom in second grade, Mrs. Corn’s homeroom in third grade, and Mrs. Owens’ homeroom in fifth grade.

Niki’s sixth grade picture. We didn’t share homerooms, but we still exchanged photos, and probably shared some classes.

Niki was a very nice girl who seemed to love my sense of humor, so we always got along swimmingly. Even her Mom, who did occasional volunteering for the school came to know and like me quite well. I’d always see her at the skating parties and be sure to talk to her. It was great to see Niki at the Beavercreek High School reunion. I hadn’t seen her in the full 20 years since graduation and she had recently been living on the west coast.

With Niki at the reunion

David Van Wert currently lives in Tara Estates in Beavercreek, just a stone’s throw from where I grew up. Even though he remained in the area, I hadn’t seen him since high school either. David was a year ahead of me for the first two years at Fairbrook, but I eventually caught up and we ended up in the same second grade – but not in the same class. I really got to know David best when we shared Mrs. Smith’s class in fourth grade. He and I also shared Mr. Turner’s class in sixth grade (when the photo at right was taken).

I actually socialized with David a couple of times outside of school. Over at his house, I got the chance to play the bizarro version of the Atari 2600 called Intellivision. David had a great slumber birthday party that year. Although now and then he’d make fun of me if he caught me picking my nose, David was an extremely nice and friendly guy – and still is. It was a lot of fun seeing him at the reunion and he would be a great guy to go out and have a beer with. Let’s do it!

David’s senior picture

With David at the reunion

Last, but certainly not least, is my friend Mike Sparks. I was thrilled when he joined Facebook and we began communicating a bit. Again, I hadn’t seen him since high school and he currently was living in New York. Mike didn’t come to Fairbrook until third grade, and we didn’t share a class until our final year there: in Mr. Turner’s sixth grade class.

Spunky Mike, sixth grade

I think I came to know and like Mike the best when we were on our sixth grade class trip to Glen Helen in the Fall of 1983. He was a short, but very spunky, guy who loved a good sense of humor…and I had one. Mike was quite athletic as well and could run circles around me and just about anyone else on our sixth grade basketball team.

The  sixth grade basketball team coached by my Dad and Frank Rosati that Mike was on. In the back: me, Tim Coleman, Steve Deeton, Eric Welch, Rob Bradford. Up front: Jason Painter, Neil Kingery, Ron Reid, and Mike Sparks

I remained friends with Mike as we moved onto Ankeney and we shared the Mr. Vinson’s seventh grade Social Studies class. He sat next to the hottie Kristi Smith, and wouldn’t you know it… he ended up ‘going with’ her. At least some of the Fairbrook boys were making good with this new crop of women! We never really socialized outside of school, but always remained friends through our Senior year, at which time we lost contact.  

Mike wrote on the back of his senior picture: Brad F. Well Bad I guess this is it! I’ve known you forever. I’m glad your in my class this year! Good luck w/ your girlfriend and especially your cartoon endeavors. I hope to read Brashley someday in the Sunday paper! 555-Mike!

It was particularly great to see Mike at the 20 year BHS reunion. He had come all the way from New York, bringing his charming and attractive wife Jessica with him. It’s too bad they don’t live closer. Beers would be on me if they did.

Mike at the reunion, still a ball of fire

The Fairbrook foxes will wrap up in the next posting…

Return the BHS 20-year reunion here…