Rock Island
Rock Island
Stories set here
- Radio, Sock Hops, and Teenage DaysBarbara recalls listening to KSTT—1170 AM and WLS—890, cruising Rock Island's One-Ways with girlfriends, Maid Rite sandwiches, and Whitey’s ice cream, where her mother always chose a strawberry cone. Her teen memories include sock hops, poodle skirts, crinolines, cinch belts, saddle shoes, Capezios, and curling irons heated on the gas stove. She remembers ten-cent fries after McDonalds opened during junior high, lunchtime dancing at Coolidge Jr. High, homecoming floats, 4-H and the County Fair, baby-sitting, work at Turnstyle and the Hasty Tasty, ironing even pillowcases, pizza's growing popularity, televised basketball tournaments, and hearing about the first man going into space over the school intercom.
- Friday-Night Games with a Dear FriendCarol recalls doing almost everything with Lila Lambert (now Becker) from grade school through high school, including attending the same church and its Luther League youth program. Their friendship continued into the time of writing. They attended Friday-night football and basketball games to support the Moline Maroons, whose rivals included East Moline and Rock Island. Home games took place at Browning Field and Wharton Field House. Carol humorously describes basketball's popularity by saying someone had to die before a reserved seat became available.
- Carhop Trays and Late-Night ReassurancesCarol’s first part-time job was serving root beer, hamburgers, and malts as a Tasty Treat carhop. Owner and neighbor Mrs. Mary Poston hired Carol, Dee, and Marilyn McFarland; Carol recalls that they made about seventy dollars plus tips that summer. Mrs. Poston also owned Hasty Tasty Restaurant, where Barb washed dishes on second shift. Despite being frightened when returning home around 1:30 a.m., Barb joked that she was protecting Carol from Peeping Toms.
- Caring for Daddy Through His Last MonthsDaddy suffered a stroke on Christmas Eve, 1967. Not realizing its seriousness, the family went to Iris and Bill's while Mom stayed with him. After Mom called Iris to report that he was worse, Lee and Bob took him to the hospital. Following two weeks there, his agitation prompted a search for other care. The family rejected St. Anthony's Hospital in Rock Island because patients were smoking while Daddy struggled to breathe. Mom tried caring for him at home with help from the girls and daily visits from Virginia, but the burden became exhausting. He was eventually taken to East Moline State Hospital. He died at sixty-three on May 23, 1968, surrounded by Mom and all the children, and is buried next to Mom at Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Illinois.
- A First Job and a Friendship That LastedAfter graduating from Moline High, Carol obtained her first full-time job through church friend Vendla Solmonson at Augustana Book Concern. She handled Sunday School material subscriptions for Lutheran churches throughout the United States, starting at a dollar an hour. She commuted with lifelong friend Eilene Peterson, whose family had been close neighbors, and stayed until December 1966.
- A Special Glove and Trips with the TeamRobert recalls playing baseball in fifth and sixth grades and how special his new glove felt. As Junior High School football team manager, he enjoyed getting to know players and coaches and traveling to away games. His childhood games also included marbles, yo-yos, and a little hopscotch.
- Dad’s Night in Jail and Friends Who Came ThroughOne summer evening, Floyd Guild called Bill from jail in Rock Island, asking for an attorney. Bill enlisted their friend Julie Lytton and found deputy sheriff Jack White at the jail. Floyd complained about surrendering his belongings and receiving bologna sandwiches instead of the steak dinner he had left at home. After a night in jail, he appeared before Judge O’Neil over an unanswered court order to pay property taxes. Julie explained Floyd’s impression that he did not have to pay, referring to Cook County. The judge instructed Floyd to read court letters and fined him seventy dollars, which Bill provided. After retrieving his possessions, Floyd discovered rain had soaked his car seats through the open windows. Julie never charged for his services, and Mom later found the court letters unopened in Daddy’s dresser drawer.
Family corrections
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