My Trulock grandmother's home: 305 Martin Place

 It was torn down in the late 1960s, and was vacant in the mid-1960s when I went in it several times, exploring, with my friend Trip Martin, who lived on 15th Avenue, about four blocks away. I didn't know at the time that my Trulock grandmother (1900-1972) grew up in this house.  It was built by Ben J. Altheimer in about 1906, but he moved to Chicago to practice law. Sometime after that, my grandmother's father, Leo M. Andrews, bought it.  I found this photo at the Kehilalinks' Pine Bluff website, along with the one below.  You can barely see Paul Perdue's name in the lower right corner. It was originally posted by him on his Pine Bluff Postcards site.  I'm not sure what's happened to that, or to him.

Caption from Kehilalinks: This wonderful old house at 305 Martin was Mrs. Holmes' Boarding House when the photo was taken in the 1960's. And that's lil' Julia Glover standing out front. The house has since been demolished.

Current view of the same location.  Notice the same tree and small brick retaining wall beneath it.  Also the telephone pole. This property, and the rest of the block east to Pine Street, is owned by a middle-aged couple who live in a one-story, white-painted-brick house that's just out of view to the left. They've made this 2/3 of the block into a very attractive and large flower and shrub garden.

This is just to the right (east) of the previous photo. To complete this set, here's another photo, taken on August 8, 2021, of the remaining part of the garden area, to the east of the above photo. I was standing at the corner of Martin Avenue (called Martin Place in the old days) and Pine Street when I took this photo:

June Freeman's 7-10-1965 birthday

 

Gretchen, June, Andy, me, and David Freeman at June's birthday party. Photo most likely taken by Ed Freeman. I was 10 years old, same age as Andy. I guess I was visiting him that day and it happened to be June's birthday. I visited June this past Sunday, July 11, 2021.  She's 93.  Ed recently died. 

Tom Gibson, Andy Freeman, and me PBHS 1971

 This was probably a school assembly during the day rather than a basketball game at night, judging from the facial expressions. Also I don't think I went to any basketball games when I was in high school. The location is McFadden Field House (the gym), one of the still-surviving buildings from the time I was at Pine Bluff High School. The year is likely 1971, in the early fall.  The people I recognize are the front row people: Tommy Gibson, a member of the school paper's editorial staff, Andy Freeman, photographer for the PBHS annual, and myself, co-editor (with Stephanie Callaway) of the school paper, the Pine Cone. The teacher  behind me looks like Mrs.Marie Chandler.  I don't recognize the others in the photo. Andy sent me the photo yesterday, after I asked him by email about any old photos he might have. He didn't know who took it.

Picture taken in memory of Marshall Miller

 

Marshall Miller died at his home in Hot Springs, with Jeanne, Marsh and Jessica at his bedside, on March 12, 2021. After I'd talked to Jeanne about 1:15 that afternoon and she told me Marshall was too weak to talk, I heard from my brother Steven at about 4 that Marshall had just died. I took this picture as a memorial tribute. I was walking Molly the beagle in front of the River Bend condos in Little Rock with Rita, who was walking her client dog Woody (small white furry) on his 4 pm outing.

In 1974-75, Marshall was a frequent visitor to the Riverhouse--a modern (1969) one-room cabin on the Arkansas River at Pine Bluff that belonged to my family--when I was living there after dropping out of Hendrix College in December 1973. He and my brother Steven and Marc Cronin, among others, played guitars and sang. Beginning in early 1975, I joined in on banjo, finger-picking on some songs. We also listened to records like Viva Terlingua, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Tubular Bells, Greetings From Asbury Park, Live Rhymin', I Got A Name, Daltrey, Love Chronicles, Court and Spark, and others. Jeff Wooley, Karen Jo Simmons and her step-siblings Billy and Linda Huckaby, Gil Bowers, Trip Martin, and Pat Calkins were also among the Riverhouse partiers during the year and a half I lived there. 

The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute purchased Marshall's outdoor sculpture installation two years ago. In 2018, the sculpture was one of about 10 others chosen to be temporarily exhibited on the Institute's grounds on Petit Jean mountain. Only Marshall's and one other were chosen to be permanent installations, and Marshall's was dedicated by the Institute to the memory of Winthrop Paul Rockefeller. 

38 sec video of my Pioneer RT-1050 reel-to-reel

 

This is the first song on a new 1970 mix tape I'm making. I made the old 1970 mix tape exactly 20 years ago. Last night, after I recorded this video, I made a new 80-minute tape of mixed 1970 songs, but it's not a keeper. Don't know when I'll get back to it. I've had the Maxell 10'' blank tape and take-up reel for about 22 years, but haven't recorded anything on them until now (I didn't have the necessary hub adapters until recently). The second song I'm using is Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun," recorded at the Fillmore East on New Year's Day (night) 1970. Hendrix was with his Band of Gypsys at the time: Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, and Hendrix. By the way, I just now found this:

Jimi Hendrix’s Landmark Final Album, Band Of Gypsys, Celebrated With Remastered 50th Anniversary Vinyl Editions

Recent phone photos from Knoop Park overlook

 

Saturday November 21

Also Nov 21. Social distancing! L to R: Rocky, George (the new dog), Molly, Albert.

Also Nov. 21

Thanksgiving morning 6:57

Trinity Episcopal kindergarten 1960 Pine Bluff

 Trinity Episcopal first-year kindergarten graduates 1960. Phillip McNulty sent this to me a while back.

Among all the familiar and funny faces, I only recognize two:  Dabney Dunklin on the front row far right, and Suzanne Willis, third from right on front row.  This group was a year or two years younger than my class. I'll check with Phillip to find out some names and add them here when I do.

Update November 21:  Here is Phillip's November 16 email giving some more of the names:

----------

Back Row:  ??, Mike Tracy, Richard Freeman, Steve McIntyre, Rusty Miller, ??, ??, Bobby Rice, Scott Heirs

Row 3:  Kris Shewmake, ??, ??, Mike Joseph, Holly Watkins, Chuck Barrett, Burt Hinman, Mason Monfee, ??

Row 2:   Sherry Robinson, LuAnn Smith, ??, ??, Mark Robinson, Greg Wilcox, ??, ??, Ellen Nichol, ??

Row 4:  ??, ??, ??, ??, LeAnne Kamber, Vicky Norton, Suzanne Willis, ??, Dabney Dunklin

Hold up on the unknowns, I just contacted Mark R and we will figure them out again, this is a good start.

----------