Introduction

Introduction

While I was born in 1951, sometimes I feel like I was born in 1914. My father told me so many stories about growing up in Philadelphia, and occasionally even about his family, that I feel some sense of at least one person's life in those years before I was born. While my mother, of course, wanted a child, I'm not sure that my father did. I think there was a part of it all that scared him, so they waited quite a while to have me. I hope I was "a relief" to my father, and I think I worked hard to be a good son. Looking back, especially at those few older pictures I have of my father, I think the very best part of his life was the first half - back when things were simple, he had good friends, and the burdens of adulthood were not yet upon him. Looking back, I feel like the best part of my life was the first half, largely due to my parents. It was a time when life was simple, controllable, and when I was actually organized! I'm sure my father found many good things in his entire life, as do I, but I believe we had this in common - that there is nothing better than growing up in Philadelphia. So, do not find the title of my new blog in any way depressing, my friends, its just a perspective that I've found interesting to investigate.

I'll start by writing about my family. I realize we are nothing special, but as we've learned from millions of pages of memoirs written and published, there can be much to be learned from those who came before us.

As I get past some family stories, this blog may be of interest to anyone who grew up in the Delaware Valley/Philadelphia/Delaware County in the 1950's and 60's, or to anyone married/partnered to one (if you are, there is much you need to understand before the two of you can communicate!).

Please check out my book, Saturday Night at Sarah Joy's. All proceeds go to the Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Fund. Information is available at: saturdaynightatsarahjoys.blogspot.com.

Thank you!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Echos you could see: Echo I and II


In my second decade, the 1960's, a great evening activity for several summers was satellite watching.  The satellites were called Echo I and II, and every day in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin there was a little box below the fold on page 2 that reported when they would be passing overhead.  My dad and I would check the paper after dinner, and you could always find us on the back porch watching it cross the sky.




NASA launched these satellites in 1960 and 1964.  They were aluminum-coated Mylar balloons, roughly 100 feet in diameter, which were placed into orbit about 1000 miles above the earth.  These were the first communication satellites.  They acted as reflectors from which radio signals could be bounced off.  Their size and coating allowed them to be seen from all over the earth.

Both reentered the atmosphere and burned up by 1969.

These were times when JFK had instilled in us all a healthy interest in science and space travel, so watching real satellites was a daily thrill.  I remember two particular occasions that kept my interest in Echo.

Since all boys (including me) seemed to have collected coins and stamps in the 1960's, I was thrilled when the U.S. Post Office issued a 4-cent stamp commemorating Project Echo, on December 15, 1960.  It was great timing; I got a whole sheet of them from my father for Christmas!  I was 9 years old.

The second surprise came the next summer with my family on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ.  One of the things I enjoyed doing in one arcade (in addition to skee-ball) was to collect black and white post cards, which were distributed from a machine, for two pennies each.  When we were on vacation at the shore, I always came prepared with a can of pennies.  I had a big collection of these cards showing experimental cars, rockets, and the occasional celebrity, and was so excited to get a card showing Echo I, which I still have, as you can see!


© 2012 John Allison
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)