Ted Mendez Was In
By: Stan Jordan
Ted Mendez was in the other say and brought me some old pictures and some information on the park and a lot of old memories.
In 1950 the Weatherhead factory was built. A lot of their officiants came from Cleveland. Well the president of the company was Dane Smetzer. They had a daughter, Anita. She married the first Ted Mendez and they had a boy and named him Ted, also.
The first Ted was a good boxer in The Golden Gloves in the Fort Wayne area, but I think he was killed in Korea. His son, Ted, is the one who brought me some old pictures and I am very glad to get them!
I will be showing some of them in a couple weeks.
See ya!
SEYFERTS POTATO CHIPS
By: Stan Jordan
I don’t know where to start with this bundle of history. Lots of you younger generation are not going to know what I’m talking about, because you are too young, but this is in my heart and soul forever, and I know I’m not the only one who thinks so.
I was born in 1924 and I remember that ere of 1938 on, when I was on the loose and lived here in Ohio, but spent a lot of time over in Fort Wayne, as well as a lot of other teenagers.
But Seyferts Potato Chip, radio station WOWO, all of those people, Hilliard Gates and, Gardner Drive Inn, that was in Fort Wayne. I was all sort of magic to us teenagers. Most teenagers would find a job and we had a little pocket money, but you didn’t need much. Hilliard Gates was the best sports announcer around and Seyferts sponsored almost all of Fort Wayne sports, so those two went together like a hand in a glove. The afore mentioned groups were Fort Wayne leaders and backers.
Seyferts was started in 1934 by Charles Seyfert, he done all the work by himself.
He peeled the potatoes, soaked them, sacked them and delivered them in his one truck. Over the years, Seyferts backed a lot of Fort Wayne’s activities. Yes, to our generation, they were Fort Wayne.
Then in 1982 Borden acquired Seyferts. Heath got the Seyferts Food Division for Borden. Then in 2001 Troyer Potato Products aquired Seyferts Foods.
But to me and my generation that part of Fort Wayne was the whole world and I still miss those times, those people, that whole area.
Yes, I am an old fuddy duddy.
See ya!
One of the very last parades on Firemen’s Day years ago is the setting for this semi-true story.
Gale and I were doing the announcing down about where the L. Smith & Son building is on South Main Street. Gale was using the mic and I was keeping the notes and papers straight. I looked across the street in front of the Keystone building and there was a group of ladies and my old school chum Helen Green. I just had to go see Helen, as soon as possible.
When the parade ended, I told Gale I wanted to hurry over and see my old school chum, Helen Green, and he could have some firemen to roll up the cords, speakers and mic.
So I went over to the group and Helen had her back to me, so I reached up and tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around, I was dumb founded… I did not know this lady at all!
I stuttered and stammered and I told her she looked like Helen Green and she said, “I know it, and I don’t look any better in blue either.”
See ya!
MEMORIES, MEMORIES
By: Stan Jordan
If you are not at least 75 years old you will not enjoy or understand this column.
Back in 1940 or so, everybody drove into Fort Wayne and shopped or for a movie. Right down town was Wolf & Dessaur, a fantastic department store. On up town was the Paramount Theater where I watched Gone With The Wind one afternoon for fifty cents, but that was an hour’s wages, so slide that over and spend an hour’s wage on a movie. Then right on that corner was Murphy’s ten cent store, an adventure in itself, so much candy.
Across the street to the southwest was a two story drug and ice cream store. I spent a number of trips there. Then on south was a number of ladies apparel stores.
But if you walk north on Calhoun Street and turn left on Main Street, to me that was another city down there. You would enter the world of the Coney Island Hot Dog Shop. I have so many memories of that restaurant, time and time again. I’ll never forget those Greek Boys, who owned and operated that shop.
Then there was the Sears Roebuck shop on Main Street till it moved out on Rudisill after WWII.
Then there was the Main Auto Sport Shop, a man’s store. You could buy car parts or sporting goods.
I always enjoyed going in there, as one of the clerks was Mel Bollier of Harlan and he was always up on city and national sports and willing to talk. He had a sister, Hazel, who married an Antwerp boy, Raymond Terrell.
Then I think there was a store called Sapenfield, another sports store.
Then if I remember right, over on Wayne Street was the Wayne Bun Candy Factory. One of the best chocolate candy bars ever made, called Maple Bun, those were top shelf.
I loved to go to that area and look around, but now, you know, progress.
See ya!
