at's all about me! karen soup eifler kirby
TRANSCRIPT
1
Itrsquos all about Me Karen Soup Eifler Kirby
Began in 2007 revised 10-2010
KEK
This story about Karen Eifler Kirby began as a school project and has expanded way be-
yond that It was the jumping-off-place for my quest into family genealogy and because of this
assignment I was able to document my grandparents John and Sadie Eiflerrsquos lives and their chil-
dren John Irene and Norm Eiflerrsquos lives in an 80-page manuscript
This is a separate document and this one is all about me Karen Soup
Karen Sue Karen Eifler Kirby It may continue to grow as I remember
more but it is a document about my childhood as it was then and how
my past has formed who I have become today The memories are chaotic
and random so ride the roller coaster of memories along with me as I ex-
plore the past
While I was growing up I was aware of how unique the ―Eifler name was but more im-
portantly I was relieved that other kids couldnrsquot make fun of my name in any way that hurt my
feelings No horrible words rhymed with my name and it couldnrsquot be butchered and turned into
anything harmful or nasty The worst taunt I ever heard was ―Eiffel Tower ―Eiffel Tower It
was hard to take name-calling such as that very personally and I was truly thankful for such an
2
obscure name during my tender years I grew up feeling extremely proud of my solid German
heritage
In Alice Walkerrsquos essay titled ―The Place Where I was Born she wrote about her child-
hood home in Georgia She stated that ―It [was] incredibly beautiful where I live[d] Not fancy
at all or exclusive (642) Those words resonate inside of me bringing forth memories of my
childhood home Our familyrsquos abode was a bright yellow one-story house with a walk-out base-
ment apartment prepared especially for my paternal Grandparents who lived with us The resi-
dence was located in a sprawling suburban neighborhood five miles southeast of the Boulder city
limits With two acres to run free on and a safer world to live in back in the 1950rsquos and 1960rsquos
the possibilities seemed endless We lived about five miles to the south
east of the town of Boulder Colo-
rado in a sprawling neighborhood
called Paragon Estates
―Ooah-coo-coo-coo was the mournful call of the Mourning dove that crept into my
consciousness and greeted every warm summer morning in my childhood home of
Boulder Colorado I would stretch myself awake listening to the birds singing in the stillness of
the morning as the sunlight poured in through the window of my bedroom warming my blanket
The lure of another lazy summer day would spur my imagination into action and as I threw the
covers aside and swung my legs off of my bed my head would already be spinning with the pos-
sibilities and planned adventures lined out before me
My Mom was a stay at home Mother with a full-time job taking care of three growing
girls and a household She was also a devoted caregiver to my Fatherrsquos parents and cared for my
3
Grandma Eifler for twenty-five years In those days roles were much more divided than they are
now Mom took charge of the household and the kids and Dad took care of the outside stuff and
earned the money needed to sustain a family of five They both did a fabulous job
My Father made his career in the
Electronics field working first at a
company called Sundstrand in Denver
and then moving between two small
companies Granville Phillips and Sci-
entech
I would look forward to the time that Dad
came home from work Once he unwound a bit he
would get on the floor and let us climb all over him
and tickle us wildly I liked to follow him around
when he worked around the house and in the garage
He would lift me up to sit on his workbench so I could
see what he was doing Sometimes I got to ride along
with him on errands or go to the dump with him and
that was a treat
4
Fashion Show
Dad had some really fun hobbies I remember he built an
extensive racetrack and we would go down into the basement
and race cars on this racetrack that would pull down from its
storage place along the wall He also liked to have a train set up
every Christmas and I loved to watch the train chug along the
track At other times he would work with glue and tiny parts
assembling models of airplanes As we got older we assembled
some models with the help of our Dad Diane remembers a buf-
falo that she made with him
My Mother was a talented seamstress She made beautiful
look-alike Easter and Christmas dress for all three girls and then
we would sit on the fireplace ledge for the Annual lineup On one
occasion all three of us modeled dresses our Mother had made in a
style show at the Harvest House
The event was hosted
by our neighbor Fleta Hatha-
wayrsquos bible fellowship Mom
taught Jan to sew and Jan and
Diane both have my Gramma
Eiflerrsquos talent for needlework
(I received none of that tal-
ent)
5
Mom should have been a schoolteacher and we were blessed by her activities and crafts
She always taught us to make great projects and she had endless amounts of patience I did get
some of her ―craftiness and I still enjoy painting and drawing and writing
We had a real dog which in my mem-
ory was always ―old Wendy Wendy was a
tan colored mutt and she was sweet and gen-
tle with us She died in 1970 when I was ten
years old
When I was small I had a stuffed dog
that was named Penny I think he was passed
down to me from my sisters but I loved the
fur off of that dog I wish I still had him to-
day
I had the Mumps on both sides in February of
1963 when I was 3 frac12 years old I contracted the hard
Measles in June of 1965 the summer before I turned
five In April of 1966 I had the chickenpox Then I
was all done with childhood diseases
6
I remember having cats as well One time we had a mean orange tabby named Mandy
that would sit on the washer and dryer in the breezeway and attack us when we walked by I re-
member one cat that died on the operating table being spayed There was another cat named
Samantha that gave birth to three little kittens We didnrsquot get to keep them but my kittens name
was Nutmeg Dianersquos kitten was Mercedes and Jan named her kitten Linus
To the south of our house was a horse pasture that housed several horses There was a
brown horse I was too young to recall followed by horse named ―Comanche followed by a
welsh pony originally named Whiskey but re-named ―Coke when he came to us My sisters
loved to ride horses but I was always afraid of them I remember forcing them to plod along for
the first half of the ride and being unable to stop them from cantering the whole way back to the
barn I was never the one in charge and I got thrown one too many times to enjoy them Coleen
remembers Coke running up to the fence and throwing her over it Another time Christine and I
were riding up the street when Diane jumped out to scare us scaring the horse instead He reared
up and threw both of us off and I was SO mad at Diane
My favorite memory of the horsesrsquo field is not of the horses themselves but of the tall
grasses that grew in the pasture during the early part of the summer These tall grasses would
grow taller than me and my sisters and I would trample down rooms and passageways through
the weeds creating homes with many extensive rooms to accommodate all of us There we
7
would spend hours playing house pretending to be married forming relationships and raising
children I can still recall the feeling of quiet serenity while hiding in the grass with the warm sun
blazing down and the gentle breeze rippling through the tall weeds
Another favorite place to congregate was the playhouse My father built a freestanding
structure in our back yard that had a two-room playhouse in the front for the kids and a green-
house and tool shed in the back for the adults It even had a covered front porch and the outside
was painted yellow to match the house In one inside room was the kitchen complete with a
wooden stove an oven a sink and cupboards to put our dishes in Mom stocked it with dishes
pots and pans and empty spice containers and food cans The second room had two picture win-
dows a table with chairs and even a telephone on the wall On the east-facing wall of the kitchen
was a large window that opened up onto our playground complete with a jungle gym
A favorite scenario was to pretend the playhouse was
a houseboat on the high seas with man-eating sharks in the
water all around We would have to jump from the window
onto the jungle gym without touching the ground so the
sharks wouldnrsquot get us At other times the playhouse became
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
2
obscure name during my tender years I grew up feeling extremely proud of my solid German
heritage
In Alice Walkerrsquos essay titled ―The Place Where I was Born she wrote about her child-
hood home in Georgia She stated that ―It [was] incredibly beautiful where I live[d] Not fancy
at all or exclusive (642) Those words resonate inside of me bringing forth memories of my
childhood home Our familyrsquos abode was a bright yellow one-story house with a walk-out base-
ment apartment prepared especially for my paternal Grandparents who lived with us The resi-
dence was located in a sprawling suburban neighborhood five miles southeast of the Boulder city
limits With two acres to run free on and a safer world to live in back in the 1950rsquos and 1960rsquos
the possibilities seemed endless We lived about five miles to the south
east of the town of Boulder Colo-
rado in a sprawling neighborhood
called Paragon Estates
―Ooah-coo-coo-coo was the mournful call of the Mourning dove that crept into my
consciousness and greeted every warm summer morning in my childhood home of
Boulder Colorado I would stretch myself awake listening to the birds singing in the stillness of
the morning as the sunlight poured in through the window of my bedroom warming my blanket
The lure of another lazy summer day would spur my imagination into action and as I threw the
covers aside and swung my legs off of my bed my head would already be spinning with the pos-
sibilities and planned adventures lined out before me
My Mom was a stay at home Mother with a full-time job taking care of three growing
girls and a household She was also a devoted caregiver to my Fatherrsquos parents and cared for my
3
Grandma Eifler for twenty-five years In those days roles were much more divided than they are
now Mom took charge of the household and the kids and Dad took care of the outside stuff and
earned the money needed to sustain a family of five They both did a fabulous job
My Father made his career in the
Electronics field working first at a
company called Sundstrand in Denver
and then moving between two small
companies Granville Phillips and Sci-
entech
I would look forward to the time that Dad
came home from work Once he unwound a bit he
would get on the floor and let us climb all over him
and tickle us wildly I liked to follow him around
when he worked around the house and in the garage
He would lift me up to sit on his workbench so I could
see what he was doing Sometimes I got to ride along
with him on errands or go to the dump with him and
that was a treat
4
Fashion Show
Dad had some really fun hobbies I remember he built an
extensive racetrack and we would go down into the basement
and race cars on this racetrack that would pull down from its
storage place along the wall He also liked to have a train set up
every Christmas and I loved to watch the train chug along the
track At other times he would work with glue and tiny parts
assembling models of airplanes As we got older we assembled
some models with the help of our Dad Diane remembers a buf-
falo that she made with him
My Mother was a talented seamstress She made beautiful
look-alike Easter and Christmas dress for all three girls and then
we would sit on the fireplace ledge for the Annual lineup On one
occasion all three of us modeled dresses our Mother had made in a
style show at the Harvest House
The event was hosted
by our neighbor Fleta Hatha-
wayrsquos bible fellowship Mom
taught Jan to sew and Jan and
Diane both have my Gramma
Eiflerrsquos talent for needlework
(I received none of that tal-
ent)
5
Mom should have been a schoolteacher and we were blessed by her activities and crafts
She always taught us to make great projects and she had endless amounts of patience I did get
some of her ―craftiness and I still enjoy painting and drawing and writing
We had a real dog which in my mem-
ory was always ―old Wendy Wendy was a
tan colored mutt and she was sweet and gen-
tle with us She died in 1970 when I was ten
years old
When I was small I had a stuffed dog
that was named Penny I think he was passed
down to me from my sisters but I loved the
fur off of that dog I wish I still had him to-
day
I had the Mumps on both sides in February of
1963 when I was 3 frac12 years old I contracted the hard
Measles in June of 1965 the summer before I turned
five In April of 1966 I had the chickenpox Then I
was all done with childhood diseases
6
I remember having cats as well One time we had a mean orange tabby named Mandy
that would sit on the washer and dryer in the breezeway and attack us when we walked by I re-
member one cat that died on the operating table being spayed There was another cat named
Samantha that gave birth to three little kittens We didnrsquot get to keep them but my kittens name
was Nutmeg Dianersquos kitten was Mercedes and Jan named her kitten Linus
To the south of our house was a horse pasture that housed several horses There was a
brown horse I was too young to recall followed by horse named ―Comanche followed by a
welsh pony originally named Whiskey but re-named ―Coke when he came to us My sisters
loved to ride horses but I was always afraid of them I remember forcing them to plod along for
the first half of the ride and being unable to stop them from cantering the whole way back to the
barn I was never the one in charge and I got thrown one too many times to enjoy them Coleen
remembers Coke running up to the fence and throwing her over it Another time Christine and I
were riding up the street when Diane jumped out to scare us scaring the horse instead He reared
up and threw both of us off and I was SO mad at Diane
My favorite memory of the horsesrsquo field is not of the horses themselves but of the tall
grasses that grew in the pasture during the early part of the summer These tall grasses would
grow taller than me and my sisters and I would trample down rooms and passageways through
the weeds creating homes with many extensive rooms to accommodate all of us There we
7
would spend hours playing house pretending to be married forming relationships and raising
children I can still recall the feeling of quiet serenity while hiding in the grass with the warm sun
blazing down and the gentle breeze rippling through the tall weeds
Another favorite place to congregate was the playhouse My father built a freestanding
structure in our back yard that had a two-room playhouse in the front for the kids and a green-
house and tool shed in the back for the adults It even had a covered front porch and the outside
was painted yellow to match the house In one inside room was the kitchen complete with a
wooden stove an oven a sink and cupboards to put our dishes in Mom stocked it with dishes
pots and pans and empty spice containers and food cans The second room had two picture win-
dows a table with chairs and even a telephone on the wall On the east-facing wall of the kitchen
was a large window that opened up onto our playground complete with a jungle gym
A favorite scenario was to pretend the playhouse was
a houseboat on the high seas with man-eating sharks in the
water all around We would have to jump from the window
onto the jungle gym without touching the ground so the
sharks wouldnrsquot get us At other times the playhouse became
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
3
Grandma Eifler for twenty-five years In those days roles were much more divided than they are
now Mom took charge of the household and the kids and Dad took care of the outside stuff and
earned the money needed to sustain a family of five They both did a fabulous job
My Father made his career in the
Electronics field working first at a
company called Sundstrand in Denver
and then moving between two small
companies Granville Phillips and Sci-
entech
I would look forward to the time that Dad
came home from work Once he unwound a bit he
would get on the floor and let us climb all over him
and tickle us wildly I liked to follow him around
when he worked around the house and in the garage
He would lift me up to sit on his workbench so I could
see what he was doing Sometimes I got to ride along
with him on errands or go to the dump with him and
that was a treat
4
Fashion Show
Dad had some really fun hobbies I remember he built an
extensive racetrack and we would go down into the basement
and race cars on this racetrack that would pull down from its
storage place along the wall He also liked to have a train set up
every Christmas and I loved to watch the train chug along the
track At other times he would work with glue and tiny parts
assembling models of airplanes As we got older we assembled
some models with the help of our Dad Diane remembers a buf-
falo that she made with him
My Mother was a talented seamstress She made beautiful
look-alike Easter and Christmas dress for all three girls and then
we would sit on the fireplace ledge for the Annual lineup On one
occasion all three of us modeled dresses our Mother had made in a
style show at the Harvest House
The event was hosted
by our neighbor Fleta Hatha-
wayrsquos bible fellowship Mom
taught Jan to sew and Jan and
Diane both have my Gramma
Eiflerrsquos talent for needlework
(I received none of that tal-
ent)
5
Mom should have been a schoolteacher and we were blessed by her activities and crafts
She always taught us to make great projects and she had endless amounts of patience I did get
some of her ―craftiness and I still enjoy painting and drawing and writing
We had a real dog which in my mem-
ory was always ―old Wendy Wendy was a
tan colored mutt and she was sweet and gen-
tle with us She died in 1970 when I was ten
years old
When I was small I had a stuffed dog
that was named Penny I think he was passed
down to me from my sisters but I loved the
fur off of that dog I wish I still had him to-
day
I had the Mumps on both sides in February of
1963 when I was 3 frac12 years old I contracted the hard
Measles in June of 1965 the summer before I turned
five In April of 1966 I had the chickenpox Then I
was all done with childhood diseases
6
I remember having cats as well One time we had a mean orange tabby named Mandy
that would sit on the washer and dryer in the breezeway and attack us when we walked by I re-
member one cat that died on the operating table being spayed There was another cat named
Samantha that gave birth to three little kittens We didnrsquot get to keep them but my kittens name
was Nutmeg Dianersquos kitten was Mercedes and Jan named her kitten Linus
To the south of our house was a horse pasture that housed several horses There was a
brown horse I was too young to recall followed by horse named ―Comanche followed by a
welsh pony originally named Whiskey but re-named ―Coke when he came to us My sisters
loved to ride horses but I was always afraid of them I remember forcing them to plod along for
the first half of the ride and being unable to stop them from cantering the whole way back to the
barn I was never the one in charge and I got thrown one too many times to enjoy them Coleen
remembers Coke running up to the fence and throwing her over it Another time Christine and I
were riding up the street when Diane jumped out to scare us scaring the horse instead He reared
up and threw both of us off and I was SO mad at Diane
My favorite memory of the horsesrsquo field is not of the horses themselves but of the tall
grasses that grew in the pasture during the early part of the summer These tall grasses would
grow taller than me and my sisters and I would trample down rooms and passageways through
the weeds creating homes with many extensive rooms to accommodate all of us There we
7
would spend hours playing house pretending to be married forming relationships and raising
children I can still recall the feeling of quiet serenity while hiding in the grass with the warm sun
blazing down and the gentle breeze rippling through the tall weeds
Another favorite place to congregate was the playhouse My father built a freestanding
structure in our back yard that had a two-room playhouse in the front for the kids and a green-
house and tool shed in the back for the adults It even had a covered front porch and the outside
was painted yellow to match the house In one inside room was the kitchen complete with a
wooden stove an oven a sink and cupboards to put our dishes in Mom stocked it with dishes
pots and pans and empty spice containers and food cans The second room had two picture win-
dows a table with chairs and even a telephone on the wall On the east-facing wall of the kitchen
was a large window that opened up onto our playground complete with a jungle gym
A favorite scenario was to pretend the playhouse was
a houseboat on the high seas with man-eating sharks in the
water all around We would have to jump from the window
onto the jungle gym without touching the ground so the
sharks wouldnrsquot get us At other times the playhouse became
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
4
Fashion Show
Dad had some really fun hobbies I remember he built an
extensive racetrack and we would go down into the basement
and race cars on this racetrack that would pull down from its
storage place along the wall He also liked to have a train set up
every Christmas and I loved to watch the train chug along the
track At other times he would work with glue and tiny parts
assembling models of airplanes As we got older we assembled
some models with the help of our Dad Diane remembers a buf-
falo that she made with him
My Mother was a talented seamstress She made beautiful
look-alike Easter and Christmas dress for all three girls and then
we would sit on the fireplace ledge for the Annual lineup On one
occasion all three of us modeled dresses our Mother had made in a
style show at the Harvest House
The event was hosted
by our neighbor Fleta Hatha-
wayrsquos bible fellowship Mom
taught Jan to sew and Jan and
Diane both have my Gramma
Eiflerrsquos talent for needlework
(I received none of that tal-
ent)
5
Mom should have been a schoolteacher and we were blessed by her activities and crafts
She always taught us to make great projects and she had endless amounts of patience I did get
some of her ―craftiness and I still enjoy painting and drawing and writing
We had a real dog which in my mem-
ory was always ―old Wendy Wendy was a
tan colored mutt and she was sweet and gen-
tle with us She died in 1970 when I was ten
years old
When I was small I had a stuffed dog
that was named Penny I think he was passed
down to me from my sisters but I loved the
fur off of that dog I wish I still had him to-
day
I had the Mumps on both sides in February of
1963 when I was 3 frac12 years old I contracted the hard
Measles in June of 1965 the summer before I turned
five In April of 1966 I had the chickenpox Then I
was all done with childhood diseases
6
I remember having cats as well One time we had a mean orange tabby named Mandy
that would sit on the washer and dryer in the breezeway and attack us when we walked by I re-
member one cat that died on the operating table being spayed There was another cat named
Samantha that gave birth to three little kittens We didnrsquot get to keep them but my kittens name
was Nutmeg Dianersquos kitten was Mercedes and Jan named her kitten Linus
To the south of our house was a horse pasture that housed several horses There was a
brown horse I was too young to recall followed by horse named ―Comanche followed by a
welsh pony originally named Whiskey but re-named ―Coke when he came to us My sisters
loved to ride horses but I was always afraid of them I remember forcing them to plod along for
the first half of the ride and being unable to stop them from cantering the whole way back to the
barn I was never the one in charge and I got thrown one too many times to enjoy them Coleen
remembers Coke running up to the fence and throwing her over it Another time Christine and I
were riding up the street when Diane jumped out to scare us scaring the horse instead He reared
up and threw both of us off and I was SO mad at Diane
My favorite memory of the horsesrsquo field is not of the horses themselves but of the tall
grasses that grew in the pasture during the early part of the summer These tall grasses would
grow taller than me and my sisters and I would trample down rooms and passageways through
the weeds creating homes with many extensive rooms to accommodate all of us There we
7
would spend hours playing house pretending to be married forming relationships and raising
children I can still recall the feeling of quiet serenity while hiding in the grass with the warm sun
blazing down and the gentle breeze rippling through the tall weeds
Another favorite place to congregate was the playhouse My father built a freestanding
structure in our back yard that had a two-room playhouse in the front for the kids and a green-
house and tool shed in the back for the adults It even had a covered front porch and the outside
was painted yellow to match the house In one inside room was the kitchen complete with a
wooden stove an oven a sink and cupboards to put our dishes in Mom stocked it with dishes
pots and pans and empty spice containers and food cans The second room had two picture win-
dows a table with chairs and even a telephone on the wall On the east-facing wall of the kitchen
was a large window that opened up onto our playground complete with a jungle gym
A favorite scenario was to pretend the playhouse was
a houseboat on the high seas with man-eating sharks in the
water all around We would have to jump from the window
onto the jungle gym without touching the ground so the
sharks wouldnrsquot get us At other times the playhouse became
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
5
Mom should have been a schoolteacher and we were blessed by her activities and crafts
She always taught us to make great projects and she had endless amounts of patience I did get
some of her ―craftiness and I still enjoy painting and drawing and writing
We had a real dog which in my mem-
ory was always ―old Wendy Wendy was a
tan colored mutt and she was sweet and gen-
tle with us She died in 1970 when I was ten
years old
When I was small I had a stuffed dog
that was named Penny I think he was passed
down to me from my sisters but I loved the
fur off of that dog I wish I still had him to-
day
I had the Mumps on both sides in February of
1963 when I was 3 frac12 years old I contracted the hard
Measles in June of 1965 the summer before I turned
five In April of 1966 I had the chickenpox Then I
was all done with childhood diseases
6
I remember having cats as well One time we had a mean orange tabby named Mandy
that would sit on the washer and dryer in the breezeway and attack us when we walked by I re-
member one cat that died on the operating table being spayed There was another cat named
Samantha that gave birth to three little kittens We didnrsquot get to keep them but my kittens name
was Nutmeg Dianersquos kitten was Mercedes and Jan named her kitten Linus
To the south of our house was a horse pasture that housed several horses There was a
brown horse I was too young to recall followed by horse named ―Comanche followed by a
welsh pony originally named Whiskey but re-named ―Coke when he came to us My sisters
loved to ride horses but I was always afraid of them I remember forcing them to plod along for
the first half of the ride and being unable to stop them from cantering the whole way back to the
barn I was never the one in charge and I got thrown one too many times to enjoy them Coleen
remembers Coke running up to the fence and throwing her over it Another time Christine and I
were riding up the street when Diane jumped out to scare us scaring the horse instead He reared
up and threw both of us off and I was SO mad at Diane
My favorite memory of the horsesrsquo field is not of the horses themselves but of the tall
grasses that grew in the pasture during the early part of the summer These tall grasses would
grow taller than me and my sisters and I would trample down rooms and passageways through
the weeds creating homes with many extensive rooms to accommodate all of us There we
7
would spend hours playing house pretending to be married forming relationships and raising
children I can still recall the feeling of quiet serenity while hiding in the grass with the warm sun
blazing down and the gentle breeze rippling through the tall weeds
Another favorite place to congregate was the playhouse My father built a freestanding
structure in our back yard that had a two-room playhouse in the front for the kids and a green-
house and tool shed in the back for the adults It even had a covered front porch and the outside
was painted yellow to match the house In one inside room was the kitchen complete with a
wooden stove an oven a sink and cupboards to put our dishes in Mom stocked it with dishes
pots and pans and empty spice containers and food cans The second room had two picture win-
dows a table with chairs and even a telephone on the wall On the east-facing wall of the kitchen
was a large window that opened up onto our playground complete with a jungle gym
A favorite scenario was to pretend the playhouse was
a houseboat on the high seas with man-eating sharks in the
water all around We would have to jump from the window
onto the jungle gym without touching the ground so the
sharks wouldnrsquot get us At other times the playhouse became
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
6
I remember having cats as well One time we had a mean orange tabby named Mandy
that would sit on the washer and dryer in the breezeway and attack us when we walked by I re-
member one cat that died on the operating table being spayed There was another cat named
Samantha that gave birth to three little kittens We didnrsquot get to keep them but my kittens name
was Nutmeg Dianersquos kitten was Mercedes and Jan named her kitten Linus
To the south of our house was a horse pasture that housed several horses There was a
brown horse I was too young to recall followed by horse named ―Comanche followed by a
welsh pony originally named Whiskey but re-named ―Coke when he came to us My sisters
loved to ride horses but I was always afraid of them I remember forcing them to plod along for
the first half of the ride and being unable to stop them from cantering the whole way back to the
barn I was never the one in charge and I got thrown one too many times to enjoy them Coleen
remembers Coke running up to the fence and throwing her over it Another time Christine and I
were riding up the street when Diane jumped out to scare us scaring the horse instead He reared
up and threw both of us off and I was SO mad at Diane
My favorite memory of the horsesrsquo field is not of the horses themselves but of the tall
grasses that grew in the pasture during the early part of the summer These tall grasses would
grow taller than me and my sisters and I would trample down rooms and passageways through
the weeds creating homes with many extensive rooms to accommodate all of us There we
7
would spend hours playing house pretending to be married forming relationships and raising
children I can still recall the feeling of quiet serenity while hiding in the grass with the warm sun
blazing down and the gentle breeze rippling through the tall weeds
Another favorite place to congregate was the playhouse My father built a freestanding
structure in our back yard that had a two-room playhouse in the front for the kids and a green-
house and tool shed in the back for the adults It even had a covered front porch and the outside
was painted yellow to match the house In one inside room was the kitchen complete with a
wooden stove an oven a sink and cupboards to put our dishes in Mom stocked it with dishes
pots and pans and empty spice containers and food cans The second room had two picture win-
dows a table with chairs and even a telephone on the wall On the east-facing wall of the kitchen
was a large window that opened up onto our playground complete with a jungle gym
A favorite scenario was to pretend the playhouse was
a houseboat on the high seas with man-eating sharks in the
water all around We would have to jump from the window
onto the jungle gym without touching the ground so the
sharks wouldnrsquot get us At other times the playhouse became
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
7
would spend hours playing house pretending to be married forming relationships and raising
children I can still recall the feeling of quiet serenity while hiding in the grass with the warm sun
blazing down and the gentle breeze rippling through the tall weeds
Another favorite place to congregate was the playhouse My father built a freestanding
structure in our back yard that had a two-room playhouse in the front for the kids and a green-
house and tool shed in the back for the adults It even had a covered front porch and the outside
was painted yellow to match the house In one inside room was the kitchen complete with a
wooden stove an oven a sink and cupboards to put our dishes in Mom stocked it with dishes
pots and pans and empty spice containers and food cans The second room had two picture win-
dows a table with chairs and even a telephone on the wall On the east-facing wall of the kitchen
was a large window that opened up onto our playground complete with a jungle gym
A favorite scenario was to pretend the playhouse was
a houseboat on the high seas with man-eating sharks in the
water all around We would have to jump from the window
onto the jungle gym without touching the ground so the
sharks wouldnrsquot get us At other times the playhouse became
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
8
a castle an office a home or a schoolroom We played house all the time out in the back yard
making mud pies with grass and water and playing with all of our friends When Liz Tary wasnrsquot
there Coleen or another friend was and we spent unlimited hours pretending
Do you
remember sunsuits
A sunsuit was a fabulous creation children in the sixties wore all summer long A sunsuit
was a simple one-piece garment gathered at the top of each leg and around the waist There were
ties over each shoulder I think of a simple garment for a simpler time and I am convinced that
there would be no wars if all adults still wore sunsuits
We played classic patty cake games with each other where you would stand facing your
friend and sing a tune that went in rhythm with the motions as one girlrsquos hands slapped together
with the other girls hands I remember two songs
Oh playmate
come out and play with me
and bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide Down my rain barrel
Into my cellar door
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
9
And wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
Oh playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has the flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
I got no rain barrel
I got no celler door
But wersquoll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more
And this one that I find very strange now so maybe you can tell me what it means My Mom has
an even crazier clapping song that she knows from her childhood I have to ask her to write it
down for me to keep
I livey up on teeny weeny housetops
I livey up on thirty-first floor
I liveyanna teeny weeny housetops
Ruffles on my petticoats
Ten cents more
Poor Charlie Poor Charlie
Way down south in the penitentiary
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
10
Huge Cottonwood trees surrounding our
property shaded an irrigation ditch that only car-
ried water during the spring runoff In the sum-
mer months my two sisters my girlfriends and I
spent countless numbers of hours in that ditch
crafting palaces created from dirt and mud twigs
and rocks Those amazing structures hosted multiple rooms prepared especially for our troll doll
collections and for the one-to-two inch Leopard frogs that were abundant as the irrigation ditch
began to dry up in June and July
Within those mud walls kings and queens ruled over their populace paupers became
princes magic ruled and kingdoms fell as our imaginations took us far from the confines of our
secure little world Those poor little Leopard frogs were also ―raced across our wading pool
On the bend of the ditch down at the corner was a twisted old Cottonwood tree with a
thick limb extending perfectly over a gradual declining bank of compacted dirt This dappled
green refuge was the ideal host for a strong tire swing and the perfect gathering place for all the
children of the neighborhood The stream running through our ditch flowed peacefully allowing
us to swing way out over the water splash down into the depths and climb laughing to take our
The Ditch
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
11
place in line once again Over and over we would repeat the performance stopping only for a
cold glass of Kool-Aid a bathroom break or a parent calling us in for lunch or supper The tire
swing was replaced by a rope swing over time but it still exists today
Our ditch was an irrigation ditch that only ran for about six weeks until early June My
Dad would blow up three inner tube tires for us and drive my sisters and me to the top on the
Davidsonrsquos Mesa and drop us off We would float lazily along in the quiet current until arriving
at home only to get another ride to the top of the mesa again Again and again we would repeat
the sequence Once in a while we would spot a water snake floating along next to us and that
was alarming
One bad thing happened when I was four years old and I was riding along with my Mom
to buy apples Mommy parked the car facing downhill on a steep driveway on one of the streets
at the base of the foothills around downtown Boulder She left me in the car telling me to behave
because she would be right back I climbed into the driverrsquos seat to pretend to drive knocked the
gearshift out of park and as the car began to move and pick up speed it traveled down the drive-
way across the street through a yard and crashed into a house I have a very vivid memory of a
startled old woman who was walking by stumbling after the car in an attempt to stop it I was
unhurt save a loose tooth and a cut lip but Mommy was pretty shaken up and Daddy was mad
at us both Hersquoll deny it but I remember him threatening to have me pay for the car repairs The
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
12
owner of the house was on vacation at the time so I donrsquot know what transpired when he re-
turned home
I remember beautiful flowers in shaded gardens eating berries right off the bushes and a
little attic room with an angled roof up some steep steps where I slept As I awoke I could hear
voices greeting each other in the early morning and I would smell wonderful breakfast smells
that came wafting up into the room Diane remembers a terrible smell ndash Sauerkraut
When we visited the farm on subsequent visits I remember the tree lined driveway the
barn with a big hay filled loft the cows the barn cats HUGE thickets of blackberries and rasp-
berries Hazel nut trees Grandmarsquos aprons and lap all the wonderful smells and food that came
from the kitchen walking with Grandpa exploring the smokehouse and all the cool buildings I
loved the time spent with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins
Another very early memory
is of my Grandparents farm in Van-
couverWashington
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
13
Uncle Henry and Aunt Jo lived on Vashon Island in Washington State
My Uncle Henry was a lot of fun and he could always make us laugh
He taught us a cute little song
ldquoI had a dog
his name was Fido
he was nothing but a pup
He could stand up on his hind legs
if you held his front legs uprdquo
Then he would sing it a second time mixing all the words up making us giggle
ldquoI had a fog
his name was Difo
he pus nothing but a wup
He could stand up on his lind hegs
if you held his lunt fregs uprdquo
They had three sons
Nathan Daniel and Mark
We got to ride on a Ferry
boat to visit the Scholz
family on Vashon Island
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
14
Keeping close to family was always important to my parents Many vacations were spent
traveling to see my Moms siblings and their families and her parents and several times we had
family reunions in Boulder Colorado
My Uncle Chuck Sauer died when I was I was twenty-two and my cousins were much
younger than I was My Aunt Norma did a beautiful job of raising her two boys My cousinrsquos
names were Devon and Chris I donrsquot recall traveling to Missouri when I was little but I must
have because I do remember the St Louis Arch I definitely recollect the visits they made to
Boulder
Aunt Norma was a lot
younger than my Mother so
she would come out to Colo-
rado for visits when we were
very small We traveled to
her wedding in Chebanse
Illinois when I was about
four
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
15
My parents always tried to put one child in the front cab with them to cut down on the
fighting We had an intercom set up from the back camper to the front cab and we would con-
stantly ―tattletale on each other There was an ongoing battle of who got to be up top in the
bunk overlooking the cab of the truck I thank my parents so much for putting up with continu-
ally fighting children in the back of the camper and the whining children refusing to hike Mom
and Dad made a game out of hiking by having us count out ten paces in front of them During
quiet times I loved to find a secret place in the woods near the camper to make my little home to
play in within the trees Many trips included a lake to swim and boat in and we loved that
When I was five or six years old on a camping trip Dad had warned me to
stop playing in the fire with my stick I disobeyed him when he wasnrsquot look-
ing and went back in to poke a stick around in the coals A hot coal landed on
my hand between my thumb and first finger burning me badly I didnrsquot want
to be in trouble so I determined to tough it out but my hand ached badly all night long and I
didnrsquot get much sleep We were on a walk the next morning and my mom reached down to hold
my hand and discovered a huge water blister Then I really was in trouble
Every summer we would
take a two to three week
camping trip
I have such a love for
camping as a result of
those years
A plaque on the wall in
the camper said something
like
―Kwitcherbelyakin
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
16
When I was about six years old we embarked on a long three-week trip to the west coast
We went to the Grand Canyon and then stopped in Las Vegas Jan Diane and I got to be ―on our
own in the upstairs area at Circus Circus watching circus acts and playing games while Mom
and Dad tried gambling in the casino below
We continued on to Disneyland in Anaheim California where we stayed in a camp-
ground near the amusement park We would go into Disneyland in the morning come back to
rest during the heat of the day and then go again in the evenings Diane has a funny memory of
being called ―grumpy by a man in a golf cart because she didnrsquot want to go see a berry farm It
was actually Knottrsquos Berry farm and I have a memory of trying to walk through a mixed up
house that defied gravity All the angles were wrong and I was dizzy Mom recalls that we forgot
our swim towels that were hanging on the clothesline
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
17
After we left Disneyland we went to the Redwood forest
where I met Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox Babe They were
huge statues that talked to us We drove through a hollow red-
wood We took a tour of the redwood forests on the Skunk
Train and came back
on a commuter train
We took many wonderful road trips throughout the years On one trip when I was about
eight years old we visited Southern Colorado and stopped at the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde
and the Four Corners monument On another trip we stopped at the Craters of the Moon on our
way to Washington State to visit our Grandparents While we were at the farm in Washington
we went to the beach with our Gradparents to the Science Museum and to the Portland Zoo
We went on another great trip to Dinosaur National Park the Grand Teton Mountains and
to Yellowstone National Park We explored Canyon Lands and Arches National Park in Utah
and we took trips all across the Rocky Mountains
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
18
One of my favorite trips ever was a three-week road trip to Florida Along the way we
stopped in Alabama to tour the battleship Alabama and we stopped and collected seashells at the
Gulf of Mexico Our main goal was to see the Hauser family They had four kids Rhoda Eric
Ernie and Rachel and a beautiful home with a built in swimming pool I remember palm trees
and air conditioning swimming in the pool a lot and Eric finding me a coconut to take home as
a souvenir We all went to the Everglades and took a boat ride to see alligators On the way
home we drove through New Orleans where Dad knocked out the glass in a side window of the
camper while parking next to a sign My only memory of New Orleans is of a plump black
woman ―Tsk Tsking in an apron wielding a broom as she swept up the glass
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
19
I wish I paid more attention to where I was going as we traveled Jan used to like to look
for different States License plates I would sleep a lot play games or read Sometimes we would
play the ABC game looking for a sign with a word starting with an ―A then a ―B etchellip Some-
times we would play travel bingo or ―I see something you donrsquot see and it is hellip Another favor-
ite thing to do while looking out the window from the bunk over the cab was to try to get truck-
ers to blow their horns and to get drivers to wave back at us when we waved at them At the
campgrounds my sisters and I would make friends with other children and sometimes we would
have a baseball game Other times we would collect different kinds of bottle caps My Mom did-
nrsquot want to carry our collections with us so she would trade them for a piece of candy and then
they would disappear
My Dad would grill steak and potatoes wrapped with bacon chicken with corn on the cob
cooked in the campfire coals ribs fresh trout and always SrsquoMores After dinner My Father
would build the fire up and we would all gather around and tell stories or attempt to sing songs
When we went to sleep we slept three across on the top bunk Many kicking fights were broken
up by tired parents as we struggled to claim our territory Sometimes when we had a long way to
drive Dad would get up really early and leave us all sleeping He would drive several hours (in
peace) before we awakened to find ourselves on the road again
On the road trip back to Colorado in the
camper Jan put her knee through the
window of the top bunk showering
broken glass down on the hood of the
truck That scared my parents who
thought a body would surely follow
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
20
My Mom liked to bowl on a league At the Thunderbird bowling lanes I spent one morn-
ing a week in the daycare at the bowling alley I can still clearly see the cinderblock walls and
the bright yellow and orange checkerboard lockers I still kind of like the loud noises in the
bowling alley with balls rolling and pins smashing together I guess they remind me of those
early memories
I was lucky to be born in the year 1959 as I had al-
most one dozen girls my age that lived close to our
neighborhood My sisters had a few good friends each
that lived close by but by the time I started school
friends my own age surrounded me Liz Tary was my
first Paragon Estates friend who spent countless hours
playing with her sister Mary my sister Diane and me
She lived right across the street
My sisters started school two and four years
before I was old enough to go While I got Mommy
to myself while my sisters were at school I also
missed my sisters I remember twirling in the tire
swing out in front of the house waiting for the bus
to come I also had a bright yellow push peddle hy-
draulic dump truck that I wish I still owned today I
have a photo of me sitting patiently in my dump
truck waiting for my sisters to step off the bus
Snow Turkey
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
21
I met my best friend Coleen Androvich on the first grade school bus
As I entered my Elementary school years my close friends expanded to include Dana
Burdick Terri Washington Kristine Steinhauer Shelli Allen Theresa Steele Lynn Lamontagne
Lauren Weinstein Gretchen Lockwood Kim Harrison Betsy Mack and Nanette Heidt We rode
our bikes everywhere we went because the neighborhood was spread out on acreage and houses
were far apart Theresa Steele and Betsy Mack lived in the Spanish Hills Subdivision Dana Bur-
dick and Nanette Heidt lived in Fairview Estates Liz Tary and I lived on the ―Upper Loop in
Paragon Estates and Shelli Allen Gretchen Lockwood and Kim Harrison lived on the ―Lower
Loop As you climbed up the hill towards Davidsonrsquos Mesa you would first pass Christine
Steinhauer and Lena Aweidarsquos homes on the left and then Coleenrsquos house was a branch off to
the right on Spring Ct As you continued the trek upward Terri Washingtonrsquos house was on the
ME
Kristine
Coleen
Liz
I had two little friends early
on by the name of Ellie and Jeff but
they moved away after a couple of
years and I never saw them again
They lived on the lower loop by the
Korans
Jeff Ellie Karen
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
22
right and then you would turn left to the top of the Mesa to visit Lynn Lamontagne and Lauren
Weinstein It was a different world back then so I must have checked in periodically but most of
us were ―on the run until dinnertime At my house dinner was Six orsquoclock sharp
Coleenrsquos house was my second home and her parents were my second parents I can still
picture the layout of that house as if I were there just yesterday Coleenrsquos bedroom was upstairs
and when you came down the stairs the formal living room was off to the right (Off limits I
think the couches might have been covered with plastic) Coleen had a Siamese cat named Mia
and older sisters and a brother who thought we were little pests She had Russian Grandparents
living in the basement for a time (when we were older) My favorite memories were the times we
spent in the basement playroom She had an extensive play kitchen and lots of fun toys to play
with One favorite set of dolls collected back then were called ―Liddle Kiddles and from my
memory these dolls were about 2 tall resembled pixie or fairies smelled scented and were en-
cased in a lockets or perfume bottles
The Kiddle had their heyday in the late
1960s Many little girls during that time had
several Liddle Kiddles to their names The
Kiddles could be worn (Lucky Locket Kid-
dles) sniffed (Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Ko-
lognes) and even shot into outer space (well
figuratively with Kosmic Kiddles)
When I started school I always rode on a full-sized yellow
school bus I think the elderly bus drivers name was Mr McCutchen
and he was a kind man that we all loved My bus picked up kids
from Paragon Estates Spanish Hills and Fairview Estates Regular
riders included all the girls I mentioned earlier as well as Allen Ab-
shire Greg Gapter Todd Clynke Denise Negler and Eric Peterson
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
23
Coleen had other really cool toys too I remember baking little cakes
and cookies in her Easy Bake Oven and she had a similar oven to make
Creepy Crawlers in Creepy Crawlers were plastic bugs flowers and other
assorted shapes made by pouring ―goop into a mold and cooking it
Shelli Allen had a bunch of brothers and sisters and I thought that was very cool Her
Mom was always very welcoming and offered freshly baked goodies to snack on Her family
was very religious and I remember kneeling down on the floor next to our chairs to pray before
dinner I liked the strong sense of family I felt when I visited there
I wasnrsquot a bad student but I wasnrsquot the best one either I think I was more interested in
the social aspects in school than the academic ones I started Kindergarten at Burke Elementary
School and my teacher was Mrs Liddle I then moved to Arapahoe Elementary School for first
Easy Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven was
introduced in 1963 by
Kenner Products a Cin-
cinnati Ohio based toy
company The early mod-
els were designed to look
like miniature conven-
tional ovens
The Easy-Bake Oven
currently a product of
Hasbro is a working toy
oven that for many years
used an ordinary light
bulb as a heat source but
now has a true heating
element Eleven versions
of the Easy-Bake Oven
have been sold It comes
with packets of pastry
mix and small round
pans (Additional mixes
can be purchased sepa-
rately) After water is
added to the mix in the
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
24
grade with Mrs Johnson and second grade with Mrs Bentsen I was definitely bad the day that I
was laughing and giggling in class with Coleen Donnelly and was sent to the principals office I
thought I was going to get a spanking but only got a talking to instead
I went to Douglas Elementary School for third through sixth grades My teachers were
Mrs Feldman Mrs Purcell Mrs Kienzle and Mrs Phillips The only teacher that really sticks
out in my mind is my fourth grade teacher Mrs Purcell I thought she was mean and she scared
me to death Whatrsquos interesting about that is that I got reacquainted with her as an adult and
found out she was really a decent person
When I was in grade school my Mom gave me a little notebook in the shape of an orange
that I used to collect autographs from my friends and family I carried that little notebook with
me for 40 years until my dog got ahold of it in 2009 and decided to maul it I am going to trans-
fer some of the writings to this page to preserve the memories
To my stupid
sister
Jan
To a nice but
mean sister
Keep that
way
Diane
To a nice little girl who does everything
shersquos told
Grandma
To a nice little girl who is sweet kind lov-
able generous helpful friendly nice enjoy-
able co-operative and willing
Anyone answering this description please let
me know
Dad Dear Karen
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Friends are nice
And so are you
Betsy (Mack)
Teresa Goodwin
Yoursquore nice 0)
Irsquom not going to say anything special
But I like you
Love amp peace forever
Coleen
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
25
When you are old
And out of shape
Remember that
Girdles
Are $498
Liz Tary (not Really)
To a good friend for-
ever
Lauren Weinstein
Roses are red
Violets are blue
And sugar is sweet
And so are you
Margaret Adams
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrowrsquos test
If I die before I wake
Thatrsquos one less test I have to
take
Kristine
To one of the nic-
est girls I know
Good Luck
Kim K
You are a real nice
kid and I like you a
lot
Denise Negler
Have a nice spring
If it ever comes
Gretchen Lockwood
Valerie Jones
_________________
Hi Karen
I like you a lot Good luck
Yours Forever
Leann Brown
Read down will
Up and see
And you that
I LOVE
YOU
Teri
To Karen
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
You are my cousin
And I like you
From Julie Eifler
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
26
More Gradeschool friends
Dana Burdick Eric Peterson Alan Abshire Theresa Steele
Tom Vidamour Doug Meneley Tim Campbell Bart Woodiel
Todd Parish Steve Peterson Mike Compton Mark Wolny
Laura Cyphers Kim Medaner Jim Keene David Nelson
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
27
David Fransean Brett Fransean Chris Edwards Barb Swisher
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
28
One little ―Karen oddity was due to the three operations I had before the age of ten I
really liked the amount of attention I was given as a result of those operations For years I would
fashion crutches made of sticks and hop around on a pretend broken leg creating injuries in my
mind For a long while I thought I wanted to be a nurse inflicting injuries on my dolls and patch-
ing them back up again Coleen and I would play nurses on the playground at school fixing up
the boys who got hurt in the battlefield In school during those years I was always acting out to
get noticed The Kindergarten teacher called one time to ask my Mother whether I was getting
enough attention at home
I was a bed wetter as a child I think I really tried the patience of my parents who tried
everything to stop the behavior unsuccessfully I have several traumatic memories of sitting mis-
erably on my foot knowing without a doubt that if I got up I was going to have trouble I did
have a few small tense moments in class but another girl Tammy REALLY created a puddle
under her desk and I was SO glad it wasnrsquot me Kids are so cruel My problem ended up being a
medical one that was corrected through surgery when I was nine years old
Memories of my hospitals stays are varied I had my ton-
sils removed when I was six my Appendix removed when I was
seven and an operation to repairs a leaky Urethra valve when I
was nine I had the Tonsillectomy because I was sick with strep
throat a lot and back then it was very common to remove in-
fected tonsils The Appendectomy was much more unexpected
One day I had terrible pain in my abdomen and recall lying down on the couch by Grandma and
Grandpa Eifler for hours and hours (I think Mom and Dad thought I was faking) before heading
to the hospital with acute Appendicitis
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
29
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
30
That day remains very clear in my mind I saw the sign at the hospital that said ―no children
allowed and told Mommy that I wasnrsquot supposed to go in I remember my doctor playing ―Dr
Kildare pushing me on a gurney through double doors into the operating room He painted a
smiley face on my scar when he removed my stitches All the kids at school sent me get well
cards and that was very cool
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
31
This was back in the days when parents were not encouraged to stay
with their children at the hospital and I remember feeling very frightened and
alone after Mom and Dad went home Dad wrote down his phone number at work and gave me
permission to call him when I got scared He also asked me if I wanted a cute present or a funny
one and when I chose ―funnyrsquo he brought me a fuzzy purple furple which was basically a
fuzzy stuffed animal with arms legs and a funny face I loved it
As I felt better I made friends with other patients and played Score Four
with them and with Mom and Dad All the kids at school made cards and sent
them to me to read as I recuperated The worst pain I remember is when they
removed the staples from the incision after the third operation
OWWWWW Diane remembers being very scared when I went into
the hospital for one of those operations She thought I was going to
die
In the winter time my Dad and Mom would drive us up to Pactolus Lake near Nederland
to ice skate I remember skating as early as 1965 at the early age of four or five holding on to
both of my parentrsquos hands
Pactolus Lake was a world of itrsquos own with a warming hut built over part of the lake
and an indoor skating area downstairs Sometimes we arrived to silent peaceful
frosted beauty Sometimes it was very cold and windy out on the ice and we
would fight our way down to one end of the lake and let the wind blow us back
to the other side At other times it was clear and mild and beautifully sunny
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
32
When the weather was bad I loved to
practice my spins and spend time alone inside
the ice house which was dimly lit by a few incandescent bulbs The warming house was a large
barn-like edifice that once was used to store ice blocks cut from the lake The blocks were loaded
aboard railroad cars and taken to Denver to cool the meat lockers in the days before mechanical
refrigeration was available There were about a dozen posts that held up a very high roof (about
30 ft tall) and although the wind was blocked out it was always cold I would eventu-
ally find my family and we would sit and rest on the warming house bench sipping hot
chocolate together The warming house was a one story addition built on the west side
of the ice house Pactolus Lake is a favorite winter memory of mine and the begin-
ning of a love for skating that all three girls developed and maintained for many years
The lake closed down eventually I found the ruins of the old warming hut when Chris and I
were on a road trip in recent years and it brought back a flood of warm memories for me
As a little girl I remember pretending to be a world-
class ice skater in the summertime using the patio as my ice
skating rink to practice my jumps and spins As teenagers we
transferred our skating passions to the flatirons skating rink in
Boulder Flatirons became a major hangout in our teenage
years
The California Zephyr train ran between
Los Angeles and Chicago and it used the
tracks that ran right by the lake When-
ever a train came by all the showoffs on
the lake would perform our best tricks for
the passengers and trainmen The passing
of a train was exciting especially when
the silver cars of the Zephyr glided by
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
33
Sledding was another great favorite Our
house was on a hillside with a dirt road that had
very little traffic It became the perfect sledding hill
after a decent snowfall I remember piling three
high on top of my father and sledding down the hill
on a flexible flyer on our bellies Half the time we
would go flying off and get up laughing and ready to go again I also remember him attaching a
flying saucer to the back of his truck and pulling us behind the truck through the whole neighbor-
hood When he whipped us around the corners we felt as if we were almost flying (He probably
was going fairly slowly in reality) Today that probably wouldnrsquot be considered safe but it was a
blast
Speaking of unsafe Fireworks Dad always care-
fully supervised us but we had some really great fireworks
when I was a kid We had cherry bombs and we blew up pop cans with them We had awesome
fountains loud pop bottle rockets and always had sparklers
We would usually go to Folsom field to see the fireworks display and the sing-along was
as good as the show ―There was an Old Woman who swallowed a fly ―Deep and Wide and
―Old Mister Ford were my favorites The Lutherans always had an ice cream social nearby and
we took our grandparents with us to all of the festivities
My sisters and I would carry little
American flags and have our own
parade around the house and then all
the way around the block
4TH OF JULY
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
34
I have always loved holidays and I have several favorites particularly Easter and Christ-
mas I felt extremely blessed to have the kind of Mom who always bothered to transform the
whole house into ―holiday mode At Easter she put together the perfect Easter baskets for the
Easter Bunny to deliver and there was always a great Easter egg hunt at church and at home We
always had shiny new shoes and pretty new dresses to wear to church and Easter dinner was a
wonderful celebration
In more recent years she started filling plastic eggs for the grandchildren and she had the
best system where each kid knew to look for only a certain color Each childrsquos eggs were filled
with age appropriate items and we would hide the older kids eggs in difficult places while setting
the little kids eggs within easy reach It was pure genius
Christmas was heavily steeped in traditions We would go to the mountains and cut down
a tree We would decorate the tree together handling treasured ornaments carefully and gently
draping tinsel over the ends of the branches My Mom taught us all to make German Stollen
bread that is sweet bread filled with candied fruit and nuts
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
35
On Christmas Eve we got to go downstairs
to see my Grandparents and open presents with
them We always listened to a parent reading
―Twas the Night before Christmas before bed
and then we would set out the milk and cookies
and go to sleep like little angels waiting for Santa
Claus to come
Mom helped us to make Gingerbread
houses I liked the frosting the best
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
36
My parents took us to Crossroads mall to sit on Santarsquos lap every year I think I believed
in Santa until I was eleven or twelve years old On Christmas Evening we went to bed in new
jammies freshly bathed and our hair set in curlers for Christmas morning services at church
In the morning first thing we were allowed to open the stockings lining the mantle
bursting with goodies My Mom would make a yummy breakfast and my Grandparents would
come upstairs to watch the chaos and flurry of unwrapping presents from under the tree It was
glorious Church services and a special family day with a wonderful meal would always follow
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
37
My parents raised us in a Christian home where I have always believed in God and en-
joyed all the rituals that went along with church and Sunday school On Saturday night we would
bathe and then have our hair set in curlers My Mom was a talented seamstress and she sewed
some beautiful dresses for us to wear sometimes dressing us all alike On Sunday morning Mom
and Dad would take us to services We knew not to misbehave in church If Dad took me outside
it was certain he was going to give me a spanking and that was not desirable My parents were
very smart and sat me in between them with a sister on either side of them With no one to fight
with the worst thing I ever did was to fall asleep and I did that very well sitting up When I was
very small I used to cuddle on my Daddyrsquos lap and play silent games with his hands He would
lace them together and we would play church and steeple or he would start with all his fingers
down and as I touched each one he would pop it up until I would touch it again to bring it back
down to rest
Once church was over it was time for Sunday school The best part was seeing my friends
Betsy Mack Lance Enholm Nanette Heidt and Scott Freeman As we grew up we went to mid-
week school and confirmation class and I made many of my friends through youth group and an
evangelism program called Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ
We were charter
members of Mt
Hope Missouri
Synod church in
Table Mesa in
South Boulder
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
38
Around Labor Day we would look forward to the Lafayette Days celebration There was
the Little Britches rodeo at night and booths and games and activities during the day The fes-
tivities took place at the end of summer right before school started and the officials would kick
the event off with a Kiddie Parade from City Hall to the Lafayette Park Many kids would dress
in costume and my cousin Tommy dressed up as Huck Finn
My sisters and I would wind red white and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our
bikes and join the opening parade At the end of the parade we received a free ride coupon and a
bag of goodies One time my sisters and I walked all the way there from our house in Paragon
Estates Diane got heat exhausted and we had to stop in the shade of a strangerrsquos tree and sip cool
water until she recovered
My Uncle Johnny and Aunt Joan lived in Lafay-
ette They had four kids of their own and they had such a
huge heart for children that they took in Foster kids as
well I remember a little blond girl but donrsquot recall her
name and a sweet little boy named Buddy They eventu-
ally adopted my Cousin Ken My aunt Joan loved Basset
Hounds as well Their house was filled with constant
movement of children and dogs and I loved it there
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
39
A favorite activity to do with our grandparents was to picnic in the mountains We would
take a drive up various canyons surrounding the Boulder area and wade in the streams skip
stones and watch Grampa and Dad fishing My Grampa Eifler loved to fish Gramma was con-
tent to sit with Mom at the picnic table and watch all the activity going on Mom would pull out
the checkered tablecloth and picnic basket and we would sit down to a scrumptious lunch at a
table nearby the stream
Once in a while we would travel up Trail ridge
Road and see big horn sheep and tundra and snow in the
middle of summer On the way down we would stop to
shop in Estes Park see the herds of wild elk and eat
freshly pulled taffy
Grandma and Grandpa Scholz at Flag-
staff Mountain During a Colorado Visit
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
40
My Grandparents were very talented people My Gramma could knit and crochet and she
played the piano My Grampa could play the fiddle and perform magic tricks Later in life he
took up oil painting Birthday parties were always special when my Grampa was alive He
would entertain my friends with his magic tricks
My birthday parties were cool anyway because of being the day before Halloween
Sometimes everyone would dress up in costume and I always felt like the entire Halloween holi-
day was simply part of MY special day My Mom made every birthday great by planning birth-
day parties with fun activities and themes and by baking cut-up cakes and decorating the fun
shapes in frosting and coconut I remember a clown party with a clown cake and animal cakes
such as a elephant and a bunny
Kristine Steinhauer
Diana Warren
Nanette Heidt
Teri Washington
Coleen Androvich
Betsy Mack
Liz Tary
Janrsquos Party
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
41
Saturday nights were exceptional around the Eifler household because Uncle Johnny
Aunt Joan Uncle Bud Aunt Irene and my cousins David Linda Johnny Tommy Bambi Julie
and Ken would arrive at the house We would have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and the
male adults would play Pinochle and watch the Lawrence Welk show together My cousins
would play outside with us until we were called in for baths (and curlers) at dusk We would
play on the tire swing or in the ditch and my favorite thing of all was when we would organize a
baseball game in the field The baseball games would draw in neighborhood kids as well and
sometimes even the adults would join in Later at night my Cousin Tommy would sometimes
entertain us with scary ghost stories We would get scared silly
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
42
Gramma and Grampa had pets of their own Gramma always had a Parakeet singing in the base-
ment apartment where they resided They had a mean yellow kitty named Ginger Ginger chewed
through an electrical cord and lost half of her mouth She wasnrsquot ever quite right after that Next was a
crabby old (rather round) black dog by the name of Taffy who tended to snap at me whenever I came
too close Finally there was a sweet little
white dog with big ears named Mickey
and he and I were friends
My Grampa Eifler died in
February of 1968 when I was
only eight years old but I re-
member him well and can pic-
ture him to this minute My
Gramma Eifler lived into her
nineties and was a great pres-
ence in my life until my early
twenties She liked to play cards
with me once in a while and I
could talk to her about anything
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
43
Having grandparents in the home was the best thing ever Gramma and Grampa were warm
and loving and I could hang out with them and play in their house Whenever I got in trouble upstairs
I would run downstairs for laps and hugs and a butterscotch candy from Grammarsquos apron pockets
My Grampa liked Horehound candies but those had a strong flavor and werenrsquot as popular with the
kids My sisters claim that I was the spoiled youngest child and that Gramma would give me enough
candy to share with my sisters and I would run back behind the barn
and eat all of it
I claim I donrsquot remember that
Candy When we were very good Mom would take us to a store called Ben Franklinrsquos and
hand each one of us a dime With one dime I could buy a bag full of candy picked out from bins with
many kinds of candy to choose from Remember candy dots wax filled bottles of syrup candy ciga-
rettes taffy and tootsie rolls and pops MMMMM
When I was a little girl people didnrsquot eat out very much and when we were taken
to a restaurant we knew we had to behave well MacDonaldrsquos was my kind of place and it was a
huge treat to go there The whole family could eat there for under $1000 ―Shakeyrsquos Pizza Parlor
was another great favorite with a player piano I remember eating at the ―Denver Drumstick where a
train ran around the top of the room and my fried chicken was served in a train car The best break-
fast place in the whole world was the Pancake house We would get a plate full of very small ―dollar
pancakes and a Lazy Susan filled with different kinds of syrup such as maple honey strawberry
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
44
blueberry apricot blackberry and our favorite boysenberry (pronounced poisenberry) I recall des-
sert outings to A amp W Root Beer Dairy Queen Baskin Robbins and an Ice cream parlor called
―Swensonrsquos
I donrsquot think there were a lot of
injuries as my sisters and I were
growing up I DO remember
Jan being kind of a klutz on a
bike (sorry Jan) It seemed like
she would make it around half
the block and have to walk the bike home nursing skinned knees quite often I remember her stepping
on a nail one time and having to get a tetanus shot I remember Diane crashing her bike into a wall
Dad was building along on the back driveway of the house and having to get stitches in her thigh
There was another instance when girlfriends and I were playing in the ditch and the tire swing got
stuck in the tree One of us (Coleen) was poking the rope out with a big stick and lost her grip The
stick came down on Christinersquos head creating a tiny puncture wound that bled and bled and bled
scaring all of my parents and us to death
My sister Diane and I always shared a bedroom But she and I did not often get along with
each other I was a slob and she was a neat freak I wore all the clothes she forbade me to take I
thought she was prissy and un-cool and a tattletale during our high school years and she worried
about my immorality and hated my bad choices I remember drawing a line down the middle of the
floor and forbidding each other to cross that line We didnrsquot start working at a friendship until our
mid-teens but we are very close today Jan and I got along better because of our age differences but
it was always two against one and someone was always left crying or mad Poor Mom and Dad
Jan
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
45
I may have been the spoiled little sister but there were times that I took the brunt of punishments unjustly I
vividly recall my fatherrsquos hairbrush being off limits to girls The poor man was surrounded by women and probably
had precious little that he could call his own Diane used his hairbrush and when confronted she blamed me I got
spanked with that hairbrush and I resented my sister for a time
I remember being in the Wonderland of Junior Cooking School with Diane when I was ten years old and
Diane was twelve It was sponsored through Public Service our utility company I remember mastering the art of
cracking an egg all by myself I also spent time in the kitchen with Mom learning how to bake cookies and cakes I
have a cruel and wonderful recollection of the time Diane was making cookies as a young teenager and her hair got
caught in the mixer winding it up and pulling her face closer and closer to the beaters as she screamed bloody mur-
der at the top of her lungs I (being such a good sister) rolled on the floor laughing hysterically while Mom finally
pulled the plug on the mixer
Jan got laughs from the whole family when she began dating and decided to bake her boyfriend a cof-
fee cake She had never made one before and folded in coffee grounds instead of the liquid I donrsquot
think the cake was a big hit but the man married her later in spite of that I hung out with Jan and her
DIANE
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
46
set of friends by the time I got to High School but in my Jr High School years she probably thought
I was a huge pest
Mom and Dad tried to find things for each of us to be good at I think I was a challenge I re-
member taking a pottery class once and although I do remember liking it I didnrsquot keep doing it I
also tried to play the Clarinet until it became dreadfully apparent that I had no musical talent whatso-
ever Diane liked cooking and baking things a lot and participated on the Wrestling team Mod Squad
for several years in High school My sister Jan was good at playing the piano and eventually the vio-
lin but I remember covering my ears when she was first learning
My parents always enlisted the help of all three girls at dinnertime One would set the table
all three would clear the table another would wash the dishes and the third child would dry the
dishes My Dad loved to say ―Who needs a dishwasher I have three He finally purchased a dish-
washer for my Mom after we all grew up
We always had a big garden with lots of fresh vegeta-
bles I liked to eat carrots and tomatoes straight from the
garden All we would do is rinse them with a hose before
munching on them We all learned to help with the plant-
ing and weeding One fabulous summer job (not) was
picking tomato worms off the tomato plants and drown-
ing them at five cents a piece When the corn was ready
to harvest it became a family event My Mother would
have all three girls sitting out under the Silver Maple
trees in the back yard shucking corn for what seemed like forever Then she would take the corn and
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
47
blanch it cutting the corn off the cob with an electric knife and freezing it in Ziploc Baggies All
winter long we ate the corn we had fixed from the garden
A favorite place to be in the summertime was the Boulder Reservoir Aunt
Irene and Uncle Bud lived right up the road from the Boulder Reservoir
and they always had season passes we could borrow Grandma and
Grampa would picnic with us under the shelter along the shore Our two
families would arrive early and claim a dock in the middle of the lake
Then we would spend the day picnicking swimming sun bathing and wa-
terskiing
Diane
Aunt Irene and Uncle Bud taught all of us
how to water-ski I took pride in being able to take
dock starts and to land back on the dock without
getting wet I remember Diane smacking into the
dock one time but she was fine
Me Pouting
Never
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
48
My Aunt Irene was always the comedian She could make us all laugh and she always had
fun things for all the kids to do She continued to be the ―party Aunt to all of our kids as they grew
up as well My Uncle Bud was the strong silent force behind her gentle patient always kind
My Father bought a Go-Cart and all of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins would either go out
to the racetrack or up to the top of Davidsonrsquos Mesa At the top of the mesa were some turn-a-rounds
where houses were planned but not yet built We raced up and down those roads over and over en-
joying our first attempts at driving a vehicle First we rode with an adult and then as we gained ex-
perience we were allowed to navigate the path alone
Cousin
Linda
Grampa
Eifler
ME
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
49
My Mom and Dad signed all three girls up for swim lessons every summer at Scott Car-
penter pool at Arapahoe and 30th St I thank my parents for my love of water The only trau-
matic memory was of the instructors trying to get me to dive out past a metal pole they would
hold out over the water I never did get the hang of diving There was a big slide in the water
and THE best park there with a spaceship and that spaceship still exists today Itrsquos very cool to
think that my children climbed through the same park playground equipment that I played on
when I was small
That rickety old building has been refurbished but still exists today and holds all kinds
of shows Amazing Mt Hope would always have itrsquos annual picnic at the shelter next to
the theatre After we all ate an abundant spread of potluck food dishes the kids would
run off to the playground
Another summer treat was go-
ing to the movies up at Chau-
tauqua Park Our dairy was
Watts Hardy Dairy and if we
took the cardboard insert from
the top of the milk bottle we
would get into the movies for
free
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
50
My parents liked to go to the MotorenaDrive-in on Arapahoe Avenue near the
public Service plant They would pile three children in pajamas into the back of the car
with pillows and blankets and the whole family would go to see a double feature There
was a playground down in front for the kids to play on We would usually only make it
awake through the first movie I remember seeing a movie called Cat Ballou (1965)
when I was little and I must have been older when I recall seeing a really odd set of
movies Soylent Green (1973) and Westworld (1973)
Boulder Theatres Trivia and History
This is a great link httpwwwinternationalfilmseriescomtimelinephp
Chautauqua Auditorium (1300 seats) opens on July 4th 1898 first place in Boulder to
show moving images via the Kinetoscope
The Temple Theatre (540 seats) was the first place to project a film (Hooligans of the
West) in Boulder (1906) for twenty-five cents admission It was located on the third
floor of the Masonic Temple Building on the southwest corner of 14th and Pearl Built
in the 1890s it later burned down on April 5th 1945
The Isis (607 seats) formerly known as The Rex became in 1916 the first theatre built
specifically for motion pictures and was located at 2022 14th Street It later became the
The Fox on January 13th 1951 and burned down April 18th 1960 Only the marquee
and sign remained so the management moved both to the old Rialto Theater on Univer-
sity Hill which they reopened as the New Fox It now is a venue for live perform-
ances
The Sink opens in 1924 originally named Somers Sunken Garden Many decades later
(in the 50s) it would provide Robert Redford with a job as a janitor while he attended
CU on a baseball scholarship (which he then lost due to alcohol-related infractions)
In 1935 the Curran Opera House closes It reopens as The Boulder Theater in Janu-
ary 1936 and would continue through the 70s with Chuck Norris martial-arts films
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
51
Robert Redford titles (eg The Great Waldo Pepper) and Sinbad movies featuring the stop-
motion magic of Ray Harryhausen - but would close as a dedicated cinema house in 1979
A 650 seat Varsity Theatre was opened by Fox Intermountain in 1941 then closed for nine years
beginning about 1961 and then was remodeled and reopened as the Boulder Art Cinema in 1970
The Boulder Art Cinema was on Pearl Street between 13th and 14th
On October 1 1948 the Moterena Drive-In opens on East Arapahoe east of 63rd Street The
Moterena Drive-In closes in 1977
The Flatirons Theater opens on University Hill (1950)
The Holiday Drive-In theatre opens July 9 1953 The theater serves 650 cars and has the latest
in-car sound receiver sets It features elevated ramps so that the car windshields are in line with the
screen The Drive-in was moved to 28th St and Lee Hill Rd in 1969
Sidney Poitier wins an Academy Award for his performance of Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field
(1963) The film is inspired and based on the Convent of St Walburga located in Boulder
In 1967 an 800 seat house called the Village 70 opened in the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center
In December of 1977 the Village Theater transforms into a 4-plex and opens three more screens
In 1970 Basemar Twin Cinema opens on Broadway and Baseline in the Basemar Shopping Cen-
ter
Woody Allens Sleeper (1973) makes use of NCAR and other Boulder locations
The Mann Arapahoe Village 4 opens across the street from The Village (1979)
There was a United Artists Regency Theatre a downtown house which was taken over by an in-
dependent operator in 1968
The Holiday Drive-In closes in the early 1980s and the property is slowly converted into low-
income housing the marquee is still standing on Hwy 36 Manns Crossroads Common 6 opens
on Pearl Street (1986) The Fox on the hill closes and reopens as a concert venue In the summer
of 1989 the Art Cinema and United Artists Regency close
The Shining (inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park) was mostly shot in Mount Hood Ore-
gon but it also had a few pickup shots in Boulder (shot by IFS projectionist John Templeton)
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
52
I loved the TV shows we had when I was a child probably because we were not allowed to
watch the television very often and when we did it was the whole family gathered around together
eating popcorn My favorite memories are of the Sunday night regulars ―Hee Haw Bonanza Mu-
tual of Omaharsquos ―Wild Kingdom and my very favorite ―The Wonderful World of Disney (1954mdash
1966)
Do you recall these episodes Davey Crockett Toby Tyler The Ugly Dachshund Charlie
The Lonesome Cougar The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
Those Calloways Escape to Witch Mountain Absent Minded Profes-
sor Parent Trap The Shaggy Dog That Darn Cat The Love Bug
I have SO MANY favorite shows from that time period Gilliganrsquos Is-
land Family Affair Gentle Ben My Friend Flipper I Dream of Jeanie
Bewitched Get Smart Adams Family Brady Bunch Flying Nun
Johnny Quest Lost in Space Hogans Heros The Jetsons Petticoat Junctions Andy Griffith Beverly
Hillbillies On and on
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
53
Our good grades got us into the roller skating rink
The roller skating rink was in downtown Boulder across from central park between
Arapahoe and Canyon Blvd at 14th street I donrsquot remember exactly how it worked
but I remember that ―As got more free admissions than ―Bs would get Roller-skating was harder
for me than ice-skating I always thought four wheels were heavy and awkward I DID love the
games they played though I liked the ones where you would try to freeze when the whistle blew
and the four corners game and the Limbo
When the school year ended (1971) my
parents chaperoned a class trip for my sister
Dianersquos science class Mr Hudiberg took his en-
tire class to the Sand Dunes and I got to ride
along I thought it was very cool hanging out with
the older kids but I bet I embarrassed Diane
In the spring of 1972 I was confirmed in the
Missouri Lutheran church That was a big deal since it
involved years of midweek school instruction two ver-
bal questionings in front of the congregation and a writ-
ten essay I got a new dress and high heels to wear for
my confirmation and we all wore a white gown and had
our photo taken being blessed by Pastor Reiss
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
54
As we approached our teenage years Coleen and I talked about boys more and more I re-
member that she went to New York one summer and when she came back she educated me about
what sex was She had learned all sorts of important information from her New York cousins
I loved sleepovers at my friendrsquos houses Terrirsquos house was great because she had a built in
swimming pool Coleenrsquos was fun because her Mom would always fix us pop and ice cream sand-
wiches and frozen Banquet dinners or Totinorsquos cardboard pizzas That was a real treat for me be-
cause my stay at home Mom didnrsquot buy foods like that Sleepovers usually involved six to twelve
girls and as we morphed into teenagers they involved glamour make up and dress up ghost stories
seacuteances and Ouija Boards and lots and lots of talk about boys At one sleepover at Kristinersquos house I
recall ―practicing kissing (yes itrsquos true I kissed a girl once) Once in a while we would ―sneak out
to meet the boys in the fort by the ditch Remember the evil black dog Coleen We egged or TPrsquod
our share of houses and once we even tried ―streaking (a seventies fad) through the neighborhood
That was hilarious because we didnrsquot want anyone to see us so we dove into bushes and off into
ditches every time a car drove by Coleen has a memory of us breaking the fish tank in my parentrsquos
basement during a sleepover but I donrsquot recall that I DO recall jumping the fence once at the lake by
Platt Jr high school (with Laura Cyphers) to skinny dip one moonlit night
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
55
A couple of sad losses occurred in my Jr High years In January of 1973 my Friend Don Don-
nelly was killed in a sledding accident He had a twin sister Colleen and I was really affected by this
loss I think it was the first time someone my age had died Then I had my first experience with a
friend committing suicide when Randy Thomas died I had some guilt about his death because he
took his life shortly after I said I didnt want to go out with him
Dana and Coleen and I all had nicknames we would
call each other Donrsquot ask me how it started but I can imagine
that it was just silly girl talk on a school bus riding to or
from school one day Coleen was ―Andy as in ―and he I
was ―Iffy as in ―if he and I think there were other friends
with similar nicknames like ―Coudy (could he) and
―Woody (would he) Maybe those friends can remind me
who they were so I can correct this Dana was always
―Burdo simply because
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
56
When I was thirteen I went to Dianersquos friend Cindyrsquos church camp for a week It was my first
experience away from my family and I really loved it It was a Christian camp and they talked a lot
about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Although I was raised a Christian I never
knew I could accept Jesus into my heart and have a personal relationship with him I accepted an alter
call and will always pinpoint that time as the point at which I gave my life to Christ I remember
Mom being upset by this when I returned home as she felt I was a cradle Lutheran and was raised as
a believer and therefore had no need to convert
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
57
I went to the Lutheran Valley Retreat (LVR) summer camp with Dana in 1973 and with
Coleen in 1974 and I really have
great memories of those times
We learned how to navigate through the woods made crafts went swimming and horse-
back riding played capture the flag and played wonderful pranks on fellow campers We got
―boyfriends that we kept in touch with through letters for a while and we always had trouble
wanting to go back home when the week ended
When we sat down to eat meals in the dining hall there was a rule ―No elbows on the ta-
ble If someone caught you with your elbows on the table EVERYONE would sing
―Karen Karen strong and able
get your elbows off the table
This is not a horsersquos stall
but a peoples dining hall
Round the building you must go
you must go you must go
We made great friends
with counselors by names such
as Rattle-rat Bobcat Grizzly and
Squirrel
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
58
Round the building you must go
you were naughty
Out the door you would run all the way around this massive log cabin If you were forgetful
enough to repeat the infraction out the door you would go again Only this time when you came in
everyone would sing ―Back around the other way
other way other way
Back around the other way
you were naughty
Each cabin would get awards for being the cleanest or the messiest We got the messiest
award Each cabin would have to make up and perform a skit at
the closing ceremony Ours was really lame
I remember getting to go camping to Yellowstone with the
Androvich family and having Coleen travel with us on a trip to
Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde I also remember traveling with
Shelli and her family on vacation but canrsquot remember where we went (Utah) What I DO remember
is that Shellirsquos Dad accidentally hit a dog while driving and he had us stay in the car while he tried to
track down the owner Coleen and Dana and I also went to the YMCA camp in Estes Park
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
59
Back in the seventies my friends and I all kept in touch through postcards and letters sent
through the US Postal Service I still have the letters my friends and families wrote to me when I
went to camp love letters written by early boyfriends and postcards from my friends sent during
their summer travels
-
These are all my
―Best friends How
come they canrsquot spell
my name
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
60
Coleen and I were capable of getting into a lot of trouble We experimented with smoking
cigarettes in the fields behind my house We began by trying to smoke ―Pull Apart weeds but they
tasted terrible Somehow we got a hold of cigarettes and managed to set the field behind the rope
swing on fire I donrsquot know how we managed to get the
flames put out just in time to see my fatherrsquos car round
the corner but that was a VERY close call
I have a letter in my scrapbook promising never
to smoke cigarettes again It was a contract between
Lauren Coleen Dana Teri Kristine and Teresa and I
signed by all of us
Another time a group of girls decided it would be a great idea to
experiment with drinking all kinds of alcohol Each one of us stole liquor from our parents and
brought it to school We took a sip of this and a sip of that out on our lunch break A friend who will
remain nameless got falling-down drunk and we got busted Every one of us was hauled into the prin-
cipalrsquos office and our parents were called Oops
My Father signed a similar contract
with me and he promised to pay
me $100 if I never smoked another
cigarette before I was twenty years
old I must have been serious be-
cause I collected that $100 when I
turned twenty Smoking other sub-
stances didnrsquot count did it
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
61
Elitch Gardens was a family owned
seasonal amusement park theater
and botanic garden in the West High-
land neighborhood of Denver Colo-
rado United States at 38th and Ten-
nyson streets For more than a cen-
tury Elitchs was one of the most
popular entertainment destinations in
Colorado It was nationally known
for its lush gardens the Trocadero
Ballroom the Theatre at the Gardens
and the premier wooden roller
coaster Mister Twister
Coleenrsquos Dad was very cool because he worked at IBM That meant ndash IBM DAY AT
ELITCHES every summer The original Elitches Gardens were located at 38th and Tennyson
streets in Denver Coleen and I would run around the park from the minute it opened until it
closed at night dressed in tight shorts and little tops teasing and flirting with all the boys IBM
had the best food spread ever and we would run back for food every now and then Coleen and I
loved the old wooden trestle roller coaster and we would scream through the tunnel a million
times getting bruises on our arms from holding onto the bar so tight and taking the same ride so
many times
One summer when I was eleven years old Diane was thirteen and Jan was fif-
teen we were on a family camping trip through Montana Dad decided to stop for the
night and passed by all sorts of cool campsites with in Janrsquos opinion ―cute guys to
choose a boring campground with nothing to do Jan was resentful and she came up
with a great idea of hitchhiking into town Diane was all freaked out and refused to
go so Jan stuck out her thumb and she and I were picked up and taken to town Un-
fortunately the town consisted of one boring gas station so we bought a soda and
thumbed our way back to the campground Diane ―told on us to Mom and Dad but
they didnrsquot believe we actually did it (until years later) Good thing that was a better
world back then and no harm came to us during my first hitchhiking experience
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
62
When I was about thirteen we got a German shepherd puppy and we
named her Sara She was a wonderful dog but she did some really strange
things She loved the Sprinkler and she actually ran a rut into the grass in
the circular pattern that followed the spray of water She loved to catch
rocks You could keep her entertained forever throwing pebbles for her to
catch I remember a car stopping to ask for directions and when the door opened she jumped in the
car She just wanted to go for a ride The oddest thing she loved to do was to catch bees on the patio
She would finally get one in her mouth and make the most horrible face as she was most likely get-
ting stung while she chewed that bee up Then she would come right
back and do it again Sara only lived for five years She died while we
slept one night and my Dad thought she had choked on something I
really missed my dog but we were all moving out by then so they
never got another one
My very first ―boyfriend in fifth grade when I was twelve was Mike Warren My
first Jr High school boyfriend was a boy named Doug Meneley and he was so much
shorter than me that he would stand up a step from me to kiss me Budding relation-
ships were fairly innocent but fast and fleeting in those days as we all experimented
with what kind of guy we even liked or wanted to date
My early relationships that lasted a little bit
longer were with Jim Chrisman and Dave Vermillion
They brought me presents and gave me love notes
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
63
In Junior high Shelli and I would go to Mormon dances together at various churches She and
I both had boyfriends for a time that we would meet at those dances When we were apart we wrote
letters back and forth My boyfriend was named Darrin and I still have some of the love letters he
wrote to me
I went to my Nevin Platt Jr High School dance
with a bunch of girlfriends Shelli Allen Coleen
Donnelly Lauren Weinstein and Dianna Warren
all dressed up and looked beautiful in our long
Gunny Sack ndash like dresses My parents snapped a
photo as we arrived at the dance Lauren moved to
Arizona after ninth grade and we wrote back and
forth for a long time
I have a photograph of Lauren Weinstein Coleen Androvich
Shelli Allen Amy Jensen Michaela Lochran and I practicing
cheerleading I really wanted to be on the 9th grade Cheerlead-
ing team but wasnrsquot really surprised when I wasnrsquot chosen
What DID shock me is that Coleen didnrsquot make Cheerleader
either I thought for sure she would Terri Washington and
Christine Steinhauer were both 9th grade cheerleaders We had
to live vicariously through them
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
64
Here is the Nevin Platt Fight song
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Fight for victory
Fair and square wersquore always there
To win this game yoursquoll see Rah Rah Rah
Go you Trojans Go you Trojans
Loyal wersquoll always be
Stand and shout for Trojan power
Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
65
I tried out for 9th grade girls Basketball team
with Coleen and we both made the team I was
so excited The truth was I had a really ―on moment the day of
the tryouts and I could never repeat it Coleen actually played
games while my main job was warming the bench
A fun winter activity was learning to Ski Coleen and I
took the YMCA Bus up to Eldora for at least eight ski les-
sons I loved to ski and thank my parents for finally finding
an activity I enjoyed doing I have continued to ski now
and then through the years Although I
never progressed past the intermediate
level I really enjoy being out in the fresh crisp winter air bundled in warm
clothing looking out over the snowcapped mountains and taking on a beautiful
slope covered in fresh white powder Amazing
In the summer before I turned fourteen I got
involved as a Candy Striper at Boulder
Community Hospital Coleen Dana Liz
Kristine Theresa and I all competed at least
one year of volunteer work I know both
Dana and I completed all three summers
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
66
I remember making a lot of beds filling water jugs running errands for the nurses and hav-
ing a few wheel chair races when we got bored I got really into it and earned 300 hours of service
over three years After that I became a Jr Auxiliary girl and volunteered some more There was a lit-
tle old lady named Dora Moorehouse (who had painted on eyebrows) who mentored me She was a
very special person and she blessed the hospital with her presence
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
67
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
68
Coleen and I worked two summers in a Summer Playground Program with the City of Boul-
der We were Playground Assistant Leader Volunteers at Burke Elementary We helped with the chil-
drenrsquos program playing games and helping with crafts and activities We rode our bikes all the way
into town every day to volunteer One time I hit a pushed up piece of pavement on South Boulder
Road and went flying over the handlebars of my bike Traffic stopped and I was probably lucky a car
didnrsquot hit me as the road hardly had a shoulder to begin with I actually continued on my bike and
worked that day but had to call for a ride home My poor bloody knees wouldnrsquot bend with the
freshly formed scabs covering them
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
69
I had really busy summers Another activity for quite a few years was to participate in the
March of Dimes walkathon This was no small feat We collected donations from everyone we knew
and walked twenty full miles in one day I wonder why they stopped having those races We had a
little card that had to be stamped when we stopped at check stations along the way
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
70
When I was fourteen my Dad had to go to Los Angeles on a business trip and he took my
Mom Diane and I with him Jan was working by then so she stayed behind That was a wonderful
trip I had camped all of my life but this time we stayed in the Disneyland hotel in Anaheim and
Diane and I went on our own each day to Disneyland Mom took a tour of Universal Studios one day
Diane and I would ride the Monorail back and forth from Disneyland being adventurous riding
rides swimming in the hotel pool Diane and I actually got along well together for a change and
bonded a bit as sisters The best part is that we got out of school to go on this trip
This is the portion of this document that segues back into the ending that
was written for my journalism class Irsquom going to stop here in before I
enter the high school years and beyond when life became WAY more complex
Reflecting back I donrsquot know why I was such an insecure creature throughout my younger
years When I read through my yearbooks journals and report cards I see evidence of a pretty well
behaved student with good manners and decent grades The common themes throughout my friends
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
71
yearbook signatures were ―sweetest girl I know cute good looking always nice cool sexy (yes)
and good friend I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime I was good at some things learned a
ton accomplished a lot and have fond memories of fun times I had a really great life (even if I do
say so myself)
The strong sense of family within me has become so profound that one of my passions in life
today is preserving the past and documenting the present I am the historian who journals researches
ancestry writes poetry scrapbooks memories and photographs every special occasion I am part of
the family glue that sticks my extended relatives together keeping people in touch through written
communication organizing activities and honoring life events and mo-
mentous occasions My sisters and my Mother and I all love to take photos
and make photo albums These photo albums weave the fabric of our lives
into tangible records of times gone by My journals hold valuable records
of my childrenrsquos lives detailing the progression of my pregnancies through
the first five years of milestones
So what does all of this tell the reader about who I am I am the product of a secure child-
hood surrounded by generations of love My upbringing was steeped in German traditions and I was
made to be proud of my name and my heritage My parents maintained the bright yellow house I was
raised in until they moved to Longmont in the summer of 2008 Whenever I spot the vibrant yellow
house color as I round the corner to visit I continue to feel the peaceful presence of home envelope
me Although the neighborhood nowadays hosts large mansions and wealthy landowners our farm-
style house remains greatly unchanged The town has grown outward to join together with the coun-
try neighborhood but the tranquil peaceful quality of this little world resonates deep inside of my
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
72
inner being The old swing has been replaced with new rope and the neighborhood children
still congregate underneath the huge Cottonwood tree
As I sit quietly watching the neighborhood activity and reflecting on the past the breeze
gently swirls the autumn leaves around the wheels of the car and down Paragon drive I place
the gear shift into drive and slowly travel away from my childhood home without a backwards
glance As I face the future I am reminded that all is right in the world and the continuity of life
flows on
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
73
Retro Toysmdash
Remember playing
with any of these
I DO
Chatty
Cathy
Sewing Cards
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
74
Tulagirsquos
Remember these Places around Boulder Colorado
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
75
Colorado
Building -
Joslins Colaccirsquos
Restaurant
In
Louisville
CO
Arapahoe Elementary school
Burger King on 28th St
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
76
NeodatamdashLouisville CO
1910mdashjust thought it was coolmdashKirby
Bros
Der Wiener schnitzel
Colorado Book Store
Boulder Drug
Original
Mikersquos Camera
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
77
Campus Liquor
Lumber Mart
Watts Hardy Dairy
Pow Wow
The Boulder Christmas Star
Boulder Band Shell
The New Denverndash Boulder
Turnpike
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
78
Art Cinema
Baseline Safeway
Boulder Drug
Hi Mar Post Office
Boulder Bus Station Downtown
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
79
This picture
cracks me up
Look at all the
long haired
Boulder Hippies
hanging out in
front of the bar-
ber shop
Merynrsquos in Crossroads
One of my favorites Roman Village Pizza
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
80
Mustardrsquos Last Stand
Wrangler 2 BBQ
JC PenneymdashCrossroads Mall
Public ServicemdashArapahoe Rd
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
81
Rocky Mountain Records and Tapes
Before Pearl Street Mall
Majestic Savings and Loan
Lolitas
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
82
PINBALL 1975mdash1976 Games
Baby Pac-Man 1982
Photorsquos are from
Lyons Classic Pinball
Go and visit itrsquos a great
place
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
83
History of Pinballmdash Bally Hoo was a countertop mechanical game with optional legs released in 1931 Bally Hoo was
the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation Raymond MaloneyThe term
pinball itself as a name for the arcade game was not seen until 1936
Tilt- The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a direct answer to the problem of players physically lifting and shak-
ing the games The tilt debuted in a game called Advance made by Harry Williams
Powered Machines - The first battery operated machines appeared in 1933 Harry Williams made the first
By 1934 machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets allowing for new types of sounds music lights
lighted backglass and other features
Bumpers Flippers and Scoreboards mdash The pinball bumper was invented in 1937 The bumper
debuted in game called Bumper made by Bally Hoo
Harry Mabs invented the flipper in 1947 The flipper made its debut in a pinball game called Humpty Dumpty made by D
Gottlieb amp Company Humpty Dumpty used six flippers three on each side
Pinball machines during the early 50s began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores The 50s also
introduced the first two player games
The Future of Pinballmdash In 1966 the first digital scoring pinball machine Rally Girl was released Rally
In 1975 the first solid-state electronic pinball machine the Spirit of 76 was released by Micro
There was the Crystal Arcade where Grand Rabbits is now
There was Tommys Pinball Wizard on Broadway before University
There was Aladdins either in Crossroads or on the Hill
I always hung out with my sister at an Arcade in the basement of a building on the hill
What the heck was it called My sister Jan thinks it was the Silver Unicorn
Chris Jay and Gus all worked at the Sport Center pool hall It was owned by the
mobster Fast Eddie Marchiandohellip
Pinball was just getting popular by the mid 70rsquos Foosball was another favorite
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences
84
Works Cited
―Eifel Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service 31 Jan
2005 lthttpwwwbritannicacomebarticletocId=9032121ampquery=eifelampct=gt
―John Eifler Died Tuesday Evening Boulder Daily Camera Newspaper14 Feb 1968
Section A
Walker Alice ldquoThe Place Where I was Born The Presence of Others Fourth Edition New
York Bedford 2004 Page 642
by Stan Dyer
Believe it or not there was a time in this country when visiting a restaurant was a rare special occasion The only fast
food was either walk-up or drive-up there was no drive-through and it was not that fast It was the age of the
Four Food Groups and many people had the idea that fat was not only one of those four groups but also an essential
nutrient In those times one of Denvers favorite sit down family restaurants serving a variety of deep-fried com-
fort foods served the old-fashioned way (with plenty of saturated fat) was the Denver Drumstick
In every Drumstick restaurant (or at least every one I visited) there was a model train that made its way around the
inside perimeter of the restaurant on a track built near the ceiling People (especially kids) could watch the train as it
traveled on the track through a painted mural of Colorado scenery around the dining room through a tunnel into the
kitchen and back out again It was a good way to keep fidgety kids entertained and occupied while waiting for dinner
and was a sort of theme for the restaurant
Expanding on the train theme the Drumstick featured take out that came in boxcars Well not real boxcars but big
boxes that looked like small boxcars complete with a brakeman waving a lantern that held boxcar loads of chicken
fish or hamburgers These boxcar take-outs were the complete meals of the era featuring not only enough of the main
entre for the entire family but also potatoes gravy and their signature Texas Toast I do not remember if the food was
good but I do remember getting excited about the cool boxes and the big Texas Toast we all covered with the Drum-
stick thick chicken gravy before eating
This wasnrsquot writ-
ten by me but it
perfectly describes
one of my favorite
childhood dining
experiences