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| Campus Lake; I could not find swimming place |
For my fifth and sixth grades we lived in Carbondale, Illinois. My dad's first job after graduating from the University of Denver with a Masters in Library Science was at the library in Carbondale at Southern Illinois University. We lived there for two years, 1967-1969, arriving just before school started and then returning to Utah just before school started again. We moved from Hyrum, Utah to Carbondale, a 24-hour drive. Mom drove the car and I remember that some how we found ourselves in East St, Louis and mom was worried about all the traffic, and the people of African American descent. We were coming from Washington and Utah and were use to just a few people of color instead of just about everyone.
Upon arriving at Carbondale we moved into a home on S. Emerald Lane. We attended Parrish Elementary School. We arrived in the late summer and were not use to the humidity. We would try to beat the heat at Campus Lake. I remember they had lifeguards, and a swimming skills test to see if you could go to the raft were you could dive or jump into the water.
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The camper was parked in the back
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this and following pictures are Parrish School and playground
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| Shopping center at Emerald and Main. |
I attended Parrish Elementary School for fifth grade. I remember my teacher was elderly. I was in a play at the school and pretended to be pirate who lost his neck bone. It was a Halloween play. The bus would take us a long way around to get to the school. However if you were willing to jump a creek it was really a very short distance to the school; Over the creek and through a park. Sunset road goes over the creek now; but when we lived there it did not and you had to go all the way around.
A short walk to the end of our street was a shopping center where there was a Krogers and a Woolworths. There was also a McDonalds. The place where we spent a considerable amount of time was a slot car racing track. In fact they had two or three. We never participated for lack of funds but we would often go and watch. Sometimes the races would go for a long time. One time someone was ready to win when he crashed his car.
On time shortly before we moved, a bunch of community kids were playing. We pretended we had a rope and were stretching it across the rode. There was no rope but we were pretending. We got some cars to come to a screeching halt. One time an older kid acted all official and said there was a hazard ahead.
Our second year in Carbondale we moved to Evergreen Terrace, married student housing. However the apartment wasn't ready on time; so we lived for a couple weeks in the high-rise apartments.
Evergreen Terrace was a housing complex which was being built. There was a basketball playing place. When we first moved there the grass hadn't yet taken so the basketball hoops were in the middle of a mud field. Bob and Dan McKess also moved into the complex. We played a lot of basketball. Dan was so into basketball he would hang from the Jungle gym trying to get taller. Bob was in fifth grade and Dan in fourth so they were younger than me as I was in sixth.
We had plenty of neighborhood kids for playing. One local became part of our Boy Scout Troop. One African American boy we called Speedy Gonzalez because he was so fast. We would play football at the park next door. They also had a baseball field. My mom was swinging there and somehow fell with her fingers caught in the chain, which caused her arthritic pain after that. The swing is no longer there.
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| our apartment on the bottom floor. |
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| basketball courts |
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| our door |
We were next to the Evergreen Park, which also had the Carbondale Lake.
On the other side of the housing with Williams Field. It was a nice ball diamond when we were there and hosted the little league all-star game which I watched. I kid named Travelstead form my sixth grade class played and made some incredible catches in the outfield.
It was on the other side of Evergreen Terrace that I asked a kid to shoot me in the finger with a bee bee gun. I wanted to know how it felt. I stood back a ways and held up my thumb. I didn't think he would actually hit me, but he did. It hurt pretty good, but didn't break my skin.
Another time a kid was playing with a copperhead snake by the lake. I didn't venture close and thought he was stupid playing with a poisonous snake.
Still another time my brother organized a big baseball game against other kids in our area. We both recruited different local players. Weldon got my sister's fiancé, Clyde, to umpire. It was a very competitive game. We played on the diamond which was next to our house through a gate dividing the park and the apartment complex. (the diamond before the lake pictures.)
Weldon, Charlie and I attended
Unity Point School, which was a K-8. I was in sixth grade. Weldon was in eighth and played on the basketball team. The basketball games were pretty fun, and I remember the cheer, "U.P. up and away." Us boys thought that was funny. Carbondale has a system were everyone plays in a big single-elimination tournament. Weldon played in the middle school tourney. To a lesser extent they also had a sixth grade tourney. I was on the team but never played. Bob McKess did play.
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| Unity Point |
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| This photo shows expansion to the north of the school. Use to be we had black top with baskets and then grassy area there. They have extended the school and move baskets forward closer to the road. |
I played minor league Little League baseball both years we lived in Carbondale and the diamonds were by Lewis School and our church. I played catcher both years. The first year we had two African American boys pitching. They were pretty good. Our teams was probably in the middle of the pack in terms of record. I pitched one inning, walking the first three and then striking out the next three. Nobody scored. One game we were ahead of the other team but our pitcher lost his control and the other teams was scoring with walks. Finally a very large player form the other team was on third. He was a slow runner. I let the ball go pass, ran to the back stop and grabbed it and returned to home to tag him out sliding into home. We won the game. However my coach did not like the move very much. I think he thought it was poor sportsmanship to take advantage of the slower runner.
The second year McKess boys' father coached. He had lots of players form Evergreen Terrace area. We were very good. We did not lose any games. Again I played catcher. We only had one competitive game all year and this was the championship game. For the most part everybody played half a game. We had a large team. The only game I played the full game was the championship game. I caught the first half and then played first base the second half. One of our players had been moved up to majors so we had less players.
The diamonds are still there. I remember accessing the diamonds from Lewis Road. However now the access if from the road by our old church. I did not see the snack shack. This is were I drank my first Coca-cola. It may have been psychosomatic but it gave me an upset tummy; so I never was a fan of Coke.
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| second year diamond |
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| first year diamond |
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| t-ball diamond |
We attended the Carbondale Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our church building is still there, however it is a different denomination now. It didn't have the big walkway thing on the front but instead had a tall steeple. The chapel was to the left of the entrance and classrooms and a cultural hall to the right. To the left of the building, when we attended church there was a swampy area. It attracted lots of fireflies in the firefly season. One time while we were there swimming a Patterson girl fell into one of the swampy ponds. I was next to her and quickly pulled her out.
Our branch was part of the Carbondale District, so this must have also housed the district offices. I sang a solo of "I Wonder When He Comes Again" for Primary and for a primary district meeting. Steve Nielsen was the Branch President. (I and his daughter Cindy us to pass notes. We also had our first church dance although very young.) I was ordained a deacon the Sunday before we moved back to Hyrum, Utah. Mom served both in the primary for a time and as the
relief society president for a time.
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| Where we use to attend church |
I attended the Carbondale Ward while I was there. The ward is part of the Cape Girardeau Stake. (Cape Girardeau was part of the Carbondale District when we lived there.). The church building is on the other side of town, on the old high way 13 which goes to Murphysboro. It was Father's Day and they served the men pie. I had banana cream. The primary kids also sang. It was fun. However nobody form the old days. It had been over 50 years. A few people knew the Childers who were by Blazer Scout leaders.
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| primary singing |
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| Carbondale Ward |
And advantage to living in Evergreen Terrace is we were close to the Southern Illinois University campus. The football stadium and baseball field were just up the street from us. We would attend both as we could get there on our bikes. The
football team was never very good, but the baseball team was very good. They actually played in the college world series during this time and took second behind Southern California. The basketball team was also good during this time. Our dad worked in the Morris Library.
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| Itchy Jones Stadium was first used in 2014. It was built over the top of the Abe Martin Field which was the field we visited. |
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| Recently renamed Banterra, this building was there when we lived there and was call SIU Arena. |
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| Saluki Stadium was first used in 2010.It took the place of McAndrew Stadium after 73 seasons |
Another interesting place in Carbondale is
Crab Orchard lake. This is a very large lake with lots of boaters and fishermen. Sail boating was big when we lived there and my father took us once.
Giant City State Park is next to Carbondale. We went their several times, once with a school field trip. The state park has steep cliffs and narrow trails. We must have visited in Autumn because I remember walking along leaf-covered trails.
During our two years in Carbondale we saw much of the town. We sold
light bulbs for scouts and visited many in the town; right in town and also the outskirts. We lived in Carbondale when both Bobby Kennedy and
Martin Luther King were shot and murdered.
