Jottings From Fifth & G: How did we survive?

In 2021 at our 65th Lake Oswego High School reunion, one of the discussion topics among some of us, was a question: “How did we survive these 83 years?”

We recalled:

1. Our houses, indoors and outdoors, were painted with lead paint.

2. Each Spring we stood outside and watched a plane fly over the lake spraying DDT to kill the mosquito eggs. And our families sprayed DDT in the house to kill flies.

3. The Lake Corporation dragged a big bag of copper sulfate behind a boat to control the algae in the Lake where we spent many summer time hours playing.

4. We got all of our inoculations. Most children and adults had silver fillings in their teeth. Some classmates got polio and finally, there was a vaccine which we took on a sugar cube.

5. We rode our bicycles all over the community without a helmet and worse, there was a large equestrian community, and we rode throughout the community without wearing a helmet. This included along major streets such as Lakeview and South Shore, on the trails having solid jumps, the area which is now Mountain Park and in Tryon Creek Canyon. Rod Grimm delivered the newspaper on his horse.

6. We attended the Lake Grove and Lakewood Elementary Schools, both of which are still standing and in use as a school and arts center respectively. There was no doubt asbestos and of course, lead paint in the rooms. There were 29 students in our Lake Grove School sixth and seventh grade classrooms.

7. Our houses ranged from a streetcar, a tarpaper house with an outhouse (the then-occupant received a Ph.D.) to modest homes on the lake. Most lived in a two- or three-bedroom home with one bathroom, a kitchen, living room/dining room area and one car garage. The kind or size of house was not a consideration in friendships. Education, volunteerism and philanthropy were valued.

8. Most families had one car, and none had a seatbelt. We remembered the days before turn signals. Except for one person, none of us had a car to drive anywhere including to school. We used the then-excellent bus service, but most of the time we walked or rode our bicycles. Bus fare to Portland was 25 cents one way and 45 cents round trip. We were in excellent physical condition and happy.

9. We earned our spending money by: doing household chores, babysitting at 35 cents per hour, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers and picking strawberries. Some of it was hard work.

10. There were no fast-food restaurants. Our mother cooked meals each day, and we ate dinner as a family.

11. Television reception was terrible. We listened to “The Lone Ranger,” “I Love a Mystery” and other programs on the radio or a crystal set. Stereo systems, computers and cell phones had not been marketed. We listened to music from vinyl records or the radio. We read and used our imagination. Both have been a blessing in our lives as we learned to entertain ourselves.

12. During the summer, the lake was very crowded with boats and swimmers and the focus of our activities. A few classmates had access to a speed boat for water skiing. For many, the most powerful motor was a five-horse outboard. Classmates water skied with some having the proficiency to double in a movie and ski at Cypress Garden, Florida. During the winter, we snow skied or went to the Lake Theater on Saturday afternoons to see westerns and serials. We played “Hopscotch” and “Kick the Can” in the streets and “Hide and Seek” in wooded vacant lots as there were only three parks. We built tree houses 15-20 feet from the ground in trees on vacant lots. None of us had flown on a jet plane or traveled. People did not have a second home.

13. Please and thank you were among the words in our vocabulary. Recognizing a courtesy with a “thank you” meant that a kindness registered in our brain. It created gratitude. Gratitude created happiness. We wrote thank you notes and now, remember a wonderful childhood.

We toured Lake Oswego in 2021 and decided that today most would characterize our youth as being deprived. Let me say that we all feel extraordinarily fortunate and grateful. We learned how to entertain and enrich our own lives. We developed curiosity! And we learned there are consequences that evolve from our behavior. All were wonderful gifts and learning experiences.

As 83-year-olds, we saw a very different Lake Oswego! How do you visualize life in Lake Oswego 50 years from now? The future is in your hands!