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August 2000
(Before the MEGA Reunion)

Hi,

Here are two of our HHS grads remembering the Hicksville of their youth. Not too many of you will be able to top their memories. Thanks to Ray Muller, Class of '55 and Pat Koziuk, Class of '56.

• Ray Muller started the ball rolling with this email:
  
  Here are some brain burners
  
  1. Do you know where Hutners Dept store was located.
  2. There were two bakeries on Broadway
  3. The LIRR was not elevated
  4. Broadway was only a two lane road no divider in the middle
  5. Where was the Hudson Car Dealer located
  6. Where were the two previous locations of Goldman Bros.
  7. Where was the Sweet shop located before it's present location
  8. There were two three hardware stores in Hicksville, name them .
  9. Schiners Drug store, where was it located .
  10. Where did Northern State Parkway end .
  11. Kraft Jewelers do you remember .
  12. What was located where Robert Chevrolet is now .
  13. Where was A & P grocery located .
  14. Where was Bohack grocery store located and when they moved what
  moved into their located .
  
  Ray Muller class of 55 HHS

• Pat Koziuk quickly responded to Ray Muller's List.
  
  Holly,
  
  I know the answers to these questions. They sure brought back many memories. Schiners Drug store made a great lime fizz that hit the spot on a hot evening after the Jr. High Friday night dances. Hutners Dept. Store was on the corner of Broadway and Marie Street and had the most beautiful staircase right inside the main entrance.
  
  The A&P was a tiny store on Broadway just down the block from Braun's Meat Market. The Bohack store was on Marie St. and I think Grand Union took them over. The Hudson car dealer was on the corner of Broadway and Old Country Rd. and I think they also carried the Nash Ramblers.
  
  Thanks for the memories.
  
  Pat

• At this point, I got another email from Pat that really floored me. She really has a flair for putting her wonderful memories down on paper. She agreed to share them with everyone. I hope you enjoy going back in time to the old and golden years of our youth.
  
  Hi Holly,
  
  After reading the 'brain burners' from Ray Muller, I remembered what Hicksville was like BL (before Levittown). It really was a small town with many farms. I remember at harvest time the local farmers would hire women to help in the fields. My grandmother would put on her sunbonnet and pick potatoes, beans and other veggies along with the neighbors. It seemed more like a gossip party than work. I can't remember any migrant workers. Us kids would 'work' on Saturdays along with our Moms, aunts and grandmothers. We usually picked just enough to pay for a trip to the movie.
  
  Then Mom and Grandma would prepare food for the winter. They would can, pickle and make jelly. We had a room sized pantry in the basement and a root cellar under the shed in the back yard. My Dad was the only one brave enough to go into the root cellar, where apples, beets, potatoes and other eatables were stored. It's amazing how long they lasted stored that way!
  
  As I said before, the A&P was a tiny store, so on Saturday morning, we would all pile into our Hudson Hornet and drive to Hempstead for a day of shopping. Dad loved a black and white cake that he found in the BIG A&P in Hempstead and I think we brought one home just about every Saturday. Dad always treated us to lunch and one of our favorite places was a hot dog stand in the bus stop. We knew the waitress by her first name. Hot dogs and orange soda, what a treat ! I also remember a small stream in a small park that we would visit with Dad while Mom shopped.
  
  Since my Dad worked for Sperry for 27 years on the night shift, we didn't see him much during the week. He tried to spend time with us on weekends. Those were the days of free admission to the Bronx Zoo, the Metropolitan Museum and other attractions. Gas was 25 cents a gallon so we were taken to NYC on a regular basis.
  
  Sometime we would go to places like the Statue of Liberty and other tourist attractions. I do remember going to Radio City Music Hall several times. One time in particular, we went to see "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and I couldn't believe that he paid $2.75 for admission! I think the movie house in Hicksville was 40 cents at the time.
  
  On Friday nights, Mom, Aunt Jennie and a bunch of us kids would go to the farmers market. It was the forerunner of the big one on the Hicksville/Bethpage line. The thing I still remember about those trips was that they always bought celery and it smelled up the car. Then we would go home and watch "I Remember Momma" on our little black and white TV.
  
  There was always lots of family around and a holiday was always a family reunion. We grew up with many cousins, aunts and uncles. You didn't dare get into mischief because you were sure to be seen by a relative, no matter where you were.
  
  Although we had Hutners and Goldman's in town, we usually drove into Jamaica for our winter coats. Some of the NYC dept. stores had branches there. We did go into NYC at least a couple of times a year to shop. My aunt Helen was a millinery buyer at Bergdorf's on 5th Ave. She was know as Miss Aneila and worked there for years. I think I drove everybody "nuts" because I rode every escalator in every dept. store in the city!
  
  My Dad never was called to serve in W.W.II and it wasn't until after the war that we learned why. It seems he was considered more valuable to his country at his bench at Sperry's than overseas with a gun. He had something to do with the bomb site for the atomic bombs.
  
  Well, that's how it was when I was a Hick!
  
  Pat

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