Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65


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Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: mistermink (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 10, 2012 02:19PM

Anyone remember Duke? I delivered the afternoon Chicago Daily News from there from the summer of '64 till the summer of '65. They also delivered the Times and Trib. Our competition was the Chicago American. Their office was just east of Ashland on George St or Wellington.

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: Elf Odin (---.mc.net)
Date: January 10, 2012 03:59PM

I lived there around that time (my house was where the Pier One store now sits), but I don't recall the office. It wouldn't have been on George, which is all residential; and the southeast corner of Wellington had a locksmith and a truck garage, and as far as I recall was residential east of there.

But your subject says "Belmont & Wolcott", which would be about a half-mile northwest of Ashland and Wellington.

Ed.

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: Mornac (---.dsl.chcgil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 12, 2012 02:35AM

I delivered the afternoon Daily News out of the Edgewater News Agency on Broadway near Ardmore (5800 North) starting in 1966. The ENA also carried the Tribune, Sun-Times, and few smaller circulation things like the Wall Street Journal and the Forward. I had an early morning route from 1971-73. The American was delivered out of an agency on Ridge Ave. near Senn High School until the paper folded in 196?. I felt sorry for those guys because they had to collect from their customers on Friday nights while the ENA billed by mail. On the other hand, they got more tips.

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 26, 2012 02:28AM

Wasn't there a welding shop on that corner of Broadway and Ardmore?

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: Mornac (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: January 26, 2012 02:37AM

There absolutely was! The name of it escapes me right now, but in the late 60’s I bought a cheap “Sting-ray” style bike at the Sears on Lawrence with my Christmas tips. I had it for about a month when part of the frame cracked. I took it into that welder and he put it back together for me and told me that it was some worthless crap and I shouldn’t expect it to last too long. He didn’t charge me and the bike never made it through the following summer.

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 26, 2012 02:44AM

That bike was a Sears Huffy I bet! I think that was the brand they sold back then. The name came to me now, Auto Flywheel Welding. Than there was Red's Frame shop accross the street I believe.

I lived at Balmoral and Winchester from 67 to 71. But I still hung around there after I moved. I worked for the Ace Hardware store and I didnt want to quit.

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: Mornac (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: January 26, 2012 12:12PM

rjmachon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That bike was a Sears Huffy I bet! I think that
> was the brand they sold back then. The name came
> to me now, Auto Flywheel Welding. Than there was
> Red's Frame shop accross the street I believe.
>
> I lived at Balmoral and Winchester from 67 to 71.
> But I still hung around there after I moved. I
> worked for the Ace Hardware store and I didnt want
> to quit.


--Yes! Huffy! I just remembered it when you said it. And [i]Auto Flywheel Welding[/i] was the name of the welder too. I remember seeing the name as a kid and wondering what a “flywheel” was. I thought it had something to do with iairpalnes. Red’s Frame was on the other corner too. “The Spot” pizza was on the corner across Broadway and it’s STILL there. There was also an auto painter one block north in a nondescript building on the corner of Rosedale. You wouldn’t know it was there unless you walked by it in the alley (like I did every day).

Did you work at the ACE on Clark near Rosehill?

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 26, 2012 09:42PM

Yes, I worked at the Ace Hardware, 5830 North Clark Street. Lowell and Ann owned the store. I use to walk accross the street and pick up lunch for them from the Round Table Resturant. The moving company, Econamy Movers was just to the south of the hardware store then the body shop. The alley was still gravel if I remember right. There was a bike shop right accross the street, on Clark Street but I can't remember the name of it. I use to hang out at Calo Bowl a lot on Clark Street. I was never much in Ridge Bowl. There was another bowling alley at Bryn Mair and Clark Street, is this correct? This was around 1970. What a great time back then!

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: Mornac (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: January 27, 2012 12:23AM

My dad grew up in one of the apartments above the ACE and my grandmother was still living there into the 1970 with a couple of my aunts. I remember the gravel alley well. We used to play on that wooden loading dock. The bike shop across the street was called Smitty’s . There was a locksmith right there too. Most of the stuff on that side of the street has been acquired, razed, or renovated by Gethsemane Garden Center. Felice’s Round Table has been various restaurants since then. The latest manifestation opened last spring. (I can’t remember what the theme is.) Unfortunately, no one ever does anything to improve the exterior, which is a shame because it has a very classic look to it with that turret and all. The family that owned Economy Movers transformed it into World Van Lines. They bought the ACE and moved it one door south into their warehouse. Sadly, after being “the original ACE” since the 1920’s, it closed its door about a month ago.

The building that was Calo is still standing and occupied. Calo restaurant across the street is doing a booming business. In fact that whole stretch of Clark street that runs through Andersonville has become gay in recent years and it’s attracted commerce that was unknown to it in the 70’. I don’t remember a bowling alley at Clark and Bryn Mawr. I lived at Paulina and Peterson until 1965 – spitting distance from Ridge Bowl. After that we moved across Clark Street. After I got married, we bought a house on the same block I grew up on. I’ve pretty much lived around here all of my life.

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 27, 2012 01:54AM

I remember that loading dock. I moved enough bags of cement on to it from that old shed in the back. I also remember a old German Shepard dog that use to room around in the alley. I worked at the store from 1969 to 1973. When I moved to Irving and Nagle, I used to ride my bike everyday from home to school, Amundsen High, and then to Ace and back home. I lived at Winchester and Balmoral for a few years in our uncles apartment building. Across from Material Service Cement Co.. I remember when the Calo Resturant was next to the bowling alley. Then they moved accross the street. Was that the Town & Country Resturant on the corner of Ridge and Clark? We might have cross paths around 1970's and never new it. Small world we live in.

Ralph

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: Mornac (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: January 28, 2012 12:25AM

--I had some cousins who owned a German shepherd named Sam. They lived on Paulina in the last house next to the “dead end” wall against Rosehill Drive. That may well have been him you saw roaming the alley. I also knew a guy from the aforementioned Edgewater News Agency who quit when he was hired at the ACE. Maybe you know him. His name was Mark. Later he worked at the Edgewater Bank that opened on Clark across from the Calo Restaurant. I went to high school at St. Gregory (’72 –’76) and I’m sure some guys I knew worked at ACE at some point. That was the Town & Country at Ridge and Clark. It later became Carson’s Ribs in the 70’s and 80’s. I don’t know when it closed down but the vacant building still stands. If we ever crossed paths, it was most likely while I worked at LaManna’s Drugs at Berwyn and Damen during my freshman year (’72-’73).

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 28, 2012 01:01AM

I know you won't believe this, I worked at LaManna's Drugs. It was 1968, part of 1969. I know I didn't work there long before I took the job at the Ace Hardware. Joe LaManna was mad at me for quiting, but Ace paid mimimun wage. Joe didn't. I went to 8th grade at St. Gregs but went to Amundsen High. Class of 73'. I don't remember Mark at the moment working at Ace. I know Ann and Lo owned it, there was Gordi the mamager of the store. Everitt a short guy, like 5'3". Harry, Ed Taylor, and Otto as well. There was other guys working there but I don't remember there names. Ed quit and was replaced by someone. The year was around 1972. I think Harry finnally got fired by Ann for being "bombed" on the job and fighting with custormers. As for the dog, I thought a young guy owned it, who lived a few doors north of your cousins house in the apartment building. It has been a long time ago and I am remebering things now that we are talking about it. Your right about LaManna's, Even in 72', I was in LaMannas. What was the name of the other pharmist? Do you recall. I just loved working the soda fountain.

By the way, did Mark have a purple Pontiac car when he worked there?

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: Mornac (---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: January 28, 2012 02:08AM

Wow. Smaller world than I could’ve guessed. I started working for LaManna the same week I started high school in September of ’72 and I left for pretty much the same reason you did. Joe started me at .90 an hour and raised me to a buck around Christmas time. (He also made me go over to the Social Security office on Lawrence to get a SS card. I still have it with my name typewritten across it and my 14 y.o. signature) In the spring I took a job at the Dominick’s on Broadway because they were paying minimum wage which was $1.15 an hour at the time (it went up rapidly. By the time I finished high school I was making almost $4.00 per hour). [url=http://forgottenchicago.com/forum/1/6447/6447/_subject_]Check out my post on this thread.[/url] I can’t remember the name of the other pharmacist. There was an older woman who used to come in for a few hours in the afternoon and I don’t remember her name either.

I didn’t know the names of the ACE staff so well, but I’m sure my dad remembers all of ‘em. My sister worked there in the 1980’s after the Marx (World Van Lines) bought it and moved it next door. One of their partners is Ernie Banks. He used to pop into the Hardware when he was in town (Marx had offices upstairs of the old warehouse). I made her get his autograph for me.

Mark’s last name was Jerger or Jurger or something similar. Wavy, sandy colored hair. Graduate of Gordon Tech. It wouldn’t be out of character for him to have a purple Pontiac but I can’t say. Where’d ya go to school before St. Gregs?

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Re: Duke News Agency-Belmont & Wolcott 1964-65
Posted by: rjmachon (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 28, 2012 03:00AM

I started at LaManna's at .75 per hour. When I left, I was at .95 per hour. He offered me more to stay, but I wanted to work at the Ace Hardware to learn something. Plus my friend Zig worked there and got me the job. I still have my old SS card as well and I had to use it a month ago. I am glad I keep it. We had a young flashy guy working there (Ace) that drove a newer purple Pontiac. Nice guy but we know he wouldn't stay there. This could have been Mark. If the stock boy (me) wasn't working, then then sales guy would have to cut pipe or haul bags of cement. He didnt like that. I worked part-time on Saturdays there (when Ann called me) for awhile after I quit. I went to work for Lee Auto Body. Joe Lee own the body shop in the Phillip's 66 gas station on Damen and Balmoral. Then we moved to 4212 Lincoln Ave.

I remember that lady at LaManna's. I don't know how it came about, but I drove her home one day. 1973 maybe. She lived around Sheridan and Bryn Mair if I remember right.

I went to only 8th grade at St. Greg's. We moved into the neighborhood (Balmoraland Winchester) in 1967 from Logan Square. St. Sylvester's was the gradeschool. We moved out of Edgewater in 1971 to Irving and Nagle. I still hung around the Balmoral and Clark, and Balmoral and Winchester area after we moved. I was tired of making new friends. I even finished high school at Amundsen. I rode my bike evey day. Weather permitting. I knew a lot of friends and had my job so my Dad left me finish high school out at Amundsen.

If you ever bowled at Calo from 1969 to 1975, we then did meet. I was there a lot of the time bowling in leagues or hanging out. This is truely a small world. I am going to check out your post on this thread and get back to you later.

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