Tornado
1974
Contributed by: Steve

We moved into our house on South Lark Street in January of 1974. Just four months later in April, this area was hit by a tornado. Although we had a lot of damage, we were able to live in the house. We got a large tarp to throw over the roof and we boarded up broken windows. The southeast corner of the garage suffered severe damage, the patio door and the surrounding area was blown away and there was damage to siding, windows and roofing. We never did find the patio door and that baby was heavy. The damage amounted to between 25% and 30% of the total cost of building the house. There was no one home at the time of the storm. I was on my Sunday afternoon walk and the rest of the family was in Appleton attending a drum and bugle corps rehearsal. I was at a tavern on Rosalia Street when someone came in and told us a tornado hit town. We turned on a radio and I kept hearing about Copp’s Department Store and the university. Drawing a line between the two put our house right in line. A gentleman gave me a ride home and as soon as we hit Witzel Avenue, I knew I was in trouble. The first thing I tried to do was call Appleton. The phone was dead. A bunch of us were trying to clean up the place when all of a sudden, the telephone rang. It was my uncle wanting to know if I was hit and could he be of any help. It took a bit but then I realized my phone was working. The reason may be because all my wires are underground. The reason the phone didn’t work before was that the lines were jammed. I called Appleton right away and was told the family was on the way home. The word got around that I had a working telephone and, apparently, the only one in the area. We soon had a house full of strangers, most of them I never saw before or since. They all wanted to call relatives, friends, or their insurance agent.

What a party we had. I ran out of all liquid refreshments in short order and some people were going home to bring more. They were also bringing cookies and other snacks. We had no electricity so a lady who lived in the apartments across the street was making coffee on her gas stove and it was gone just as fast as she could bring it over. About midnight, a cop came to the door and told me I was to report to work immediately. I was put in charge of the clean up and would not see my bed for two days. Most storm damage was picked up in two weeks but some was still being collected two months later. What an experience this was. As many snap shots as we have taken over the years, we do not have single one of the damage. I think we were just too busy to think of it.

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Summer at the Park
Early 1960s
Contributed by: Mike

I grew up within blocks of Menominee Park and our summers revolved around the park, its ball diamonds and the swimming beach. We'd pack a lunch, play ball at diamond one in the a.m., swim in the afternoon and end our day at the park with another ballgame at another diamond. The days seemed to last forever as did summer. Now summer seems too short...

For more information on Menominee Park, please visit the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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Kids Parade
1950s
Contributed by: Steve

Each year the Ohio Street Civic Association would sponsor a parade for kids near the end of July. The kids would dress in costumes, show off a pet, ride their decorated tricycles or pull floats, large and small. The parade organized at the Sacred Heart School grounds on Fifth and Knapp Streets and went east on Fifth to Ohio Street, then south to the South Park. At the end of the parade, the kids were given refreshments and a bag of goodies. This parade was extremely popular not only with the kids but also with the parents. Some parents even competed against each other to see who could come up with the best idea for their kids. My son David built many floats for his younger sisters and most of them won prizes. Come to think of it, I think I still have some parts for these floats stored in the attic of my garage.

With the parade going past my mother-in-law’s house, it made an ideal excuse to have a family get together. Each year, the gathering got larger and larger. After the parade, Grandma would get a penny ante poker game going at the kitchen table and some of us guys would play sheepshead at a card table in the driveway. We were not allowed to play in the house because we argued so much and were too loud. There would be a lunch of potato salad, baked beans, homemade rye bread and other goodies. Nobody went away disappointed and everybody started looking forward to next year.

One year, construction on Fifth Street forced the parade to go down Fourth Street. It was a bit inconvenient but we survived. Be it known that in all the years I attended, it was the only time it rained during the parade or for that matter, during the gathering.

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Tuberculosis Treatment at Sunnyview Hospital
1952
Contributed by: Audrey

Two weeks after my wedding, on my 20th birthday, I was diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to Sunnyview Sanitarium, where I lived for two and a half years, beginning in 1952.

The first six months were the hardest because I was contagious and could not leave my room or have visitors. It was like being in jail without the bars. I cried a lot and felt depressed. After a nurse told me that 90% of my cure was my attitude, I decided to make the best of a bad situation. And so my days at the “San” – as it was commonly called - were some of the best years of my life. My only responsibility was to get well and the experience brought me closer to God and taught me how to be patient and tolerant of others.

When I was no longer contagious, I moved to the second floor of the Annex. Later, two of my sisters were admitted to the hospital and the three of us roomed together on the porch.

There was an epidemic of TB among people between the ages of 20 and 30 and the hospital was usually filled to capacity. We passed the time by doing crafts and playing games. At night, we would sneak out of our beds and play sheepshead by flashlight. Groups would visit and put on programs for us. One year we made Easter bonnets with whatever materials we could find and wore the hats around the hospital.

Naps were taken from 1 to 3 p.m. every day and lights had to be out at 9 p.m. and we ate our meals in bed. The food was terrible and visitors would bring snacks that we’d store in our nightstands. On Saturdays, the guys and gals got together downstairs to watch television programs. Saturdays were the only day we watched television; we didn’t have TVs or telephones in our rooms.

The treatment for TB was unpleasant. Everyone would get a shot of Streptomycin in the morning and another at night, and after every meal you had to drink about ¼ cup of a horrible tasting medicine called PAS. PAS was eventually replaced by a pill called INH; everyone called it the “miracle drug” for TB. But the worse part was every three months when the doctor checked your lungs by inserting a skinny tube into your nose. The tube went down your throat and you had to swallow it until the end of the tube reached your lung. In those days, they didn’t numb your throat and no one looked forward to the test.

After I was at the San for about two years, I had ¾ of one lung removed to get rid of the disease. After surgery, I stayed at the San for six more months to recover. At that point, I was allowed to take meals in the dining room and gradually started walking. The hospital had a long driveway and no one could be released until they could walk the length of the driveway and back. It took me a long time but I was eventually able to do it. After I was released, I had to be tested for TB every three months for about five years afterward.

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Tuberculosis Treatment at Sunnyview Hospital
1952
Contributed by: Audrey

Two weeks after my wedding, on my 20th birthday, I was diagnosed with tuberculosis and sent to Sunnyview Sanitarium, where I lived for two and a half years, beginning in 1952.

The first six months were the hardest because I was contagious and could not leave my room or have visitors. It was like being in jail without the bars. I cried a lot and felt depressed. After a nurse told me that 90% of my cure was my attitude, I decided to make the best of a bad situation. And so my days at the “San” – as it was commonly called - were some of the best years of my life. My only responsibility was to get well and the experience brought me closer to God and taught me how to be patient and tolerant of others.

When I was no longer contagious, I moved to the second floor of the Annex. Later, two of my sisters were admitted to the hospital and the three of us roomed together on the porch.

There was an epidemic of TB among people between the ages of 20 and 30 and the hospital was usually filled to capacity. We passed the time by doing crafts and playing games. At night, we would sneak out of our beds and play sheepshead by flashlight. Groups would visit and put on programs for us. One year we made Easter bonnets with whatever materials we could find and wore the hats around the hospital.

Naps were taken from 1 to 3 p.m. every day and lights had to be out at 9 p.m. and we ate our meals in bed. The food was terrible and visitors would bring snacks that we’d store in our nightstands. On Saturdays, the guys and gals got together downstairs to watch television programs. Saturdays were the only day we watched television; we didn’t have TVs or telephones in our rooms.

The treatment for TB was unpleasant. Everyone would get a shot of Streptomycin in the morning and another at night, and after every meal you had to drink about ¼ cup of a horrible tasting medicine called PAS. PAS was eventually replaced by a pill called INH; everyone called it the “miracle drug” for TB. But the worse part was every three months when the doctor checked your lungs by inserting a skinny tube into your nose. The tube went down your throat and you had to swallow it until the end of the tube reached your lung. In those days, they didn’t numb your throat and no one looked forward to the test.

After I was at the San for about two years, I had ¾ of one lung removed to get rid of the disease. After surgery, I stayed at the San for six more months to recover. At that point, I was allowed to take meals in the dining room and gradually started walking. The hospital had a long driveway and no one could be released until they could walk the length of the driveway and back. It took me a long time but I was eventually able to do it. After I was released, I had to be tested for TB every three months for about five years afterward.

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