Jo from Frisco

A while ago, Jo Meiers Leggett sent me this family portrait of herself and her son, Doctor Cameron Leggett, and her beloved golden retriever, Chance, now 13 and entering his twilight years.

Cam served a residency at Tulane University in New Orleans and left one day before Katrina stuck, a hardship since he had so many patients and good friends there. Now he's installed in San Francisco at Kaiser Terra Linda, with a load of 1800 patients. (He must write eloquent reports, since he was an English major at Brown.)

Jo keeps busy with her photography (see September 02, 2005) and with serving on the board of her Alamo Square association, making sure that its parks and streets stay healthy.

Recently she was looking at old photos and found this one of the Stuart School cheerleaders, dated (I would guess) from the winter of 1953-54, when Jo was an 8th grader.

I'm pleased to have this souvenir, since it's our very first piece of recollection from Stuart Grade School to add to the "Grade School Memories" of the main SHS '58 web site. I hope that some alums from that school will send in memories and pictures before long. I also don't have much from Lawrence Grade School.....

The names of the cheerleaders are, left to right:
Jey Schien, Ginger Evans, Pat Flamm, Jo Meiers, Carol Ann Ewing, and Marguerite Mogul.

PS: Happy Memorial Day: check out the Iles House blog for some history.

At the Drive-In

Drive-in theatres began in Camden, NJ in 1933 and spread across the USA, reaching a peak in the 1950s of over 4,000 screens. Springfield had two, on South Grand and South Sixth, and today one is operating as the Route 66 Drive-In.

This may not be the same one I remember; it opened in 1978 as the Green Meadows, closed in 1982, and then sat unused for several years. The Knight family bought it in 1990 but did not reopen until 2002.

Today it has two screens, a playground and refreshment stand, and a nearby amusement park, probably replete with batting cage and water slide.

Not many drive-ins survive today; so if you are ever back in town, check this one out for an evening of summer-time nostalgia.

Do you have any drive-in memories to share?

I recall that on Buck Night, certain pals of mine would pack the trunk with several non-paying customers.

It was also a lot more fun to go there with a date than with the family.

Mother's Day

The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day in 35 countries, from Australia to Venezuela, so let's take a moment to salute every mom, wife, sister, and girl friend on the planet. To the Ladies, bless 'em, and thanks for putting up with the species known as Guys.

The mother I know best is Mary Watson Howarth, seen on the left with her first great-grandchild, Shannon Isabel Howarth. This year, Shannon turns 2 and Mary is 92. She lives in Nashville, TN near my sister, Lydia, and Mom has few complaints other than the "funny accents" people speak in that region.

In her lifetime Mary raised five children, ran five mayoral campaigns, and by her estimate, cooked and served a few hundred thousand meals. She also ran several businesses, including my Dad's law office, and she can still give astute advice about real estate and relationships.

To celebrate your own Mom, please make a comment below or send me a picture with a few lines of information. Happy Mother's Day!

Janet and Jo

Janet Beardsley Johnson and her husband, David Johnson, are still rambling the roads in their RV and this time they journeyed east for a spring-time visit to Canton, Ohio.

There they spent a few days touring local sights, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and visiting with Janet's '58 classmate, Jo Ankeny Lindamood.

Jo has worked several years as administrative assistant to the Prosecuting Attorney of Stark County, Ohio. She administers state and federal grants and is responsible for fiscal projections.


On May 31, Jo retires. Her future plans include reading, travel, and caring for her mother, Sybil Ankeny. Sybil is 97 and a beauty, as are the other two ladies in this trio.