50s stuff

Hey, growing up in Pacific Beach, wow, how hard was that living right on the Pacific Ocean in this beautiful beach community where we all knew our neighbors and no one ever locked their doors. There was endless warm summer days spent at the beach riding the surf in salty breeze's, beach parties, bon-fires, surfers and sunsets.
I just can't believe we made it.....

We made it through the 50's! Looking back, it's hard
to believe that we have lived as long as we have...

Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). As Kids, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Cruising Oscar's on a warm summers night was always a special treat.

We had no childproofing on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.
Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors. (my favorite!) We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem.

In Pacfic Beach, we would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. (what street lights??!) No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable.

We stayed at the beach all day, played "Mother May I" - played dodgeball and sometimes the ball would really hurt.

We got cut and broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no law suits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents? We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank, Ovaltine, tons of soda but we were never overweight...we were always outside playing. We shared one koolaid with four friends, from one glass and no one died from this.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games at all, or a 100 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them.

We rode bikes along the boardwalk in Mission Beach, or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell or just walked in and talked to them. Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian. How did we do it?

We made up games and shoot B B guns and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. At sports tryouts not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment.....

Some students had problems and failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade.....Horrors. Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law, imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
And you're one of them...
Congratulations!

This site designed and maintained by MBHS Alumni, and Held in Trust for the Class of 1959
©Copyright MBHS 1959 2008 All Rights Reserved
No part of this site shall be duplicated, or reproduced without written permission.
MBHS1959.org