Art; Nice to read the Bluebird news. My father talked of playing basketball in the Selma Rink. Some of the old yearbooks might tell more. My sister Becky received the newsletter from Ruth Elwell and forwarded it to me. Patti and I enjoyed all the updates.
Thanks Patti & Tom (White) Williams
Hi,
Martha (Cox) Black
(My mother is obsessive and had saved it. She gave it to me last year when he moved). I recognize are Danny Vester, front row fourth from right. Alan Dudley, front row right. Joetta Burd, back row, second from right. I think that I recognize several others, but am not sure. If I can find the picture, I will send the info on. The building is the old Cox Drive Inn, run by my grandparents. I have no memories from the 50's, but plenty from the 60's.
Doug Black
Hi, Art:
Finally getting time to respond to your discussion of the skating rink. If it weren't for that old rink, I would have had no social life at all. Let's face it - there just wasn't much else to do in Selma for kids. There were school activities, limited as they were, and the rink. I loved to skate! Actually, my uncle, Ralph Griffey operated the rink in the Muncie Armory for years. All my uncles skated on the Muncie Roller Hockey team and I skated there from the age of five or so. I can remember going there when I was very young. So young, in fact that when
my brother and I would get sleepy, they made beds for us in upside-down skate boxes and put us behind the counter of the skate booth (where people came to get skates, sodas, candy, etc). Also, my grandfather, James L. Griffey, operated skating rinks during the summer months in several community buildings in nearby towns. Some of those were in Losantville, Markleville, and Lapel, to name three. The one in Lapel was upstairs! Bet it was noisy on the first story of that building!
But I seldom missed a Saturday night at the Selma Rink. Vernie did it right! He would announce the "Couples Only" and lower the lights so as to lend a little mood. Remember the trio ". . . . .two boys and a girl, two girls and a boy or three girls . . . ." Vernie was wise in not allowing three boys, as they would probably get rough and tear the place apart. Remember, in the summer he used to open those big double doors at the north end for ventilation? The last skate of the evening was always a waltz. The two best male skaters were Gene Duke and Bobby Sellers. I used to pray that Bobby would ask me to skate the last waltz because he really was a pro. He
even had lights mounted onto the bottoms of his skates and looked really cool with the lights down low. Bobby knew just how to lead his skating partner in the waltz, turning and dipping in a very professional way. It made you feel very important to waltz with either Gene or Bobby. Of course, a few of us had detachable skates, which made us feel just a
little special. Roller skating doesn't seem to be very important to young people today. I recently had the opportunity to try a pair of in-line roller blades and let me tell you, they are NOTHING like regular roller skates f our day! But, I'd like to see someone try to spin or do an arabesque on a pair of those things! Those skating rink days were good times. But so were most of the days of our childhood, right? Thanks for conjuring up all those fond memories, Art.
Wanda (Griffey) Reddick
Across the street to the east was Jones' garage and to the north, across the highway, the Bluebird Inn. During the war and while a major renovation of SHS was underway, there was no cafeteria. Students either sacked their lunches or would to the Bluebird Inn or to Ella Cook's place downtown for lunches or, if really brave, to Brad Skinner's combination shoe repair and grill. For 20 cents, the Bluebird Inn offered two hamburgers, a bowl of chili, and a soft drink. Ella's specialty was hot dogs while Skinner's specialty was hamburgers cooked in a skillet where the grease was never changed.
In 1950, an independent basketball league was formed and consisted of about a dozen teams from Delaware County and the surrounding area. I played on the team sponsored by Cox's Drive-Inn. Other members of the team were all older and some of those playing included my brother Don, Bob Boggs and, I believe, Gene Sheward.
The drive-in always closed at 11:00 PM and since I played for Cox's, would always try to make a point to stop in at closing time. "Readie" would always treat me (I was cheap even then) with left-over french-fries, hamburgers, and pie.
Along about this time, "Readie" ran for Delaware County Sheriff but was "defeated" when several voting machines in the Liberty and Center Townships "failed." "Readie" was devastated about this and I learned very early in life that politics is not played by the rules of gentlemen -- and probably never was or ever will be.
I don't remember when "Readie" passed away, but it was probably in the mid-fifties or later. The drive-in never prospered after that and later closed after noon lunches. Gene Cross was a fixture there also as well as at the skating rink.
I bet your readers won't remember one of the first "car-hops" at Cox's? I will not keep you in suspense any longer! It was none other than Donn Williamson ('50)!
In looking back over the years, I can't help but think our generation has lived in the "best of times."
Keep up the good work.
Bob Shumaker “49”
Parker City, IN
If you would like to respond to the information from the above original May, 2003 issue of Art Haney's Bluebird Flyer, please send your comments or photos to SelmaBluebirds@wapahanialumni.com. Other alumni news, obituaries, and reunion info will be welcome, as well. For snail mail send to Selma Bluebirds Flyer, P. O. Box 45, Selma, IN 47383.
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I hope you've enjoyed reading the above original Bluebird Flyer, which was published monthly from Sept., 2002 until June, 2009. The new version of the Flyer, the Selma Bluebirds Flyer is written by me and will go out on the first of each month by email only. To be added to, or removed from, the Selma Bluebirds Flyer e-mail list, send your request to SelmaBluebirds@wapahanialumni.com.
Donna Staggs, Selma, Indiana