Looking Back

When I saw the obituary for Lucian Wiskoski back in March I realized that he was the last of Rutland’s downtown pharmacists whom I had the pleasure of knowing from childhood into adulthood. Back in the ‘50s five pharmacies were located in downtown Rutland. They were: Shangraw’s, Carpenter’s, Carroll Cut Rate, McClallen’s, and Beauchamp &…

Spring and summer are seasonal reminders to me of those who have contributed to my perennial gardens. As their gifts to me come into bloom I remember the person who gave the plants to me and their kindness in doing so. This year in particular I will be remembering our neighbor, Eleanor DiSabito, who sadly…

“Old age comes at a bad time!” – Sam Banducci I think retirees will agree with that statement. We work all our lives and once we retire we finally have time to do all the things we dreamed of doing. But after awhile bad knees, backs and feet may put some restrictions on activities such…

A common question that children are asked is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Odds are that their answer will not be the future profession they choose after graduation. I read a survey that was given to children in the U.S. whose ages ranged from 8-12. The child who said he…

Chatting with friends during our weekly breakfast often results in a few “looking back” thoughts for my column. After all, looking back is what our age group does best! One subject we reminisced about was old TV shows. Back in the 1950s, there were not a lot of channels available, which meant very limited viewing…

Where did Latin go??? If you went to high school up until the late ‘60s it was a subject that most schools required for college prep students. But by the ‘70s it gradually began to fade from school curricula. Latin was my favorite high school subject. It was like figuring out a puzzle. The structure…

If you are a gardener you are probably ready to put the snowy days behind you and spend some time “playing in the dirt.” I have already purchased my veggie and flower seeds and just looking at the pictures on the packets puts me in a happy place! Winter is an ideal time to purchase…

A column that I wrote awhile back compared growing up in the city to growing up in the country. Reading that column caused a friend of mine to take her own trip back in time and she shared her memories with me. As I was reading her email I realized that my early years in…

  Winter memories from the ‘50s and ‘60s My classmate from first grade through high school, Pat Maroney Embree, shared some wonderful winter memories with me from the ‘50s and ‘60s. As I read her email it prompted me to ask a couple of other old friends what they recalled from that era. It was…

If you were a kid in Rutland back in the 50s, how did you spend your winter? I will guarantee you that it wasn’t spent inside looking at a digital device! We were outside for the majority of the day even if was snowing. There is an expression that goes “There is no such thing…

By Mary Ellen Shaw It’s almost Christmas and as I look back I realize how the holiday is very different in today’s world. When I was a child in the ‘50s, downtown Rutland was bustling with shoppers who had numerous stores from which to select Christmas gifts. The windows were beautifully decorated for the season…

Submitted   By Mary Ellen Shaw   The Mountain Times forwarded to me a hand-written letter from a regular reader of my “Looking Back” column. Her name is Ellen Lee Jones. She shared with me what she remembers about her own life when she “looks back.” Ellen gave permission for me to use the details…

  It’s almost time for Halloween and sometimes adults have as much fun as kids on this holiday. Looking back to the 1950s when I went “trick-or-treating” the costumes were pretty simple. Most kids dressed as witches, ghosts, hobos or vampires. Celebrity or movie related costumes were not popular like they are today. Many of…

By Mary Ellen Shaw It seems like our street had more bicycle riders this summer than I have ever seen here. The adults seem to outnumber the children and teens. For most of us our connection to biking begins with a tricycle. When I was a child back in the ‘50s there were about a…

Back in the day where we traveled by car and how we found our way to various places was nothing like it is now. A friend recently told me that without her GPS she would find it very difficult to get from one place to another. We have become a technology dependent generation! My car…