Recollections

From Joe Kuehn who lived on the South Side, Overbrook and Brookline. Joe now lives in Oregon:

Regarding childhood in Brookline:

"I was a resident of Brookline until the late 40s when our family moved from 1560 Reamer St. to Hollidaysburg, PA. My dad contributed $300 to the fund drive to buy the land for the community center and park. I played in the woods off the east end of Brookline Blvd. to Jacob St. In the 30s and 40s we walked, biked or took the trolley most places. I was about 11 when I walked from Forbes field back to Brookline via the Liberty Tubes and Rt. 51/Saw Mill Run to Reamer St. The vents in the tunnel didn't work very well at the time. Guess that got me started hiking and I ended up in Oregon trekking from Canada to California and eastward to Colorado. I retired in 1996 at the age of 62 and eventually made my way around the world walking six continents. It all started in Brookline, with special memories of my childhood. Thanks for all you and others before you have done to fill the memory bank."

"Brownsville Road, without looking at a map is several miles at least, from Pius St. I wish I knew Pius St. better but don't. I played there with my cousins at address 143 Pius St., the location of the drug store that was owned by my Grandpa Joe. I never lived there or even stayed overnight. However, in Brookline, where the community center area is there also were mine entrances. We played cowboys and Indians and commandos in those woods (still undeveloped today) in the early 40s. We knew enough not to venture into those dark holes not knowing where they led. Rumors had it one guy did enter and showed up on the other side of the hill near his house. I took that with a grain of salt.

Our favorite weapons were the grapefruit size green balls which grew on small trees in those woods. The outer surface of the balls was similar to a pineapple and the gooey stuff inside would splatter if the thing were ripe enough."

Regarding life in the South Side of Pittsburgh:

"That deed information I looked at about the 143 Pius St drug store property and the 1890 construction date was fascinating. My dad used to walk to Duquesne University Preparatory High School. The Google map directions gave me his route via Carson St and 10th St Bridge - a 1.7 mile walk in that steel mill air. I think there must have been a time when he rode the trolley or bus some of the way to school.

At Prep he had four years of Latin and Greek, plus all the advanced math at that time. He also worked in the drug store and because his parent's did fulltime, he took pride being in charge of his younger brother Ted. His sister Rita was born in 1916, Ted '13 and dad '09. He told me once he didn’t go out for sports cause he had to hang close to the store/home. That was pretty common in those days of family run businesses. Dad was qualified to go to med school but there was no money in the Depression years (he got his Pharmacy Degree in June 1929 and studied six months before taking the State of PA board test in order to get his certification/license to practice July 17,1930.

He worked as a pharmacist in the Pittsburgh Hospital "drug room" at the time I was born in September 1934. Ironically, or by fate his last pharmacy registration expired in September of 1970. His 61st birthday was in April 1970 and he died that June at age 61 because of high blood pressure/stroke. I was assigned in the USAF to manage "exchange" retail store operations for bases in Spain. The Red Cross notified me of my dad's imminent death and I got priority space available and a direct flight to McGuire AFG in NJ. near Philadelphia. Somehow, I got to Altoona before my dad died. He was completely paralyzed on one side but was as alert as if he was behind his desk at Altoona Blair Pharmacal - the drug/surgical supply company he started 15-20 years earlier."