Petals From Roseland

Do you remember the lyrics, “Summertime and the living is easy?” When we were young, we didn’t realize just how easy we had it. We didn’t have to worry about jobs bills or mortgage payments. Summers in were spent going to the show at the State or Roseland theaters free passes from the merchants. Or playing ball on the Little League diamonds or in the school yards. Or going to the beach where the guys and gals would have a great time swimming together. And who could forget swimming at the parks? There was Palmer Park, with its 3-foot depth …

May has always been a special month for St. Anthony graduates. I recall when I began writing Petals from Roseland many years ago that my May column struck a chord. The column brought back food memories for many St .Anthony’s parishioners so I’m rerunning it here today. I asked a few St Anthony’s girls for their memories of the May crowning and all these years later, the event still holds a special place in their hearts. Each recounted the lifelong impression the May Crowning had on them. They also mentioned how their memories have been triggered throughout the years by …

This year, Easter comes relatively late in the season, giving me more time than usual to savor memories of the holiday. I recall it was always a major event in our household. The reason for this is that my brother Augie and I got to go to Robert Hall to get brand-new suits. The salesmen at Robert Hall really liked the fact that Catholics celebrated Easter by dressing up. They were very eager to see us come in for our annual visit. My dad worked hard to make his money as a house painter and so we often had to …

The title is of this column is what March is all about, as we head into spring always looking forward to what’s to come now that we are entering into a new season. “Sempre avanti!” is a catch phrase that is used to spur people into action despite the odds. It is a simple way of saying “Don’t let anything stand in your way! Move forward!” I could go on and on about the new things coming up in Roseland and Pullman, but we’re waiting for these projects to move forward. The Red Line Extension is going to have its …

Can we manage it: An entire month of showing love? Such a major challenge considering the times we live in. With bills to pay, family issues, friends on different pages, and now the depths of winter! But come on! None of those are real challenges when we’re talking about people from Roseland. “Why?” you might ask? Because we started out with love! We can all remember getting some “home” love! That love would start with our parents or grandparents. Maybe we depended on a brother or sister for a good dose of love. And we could all rest assured that …

It’s that time of year where we get to plan ahead based on what we know from last year. This year’s plans, as far as I can tell, are a continuation of ongoing plans from the past year. Due to various factors, there are some plans that have gone by the wayside temporarily. Development in Pullman and Roseland is always in a state of flux. For instance, Chicago’s Red Line Extension Project is in the early stages of its infrastructure phase. This can be witnessed by driving up 116th Street toward Michigan Avenue from Indiana Avenue. The six houses on …

In this past year, I’ve met up with many former St. Anthony parishioners and when we’ve gotten deep into conversations about Roseland, the topic of “The Ave” always comes up. When we make our way to Gately’s Peoples Store, we invariably begin talking about the memorable shopping experiences that became the hallmark of many of our lives. From shopping to working there, Gately’s made a major deposit in our memory banks. When conversation turned to Christmas on the Ave, someone usually describes the 9th Ward workers in a bucket truck going up and down the street hanging the huge red-and-white …

This is the time of year when we look back at what we can be thankful for. Of course, there are the material things that we can see and touch. In the case of the Roseland, Pullman and Kensington neighborhoods, many of those things can only be view in our mind’s eye. Living in Pullman, I can still visit many of the locations where businesses and family homes from my early years in the area were located, although I do sometimes have to visualize what you used to stand on what is now an empty lot. For instance, at one …

Summer is definitely behind us but, as we head into fall, the season has left us with some wonderful memories. Those include some great events presented by the Pullman National Historical Park Rangers and their staff, the beginning of the construction of a Chick-fil-A on 111th Street, the opening of the Pullman Club Café, the transformation of the off-track betting facility into offices for Chicago’s Red Line extension project, and the clearing of houses on 116th Street to make way for the project. St. Anthony’s Parish has seen the ordination of its new deaconate couple, Mario and Graciela Delgado and …

We can spend countless hours talking about our memories of Roseland because our youth there was wonderful. We can read about someone else’s life and experiences and immediately recall similar events in our lives. That’s what life in an ideal community is all about: the shared experiences. For us Roselandites, those experiences centered on the “The Ave.” The Michigan Avenue shopping area, otherwise known as “The Ave,” ran from about 110th Street south to 115th Street. All of us Roselandites remember going into the stores on “The Ave” as children when we were shopping with our parents. Another part of …