Remembering fallen Jacksonville companies.

[Timkin]

r.i.p. Mom

I'm with you there, brother.   Mine would be 73 years old this Wed. 

[ronchamblin]

Nostalgia.. oh the comfort given, as if one has seen one’s long gone grandmother return from the grave to give love and be loved once again.  Thus we embrace the images of past realities which offer a comfort and security to our minds, allowing us to believe that some stability, and a little measure of immortality, is with us in this crazy world. 

For a long summer in 1964, I worked as a shipfitter helper at Jacksonville Shipyards.  I miss the shipyards, the sweet smell of the steel and the welding gases...... the simplicity of the thick 1" steel plates.  When we weren't building something, we were repairing something.  It was hard work........ 16 hour shifts, seven days a week for about five months, at $1.05/hour, but it was interesting for a young fellow.  But then, you could buy a new VW bug for around $1,500 or so.     

[BackinJax05]

r.i.p. Mom

I'm with you there, brother.   Mine would be 73 years old this Wed. 

Our mothers have gone the way of Jacksonville's historic buildings*. If there is any comfort, at least our moms weren't thoughtlessly bulldozed when they got older.

*When Mom graduated from Andrew Jackson in 1952, the ceremony was at the George Washington Hotel. Oh,George. Where are you now?

[BackinJax05]

Nostalgia.. oh the comfort given, as if one has seen one’s long gone grandmother return from the grave to give love and be loved once again.  Thus we embrace the images of past realities which offer a comfort and security to our minds, allowing us to believe that some stability, and a little measure of immortality, is with us in this crazy world. 

For a long summer in 1964, I worked as a shipfitter helper at Jacksonville Shipyards.  I miss the shipyards, the sweet smell of the steel and the welding gases...... the simplicity of the thick 1" steel plates.  When we weren't building something, we were repairing something.  It was hard work........ 16 hour shifts, seven days a week for about five months, at $1.05/hour, but it was interesting for a young fellow.  But then, you could buy a new VW bug for around $1,500 or so.     

Did you have a '64 Beetle? Its one of my favorite model years. The glass covered headlights, oversized CHROME bumpers, & small taillights are so cool.

I miss the shipyards, too. The butt-busting work you & others did there made this city great!

[ronchamblin]

Nostalgia.. oh the comfort given, as if one has seen one’s long gone grandmother return from the grave to give love and be loved once again.  Thus we embrace the images of past realities which offer a comfort and security to our minds, allowing us to believe that some stability, and a little measure of immortality, is with us in this crazy world. 

For a long summer in 1964, I worked as a shipfitter helper at Jacksonville Shipyards.  I miss the shipyards, the sweet smell of the steel and the welding gases...... the simplicity of the thick 1" steel plates.  When we weren't building something, we were repairing something.  It was hard work........ 16 hour shifts, seven days a week for about five months, at $1.05/hour, but it was interesting for a young fellow.  But then, you could buy a new VW bug for around $1,500 or so.     

Did you have a '64 Beetle? Its one of my favorite model years. The glass covered headlights, oversized CHROME bumpers, & small taillights are so cool.

I miss the shipyards, too. The butt-busting work you & others did there made this city great!

Nowhachamean BakNJx.  The old bugs were quite the autos.  So simple.  So effective and efficient for the time.  And quite pleasing to the eye.  The efficency allowed one to live within one's means more easily than with the huge American autos of the sixties.

My first Bug, bought in '64, was a '58, perhaps with a slightly smaller rear window than your '64.  I rebuilt the engine... ran great, and then a drunk rammed its rear.  Repaired it and then bought a new '67, which had I think a good jump in rear window size.  The bugs were unique, being air cooled, and very simply built so that we could work on them, each having the now rare points, coils, condensers and carburetors.  The simplicity of the old autos allows easy wrenching.  That's one reason I recently bought an old '34 Ford.  Once I learned the simple attributes of the Ford,  I have confidence that I will seldom be stranded.  To achieve reliability with the Ford, all one need within it are some tools and a spare coil and condenser. 

As for my other auto, I never touch it mechanically because one must spend half a day getting to the desired component, not to mention the fact that working on it is discouraged by the computers, which require test equipment investments, along with learning the systems, all requiring time, which I don't have.

[Timkin]

r.i.p. Mom

I'm with you there, brother.   Mine would be 73 years old this Wed. 

Our mothers have gone the way of Jacksonville's historic buildings*. If there is any comfort, at least our moms weren't thoughtlessly bulldozed when they got older.

*When Mom graduated from Andrew Jackson in 1952, the ceremony was at the George Washington Hotel. Oh,George. Where are you now?

True that.  Mom graduated from Robert E. Lee  class of 1957.  I do not know where commencement was held.

[coredumped]

Skinner Dairy!
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-sep-taylor-hardwicks-iconic-skinner-stores
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinner_Dairy

[BackinJax05]

Skinner Dairy!
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-sep-taylor-hardwicks-iconic-skinner-stores
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinner_Dairy

They had the BEST chocolate ice cream! Even better than the national brands.

[Dog Walker]

They also had the secret for getting very rich in Florida; have grandfathers who were dairy farmers.

Not much refrigeration in the early days so the dairy farms had to be close to the cities.  Dairy farms take a lot of land.  Result?  McArthurs, Skinners, etc.  Lots of pasture land near Florida's rapidly growing cities.

[WmNussbaum]

Has anyone included Winn-Dixie among the dearly departed? Truly it is gone. Stores with that name remain, but the company is no longer among the living - it was absorbed by Bi-Lo. It's kind of funny that JU still has the Davis School of Business, after the present generation of that family showed us how not to do business.

[I-10east]

^^^W/D is just a subsidy of BI-LO, just like many other supermarkets are subsidies like Food Lion, so it's hardly 'departed from Jax'. There really is virtually no changes to the W/D stores at all, so it's not like BI-LO (a company based in Jax anyway) came in and did a drastic overhaul, the only difference is on Wall Street. I went to a BI-LO store in Charlotte, and they have a near indentical floor plan to W/D. Winn Dixie seems to be quite well in Jax these days. I know that alot of Publix zombies seem to think that the entire city of Jax is covered with a green & white blanket, but that definitely isn't the case. The WD's I see across the city have a steady clientele which is mixed, something I can't say about the other grocer in Florida.

[Timkin]

Has anyone included Winn-Dixie among the dearly departed? Truly it is gone. Stores with that name remain, but the company is no longer among the living - it was absorbed by Bi-Lo. It's kind of funny that JU still has the Davis School of Business, after the present generation of that family showed us how not to do business.

Mr. Nussbaum..... Do you remember BEFORE Winn-Dixie, it was called Winn-Lovett? 

I think Originally Lovett's was here (though not sure it was a Jacksonville-based grocer)   Then it became Winn-Lovett and then Winn-Dixie. 

Does anyone remember the Frostop  Root Beer place across from the Old Normandy Mall?

[BackinJax05]

Has anyone included Winn-Dixie among the dearly departed? Truly it is gone. Stores with that name remain, but the company is no longer among the living - it was absorbed by Bi-Lo. It's kind of funny that JU still has the Davis School of Business, after the present generation of that family showed us how not to do business.

I, personally, wouldnt call the big W-D dearly departed.

P!$$ poor management, and they treat their employees like dirt* I was sooo hoping they would go under

F**K Winn Dixie!

*I know this 1st hand. I worked for the b@$trads right out of high school.

[BackinJax05]

Nostalgia.. oh the comfort given, as if one has seen one’s long gone grandmother return from the grave to give love and be loved once again.  Thus we embrace the images of past realities which offer a comfort and security to our minds, allowing us to believe that some stability, and a little measure of immortality, is with us in this crazy world. 

For a long summer in 1964, I worked as a shipfitter helper at Jacksonville Shipyards.  I miss the shipyards, the sweet smell of the steel and the welding gases...... the simplicity of the thick 1" steel plates.  When we weren't building something, we were repairing something.  It was hard work........ 16 hour shifts, seven days a week for about five months, at $1.05/hour, but it was interesting for a young fellow.  But then, you could buy a new VW bug for around $1,500 or so.     

Did you have a '64 Beetle? Its one of my favorite model years. The glass covered headlights, oversized CHROME bumpers, & small taillights are so cool.

I miss the shipyards, too. The butt-busting work you & others did there made this city great!

Nowhachamean BakNJx.  The old bugs were quite the autos.  So simple.  So effective and efficient for the time.  And quite pleasing to the eye.  The efficency allowed one to live within one's means more easily than with the huge American autos of the sixties.

My first Bug, bought in '64, was a '58, perhaps with a slightly smaller rear window than your '64.  I rebuilt the engine... ran great, and then a drunk rammed its rear.  Repaired it and then bought a new '67, which had I think a good jump in rear window size.  The bugs were unique, being air cooled, and very simply built so that we could work on them, each having the now rare points, coils, condensers and carburetors.  The simplicity of the old autos allows easy wrenching.  That's one reason I recently bought an old '34 Ford.  Once I learned the simple attributes of the Ford,  I have confidence that I will seldom be stranded.  To achieve reliability with the Ford, all one need within it are some tools and a spare coil and condenser. 

As for my other auto, I never touch it mechanically because one must spend half a day getting to the desired component, not to mention the fact that working on it is discouraged by the computers, which require test equipment investments, along with learning the systems, all requiring time, which I don't have.

There was once a V-W dealership on 8th Street. You could see it from the Haines Street Expressway overpass. I think it was Catlin & Sons, but Im not sure. Anyway I seem to remember in 1974 the MSRP for a new Beetle was $2,526. The Super Beetle was a little bit more money.

There was also Tom Bush Volkwagen, & Frank Griffin Volkswagen. When Frank Griffin 1st opened, he did commercials in a rabbit and superhero costume. He was Super Rabbit - hawking the Volkswagen Rabbit (VW Golf) as it was called in the US back in the 70s. I used to laugh at those commercials. Meanwhile, Mr. Griffin laughed all the way to the bank.

[Timkin]

Has anyone included Winn-Dixie among the dearly departed? Truly it is gone. Stores with that name remain, but the company is no longer among the living - it was absorbed by Bi-Lo. It's kind of funny that JU still has the Davis School of Business, after the present generation of that family showed us how not to do business.

I, personally, wouldnt call the big W-D dearly departed.

P!$$ poor management, and they treat their employees like dirt* I was sooo hoping they would go under

F**K Winn Dixie!

*I know this 1st hand. I worked for the b@$trads right out of high school.