By Chris(topher)Taylor

Memories from Chris(topher)Taylor

My family, parents Bunny & Ginny Taylor and sister Nancy, lived at 2533 Pickwick Road during the 1950’s up until June of 1964. I was born in 1953 and Nancy in 1951. I have numerous fond memories of living in Dickeyville which was essentially like living in a very small town, tucked away in the city. While personal memories would be of little interest to others, I’d like to share a few things that others may or may not remember.

Malcom Moose was President Eisenhower’s chief speech writer. The Moose family lived in the 2400 block of Pickwick Road.  Malcom is credited with writing Eisenhower’s valedictory speech warning of the “military-industrial complex”.  I remember the time the Mooses were out to dinner and the babysitter received a desperate call from the White House trying to reach Malcom.  Mr. Moose went on to become the President of the University of Minnesota.

Harry Cassel and his daughter Charlotte lived a few houses from us. Harry who was born in the 1800’s, was always friendly and nice to neighborhood children.  One thing I will always remember about Harry is that his father was a Union soldier during the Civil War.  His father’s assignment as a soldier was guard duty to protect the body of Abraham Lincoln as it was escorted back to Illinois for burial.

Alger Hiss’s cousin lived 2 doors from us. For students of history, needless to say that his cousin never spoke of Alger.

The stream still has signs posted around it warning of Typhoid Disease when we lived there.

When Wakefield Apartments were built, the city planned to connect Tucker Lane through to the complex. Our father Bunny, who was a founding partner of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston did all the legal work to make sure that Tucker Lane stayed as a deadend Road.  Arguably Dickeyville would not have remained the “little town” it remains had that effort failed.

Most of us kids went to school at Thomas Jefferson also known as School 232. I remember that in addition to the periodic “fire drill” we also had an unnamed series of drills where we all had to sit in the hall with our backs to the lockers, head down with our hands clasped behind our necks. This was in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Williams lived next to us at 2531 Pickwick Rd. The father, Ray, was in charge of the entire Enoch Pratt Library system at the time.

Last thing: I’m sure that everyone of my era [remembers] riding bikes and sledding throughout Leakin Park without a second thought. Leakin Park figured prominently in both “The Wire” and “Serial”    ct

By Chris(topher)Taylor

Editor’s note: Please check back each Sunday to the Dickeyville Village blog to read extracts from the Dickeyville Days memoirs – a compilation of memories from previous Dickeyville denizens reflecting on a childhood spent growing up in the village during the 1940s, 50s, & 60s.  We hope you enjoy their stroll down memory lane.