Monday, July 14, 2008 6:21:32 PM - Middletown Ohio
By Andy Wendt
Creekview Elementary opened its doors in 1961 and the facility was a relatively new school when I arrived for first grade in the fall of 1971. I had gone to Kindergarten at the much older Lincoln school building on Central Avenue so a ten year old Creekview school sure looked new to me. We had moved from Monroe Street to Creekview Drive just a few months prior to the start of first grade and my next five schools years would be filled with many happy memories of some great teachers and good times.
As you could imagine the world, Middletown, and life in elementary school were a lot different in 1971. Manned exploration of the moon had just begun and I remember watching several of the moonwalks on our families giant black and white TV set. The nightly news was filled with what appeared to be an endless list of casualties from the war in Vietnam. Charles Manson was convicted of murder and Disney World opened its gates in Florida.
In Middletown the East End was just staring to boom, but at the time the East End was pretty much just Breiel Blvd. There was of course still no WalMart no Lowes and people still shopped downtown. ARMCO still had thousands of employees and if you wanted to go to the movies you went to the StarGlow drive-in on Cincinnati Dayton Road or one of the two theatres downtown.
At Creekview elementary the first principal I remember was a Mr. Geckler, who was within a year or two proceeded by a Mr. Seamon. I have a very vivid memory of Mr. Geckler yanking the hat off a student who forgot his manners and sat down for lunch with the hat still on his head. I also have a very vivid memory of a Mrs. Urso wrapping my knuckles with her yardstick when I held my pencil incorrectly during a writing assignment. A few of my favorite teachers were Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. Hounshell, and a Mrs. Evans. A favorite memory might be of a little shy girl named Susan who climbed to the top of the monkey bars and refused to come down when recess was over. My best friend at Creekivew was Don Carter Reedy and the cutest girl I can remember was Kim Cope.
Many of these memories came back today as I watched the old Creekview building being demolished. But as I look at the new building I know before long some first grade student will arrive, happy to be in a new facility, happy to be making great new friends, and they too will begin their lifelong collection of good old memories.
