May 2005                                                     The Megaphone                                                        Page 2

When I Think of Elwood

by Jane Ann (Seright) Lemen '59

When I think of Elwood, I think of fall, when the trees turned such golden colors, and the smell of catsup cooking and leaves burning filled the brisk air while we walked to school.  I think of teachers and playgrounds and getting our new books at Sam's up next to the high school.

When I think of Elwood, I think of the Panther Band, and the thrill I had as a freshman when I received a postcard about Band practice. "I made it! I made it into the Panther Band!"  Never mind that no one in recorded history ever didn't make it into the Panther Band, but that didn't diminish my thrill. I remember the rehearsals at the football field and in North A Street.  We always marched, drums on the rims, a few blocks east of the schools so we wouldn't disturb the classes.  A nursing home often asked us to practice in front of their building, so they could bring some of the residents out onto the porch to watch us.  The people never failed to applaud, even if somewhat feebly due to their conditions. And I remember our bass drum with the panther beating a drum.

When I think of Elwood, I remember the stores downtown. The downtown was so busy, indeed bustling, back in those days. I thought R. L. Leeson's must be the greatest department store of any town Elwood's size because, after all, it had an elevator in it!  I remember the "mezzanine", and the X-ray machine in the shoe department. And I remember Mr. Leeson's office right between the grocery section and the South A street door.  I never thought about that before, but I guess that made him very accessible.  And I remember the J. C. Penney's store.  I remember the little capsules that ran on electric lines from each cashier station to the office on second floor. If an item cost $7.50, Mom would give a $10 bill, and the little "car" would scoot off like magic up to the office, and would soon reappear, again like magic, with her $2.50 in change.  And I remember the store windows, especially at Christmas time, when they were full of wonderful things to buy. I remember as a child staring at a ranch play set in Murphy's window. If my eyes had been magnets, that ranch would have popped right through the window into my arms, I wanted it so bad. Santa must have noticed because it did appear under our Christmas tree! Of all the storefront windows, Rhodes Jewelers was always the best because they were frequently animated. What magic there was in downtown Elwood then.

When I think of Elwood, I remember riding my bike to so many things -- school, the park, the swimming pool, the library, the Standard grocery store on Main Street, even downtown. Later when I got a driver's license, I automatically knew where the boundaries were although I don't remember them ever being spoken -- the city limits of Elwood.  Elwood seemed a safe place, a secure place, a haven for a child.

When I think of Elwood, I think of the buildings. I think of our own "castle," the old Central School with its tower turrets. I think of the four "ward" schools -- Washington, Edgewood, Linwood, and Osborn -- all built in the 1890's, and how those sturdy red brick walls with the stone trim seemed to indicate the strength of our world. I think of the old library building with its stone walls and magnificent entrance, so magnificent I was sure that all the knowledge of the world was inside that building.  And I think of the First Methodist Church where I was raised and found God, and the beautiful stained glass windows our ancestors had left for us.

When I think of Elwood, I think of the people of the town, of their warmth and caring.  Now if I go shopping at a mall or a "big box" store and see someone I know, it's an event; in Elwood if I went shopping and didn't see someone I knew, it was an event.

When I think of Elwood, I think especially of the trees along Main and Anderson Streets. Their lofty branches formed an archway sheltering the street from the heat of the sun. They seemed cooling but also reassuring, protecting.

But mostly when I think of Elwood, I think of spring time, of walking to school carrying a sweater, counting the days until graduation, wondering what life after high school would be like.  The flowers were blooming, the smell of apple blossoms filled the air, and new hope seemed to rise. I spent my first 18 years in Elwood, until I left home to go to college and then onto life, and to me I will always be young in Elwood and it will always be springtime.

Jane Ann ( Seright) Lemen '59
northwest Indy

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