Tom's Diary

This is a list of some of the significant dates of the most important events in my life that show why each date is so memorable to me.  Under each date, I list the things that I can recall that happened on that date, and the year in which they took place.  This is a living document, as I anticipate many additions to it as I recall more of my earlier life story.  When other posts exist to provide more detail about a particular event, I’ll supply the links to those as well below.

01-01: New Years day.

• Spent many of these days with nasty headaches from partying the night before.  But the pork and sauerkraut dinner Mom often cooked cured all that.  Only trouble was that dinner wasn’t ready until later in the afternoon so in the meantime, I just had to suck it up and endure that throbbing head.
• In 1980, Mom and Dad both drove me back to Pittsburgh.  I remember the trip so well because we’d just experienced a heavy ice storm and all the branches on all the trees going over Cressen mountain, Laural Ridge, et al, were coated with a clear, glistening shell of frozen water.  The sun came out intermittently as we rode, making for quite the pretty, wintry scene.
• In 1986, I stopped chewing snuff for good.  Haven’t touched it or any tobacco products since.  This New Years resolution is probably the only one I’ve ever been able to keep permanently.
• In 1991, [Hane] stayed the night with me at Betsy Ross Circle.  This would be the only complete night we ever spent together, though we dated for the better part of a year.
• Gram Hesley died on this date, also in 1991.

 

01-02:

• In 1980, I started back to trade school at Connelley Skill Learning Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

 

01-05:

• in 2006, on this date,   Uncle Jack Sargent passed away.

 

01-07:

• In 2010 on this date, June Dillon passed away.

 

01-10:

• [Cher] and I spent an intimate afternoon together in 1982, at the end of which, she announced that she was going to marry [Tad] and said that we wouldn’t be together again like this.  Well, she was right; we never were though we did try once in 1988, after her and [Tad] were divorced.
• [Emeebee] and I spent our   last intimate evening together   in 1994; we broke up this very day.

 

02-04:

• Uncle Ken Hesley died on this day in 1992.

 

02-08:

• In 1970, this day fell on a Wednesday and this was my   first day attending the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children (WPSBC).
• This date, also in 1970 was when I met   [First Love]   for the first time.  Read more about her   here.

 

02-12:

• Sister Jojo’s birthday.

 

02-14: Valentines Day

• Any year that this date found me pining for a girl, I nearly invariably sent her a Valentines Day card.

 

02-15:

• Mom moved on this day in 2011 from her home to permanent residence at a local nursing facility due to declining health.

 

02-22:

• Uncle Ray Hesley died   on this day in 2009.

 

03-05:

• In 1979 on this windy and chilly day, I   exchanged my first pillow kisses with a woman.  This was the first time I’d ever taken a woman to bed.  Well, more precisely, [Dawn] took me to bed.

 

03-17: St. Patrick’s Day

• Pap Jewel’s birthday.  He was born in 1905, and passed away on September 10th, 1977.
• In 2003, I   resigned from my software engineering job,  which I’d worked for nearly fifteen years, to pursue a writing career full-time.

 

03-31:

• On this day in 1983, I   moved from Jackson St. to Mellon Sreet.

 

04-09:

• In 1974 on this date,   I met my second love, [Molly].  Read more about her   here.

 

04-10:

• [Emmy's] birthday.  Read more about her   here.

 

04-15:

• In 1983, this was the last day I worked at University of Pittsburgh as an electronics technician.  Due to insufficient budgets, they said that they had to let me go.

 

04-24:

• Long-time, best friend [Mentat's] birthday.

 

04-30:

• In 1979, I   moved into my first apartment, on McKee Place, on this day.
• I received my degree in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh   on this day in 1988.

 

05-03:

• I played trombone in my first public musical performance, with the WPSBC band in 1973, in   my first spring concert.

 

05-04:

• My second trombone performance with the WPSBC band.  This night was the first that my parents had seen me play in 1973.

 

05-05:

• Dad passed away   at 11:30 AM on this date in 1997.

 

06-01:

• In 1980, I   moved to the Jackson Street apartment   on this day, from   the McKee Place apartment.
• In 1984, I   moved to the Craig street apartment   on this day, from   the Mellon Street apartment.
• In 1985,  sister Christine got married.
• In 1990, I moved to the Betsy Ross Circle condominium, from   the Hunt Drive apartment.
• In 1991, I moved to the Jamestown Circle condominium, from the  Betsy Ross Circle   apartment.

 

06-03:

• In 1977, I attended   my first high school prom   with [Shaina].
• In 1980, I   made love for the first time,  and I consider myself so blessed that my first time was with [First Love].

 

06-04:

• [First Love's]  birthday.
• On this day in 1977, the day after my prom date with [Shaina], I fell in love with her; it happened in a dream, and those feelings would follow me throughout the entire 1977 summer.  They came quickly, yet they endured.

 

06-06:

• In 1988, I   moved from Pittsburgh PA to Hunt Drive, in south Dayton, OH.
• Long time friend  [Jack's]   birthday.

06-07:

• In 1979 on this day, I   graduated from high school   at WPSBC.

06-12:

• In 1982 on this date, Richard Parker married.  I attended the wedding along with [Mentat] and other school mates.

06-13:

• In 1988, I   began my job as a software engineer   in Dayton, OH.

06-25:

• My   Tommy’s Tunes disc jockey business   was born on this date in 2001.  On this day in my last Philadelphia apartment, my accumulation of MP3 music files began when I   ripped my first CDs to the computer.

07-04:

• In 1997, on the first day of the session at Beacon Lodge camp that I attended, I met [Judith], a woman who would claim my heart for the next nine months.
• In 2009, I traveled home from Philly by train after attending my second foot party.  Also on this day, I narrated my first fireworks display to the people on a public voicemail forum.  I took a little ribbing for this seemingly fruitless waste of time.  But people liked my descriptions for the most part.
• In 2010, I did not travel; but stayed in Altoona.  [Emmy] spent the holiday with me and the two of us went to sister Christine’s for an afternoon of great music, swimming, and lots of good food.

07-07:

• [Tad's]   birthday.

07-10:

• In 1997, I decided to leave camp Beacon Lodge before the session was actually over, because I had fallen painfully in love with [Judy].  The pain came because she was not permitted by camp rules to return my affection, and I sensed frustration from her that I did not understand and accept this better.

07-16:

• Richard Parker, a long-time friend / foe, more friend than foe actually, passed away after a protracted bout with gastrointestinal cancer.

07-19:

• I met  [Emmy]  for the first time at Beacon Lodge camp on this date in 2003, on the first day of the camp session.

07-20:

• Gram Jewell passed away   on this date in 1980.

07-21:

• This day in 1980 marked the beginning of the end of my romantic relationship with [First Love], for it was the last time I’d ever seen her be so warm, understand, and tender to me — in the wake of Gram Jewell’s death.  After this date, we didn’t see each other much at all until   [First Love] came back to Pittsburgh to resume college in September. By then, our drifting apart was quite pronounced.

07-28:

• In 2010, this was the last day Mom was able to walk and drive a car.  She contracted MRSA and VRE, and a diagnosed hematoma may have put pressure on her leg nerves so that she can no longer use them for much.

08-01:

• On or around this date in 1992, I   purchased my first Bible.

08-06:

• In 2000 on this date, I saw the pop jazz group, Blood, Sweat, and Tears perform at DelGrosso amusement park; I even got to shake the hand of their lead singer, David Clayton Thomas.

08-08:

• In 2000 on this date, at around 4:00 AM, Cubby the cat had kittens; she gave birth to Baby and Jasper, two black tuxedo kittens, which would become affectionate and highly-liked family pets around the house here for many years.

08-14:

• Boyhood friend Joey Moffa’s birthday.  However, he’s now deceased.

09-10:

• My grandfather Jewell passed away at 72 years of age, due to the deteriorating effects of diabetes.

09-13:

• On this date in 1973, [First Love] and I broke up, the first time.

09-21:

• On this date in 1980,   [First Love] and I broke up   for the second, and what would turn out to be, the last time.

 

09-28:

• On this date in 2008, uncle Bill Hench passed away.

 

09-30:

• In 1992 on this date, I purchased my first home on Copper Creek Court in Dayton, Ohio.

 

10-23:

• Mom’s mother, Mae Jewell was born on this day in 1910.

11-06:

• Sisters Christine’s and Diane’s birthday.

 

11-19:

• On this date in 2000, I moved from Altoona back to Philadelphia.  I  moved to Red Lion Road.

 

11-26:

• In 1988,   sister Jojo got married   on this date.

 

12-16:

• David Middleton passed away   on this date in 1995.

 

12-20:

• [Olga's] birthday.

 

12-22:

• [Emeebee's]   birthday.

 

12-24:

• Sister Mary Ann got married   on this date in 1990.

 

12-26:

• In 1993, [Emeebee]  drove here from Michigan to visit me.  She stayed for two days.
• Neighbor Brenda has her annual day-after-Christmas party.  I’ve attended this several times between 2002 and 2009.

 

12-28:

• In 1993, [Emeebee] and I drove back to Dayton when, she refused to turn the heat on in her car for me, because she didn’t like the noise it made.  That was an awful trip and because of that, it would become one of the very last ones I ever took with [Emeebee].

 

12-31:

• In 1975, my sisters and I went next door for a party that the two oldest boys hosted.
• In 1978, [Mentat] and I attended a party at a local radio DJ’s place.   We got very drunk, and this was the first time I’d ever experienced severe dizziness in bed (the bed spins); wanting more than living itself to make it stop but totally powerless to do so.
• In 1984, our family had a party at Third St. in Bellwood.
• In 1985, sister Mary Ann and I went to the Philadelphia area and stayed with her boyfriend.  The three of us went to a night club called Pulsations, located in Media, PA.
• In 1986 and 1987, I attended the celebrations at the K&M Bar and Grill in Bellwood PA.
• In 1990,  [Hane]   and I spent our first and last night together at my   Betsy Ross Circle   apartment after appearing at a New Years eve party that was hosted by one of [Hane]‘s   coworkers.
• In 1993, [Emeebee] and I went to a mutual friend’s house for a New Years eve party.
• In 1998, [Kar] and I spent New Years eve together, first at a bar/ restaurant in Bensalem, PA, then it was on to her apartment.
• In 1999, I worked Y2K duties at my software engineering job in Dayton.
• In 2000 and 2001, I spent this New Years eve at Christine’s house, though I didn’t DJ much; just played CDs on a boom box, and gave   [Beetee]   foot massages.
• In years 2002 through 2009, I’ve spent every New Years eve, DJing at my sister Christine’s garage.

 

Tom Hesley

Yep, I used to chew snuff, as well as the so-called “side chew” tobacco.  Here are just some of the tid bits I remember regarding that horribly expensive and disgusting habit.

• 1974-04: I started chewing, and kept at it though it sickened me every time I tried it for the first couple weeks.  The first brand I rubbed was Copenhagen.  But that burned my lower lip so much that it became raw quite often.  So eventually, I switched over to Happy Days Mint, Happy Days Raspberry, and then, to Skoal brands. 
• 1974-05: Those of us who did it used to hang out in dorm room 307 at WPSBC, spitting out the windows onto the roof.  When it got too cold to have the windows open, we’d use Pringles Potato Crisps cans as spittoons.  They fit nicely underneath the beds of the day, making them, and our habit, easy to conceal from the house parents; or, so we thought.
• 1974-05: I got caught chewing on the Altoona bus one Friday afternoon.  In those days, the buses had ash compartments, located in the arm rests of each seat. By this time, just over a month after my first chew, I was highly addicted to the brown and moist granules, each about the size of a carpenter ant.  Maybe there were some ants in the snuff cans.  But I was too inexperienced to recognize them if they were there, and too young to care.
• 1974-05: We bought the snuff at various places near WPSBC.  But the usual store we visited was an establishment called  the Briar Bowl, located in lower Oakland, on the south west corner of Oakland and Forbes avenues, right across the street from the Gus Miller news stand. 
• 1974-06 –1974-08: I don’t remember chewing much during this summer.  I don’t know where I would have gotten the money to buy the stuff.  Back then, it cost around $0.27 cents a can.  However, the boys that hung out across the street at the North Side School playground in Bellwood, chewed it as well.  So for this whole summer, they didn’t mind me bumming chews off of them.  I think they were happy to see me hooked, right along side them.
• 1974-09: When my eighth grade year began, I graduated from Pringles cans as spittoons to Pepsi bottle.  The 64-Oz. Boss bottles made of glass, a predecessor to the 2-liter plastic bottles found today, was nice and big, and took at least a few weeks to fill up.  But the drawbacks were that it stunk as far away as the moon when finally emptied.  Plus, as a glass bottle, one had to be careful not to sit it down too hard, as it could, and in fact, did break, especially on the concrete floors found in the WPSBC main building basement as well as in the instruction building.
• 1975-06: My parents learned of my vice.  Mom grumbled over it relentlessly, and Dad took me to the basement sometime in this summer for a man-to-man, heart-to-heart.  He explained how gross it appeared, and smelled, to others, who observed someone chewing.  I didn’t listen though.  I kept it up, for it was cool, and it provided a sort of rite of passage, into the social circles at home and at WPSBC, to which I so wanted to belong.  Perhaps Mom and Dad got this, and perhaps this is why they never, ever grounded me for doing it, and never insisted that I stop.  Occasionally, Mom even sprung for a few cans for me, and so did Dad.  She hated the habit, but liked seeing me gratified more strongly. Dad was a heavy smoker.  So I believe he kept quiet about it so as to avoid falling into the old, do-as-I-say-but-not-as-I-do quagmire.  Plus, being a veteran tobacco user himself, he must have appreciated how strongly the cravings for it, as experienced by someone addicted to it, can be.  So he never said much to me about it after this.
• 1975-08: Throughout this entire summer, a bunch of us chewers hung out across the street at the school playground, including   the now-deceased David Middleton and others.  If not for Dave, I likely would have rubbed far less.  He was quite generous with his stash and back then, I thought of him as a sort of hero because he always provided me my tobacco fixes any time when he was nearby.
• 1975-10: I returned to school late this year, because I had hurt my leg a couple month ago.  But when I finally set foot there to properly start my ninth grade year, I found that several other guys besides [Mentat] and [Tad] had picked up the habit.  So, I now had more in common with more people.  Yep, in these early years, I firmly believe that my interest in tobacco was largely motivated by peer pressure.  Now no one ever made me do it outright.  But they did think me “cooler” after I began rubbing snuff than before.  At this time, fitting in was my number one objective, and I wasn’t nearly as critical then as I am today, over what I had to do to fit in. 
• 1975-11: I discovered side chew; a more coarse-cut, and sweetly flavored tobacco.  They called it    side chew   because guys generally put it between their cheek and gum near the back of the mouth, and so, could “munch” on it with their k9, incisor, and molar teeth.  You literally chewed it, in the side of your mouth.  Favorite brands were Beech Nut, Conwood, Apple Jack, and Union Workman. 
• 1975-11: [First Love] seemed impressed that I had become a snuff-chewer.  She’d been known to play with recreational drugs, and though, by this time therefore, tobacco use she’d probably have considered tame, my habit apparently went far to convince her that I was not so much an innocent little boy anymore.  Tobacco won me a few brownie points with her, to be sure, and in light of this I never cared, until well into the 80s, if a pretty girl saw me spitting the brown and snotty  juice into a transparent bottle.
• 1975-12: Eventually, the houseparents realized what I was doing. Like my biological parents, the house father said nothing, and the house mother complained incessantly about it.  But they did nothing more to force me into abstinence.  They tolerated my addiction.  But whether they did so out of compassion, or because they knew they couldn’t stop me even if they tried, I’ll never know.  They hated the habit, and today, I feel perhaps more strongly against it than they ever did.    Yet they seemed happy to just complain, without taking any stronger action against me.  They did what they could but knew when to stop.
• 1976-01: On weekend trips home from WPSBC, I’d meet up with a neighbor boy from next door, and we’d go into his cold garage and chew out there; even when the thermometer flirted with sub-zero temps, we both still had to have our snuff fix.
• 1976-03: I got braces on my top, front teeth.  Still though, I kept chewing, even though it was impossible to get the little pieces of tobacco out of the hooks and wires without meticulous teeth-brushing. 
• 1976-10: I tried for the first time to stop chewing snuff.  Details  here. 
• 1977-06: The two oldest boys next store were chewing Skoal snuff by this point, and the three of us started a snuff can collection in their garage.  Throughout this and the previous summer, we’d managed to save some two-hundred empty cans, which we stacked into a pyramid.  Later, after we got tired of picking them back up and re-stacking them after someone knocked them down, we actually glued the cans together.  No, we weren’t at all bored. 
• 1977-12: I pulled a nasty trick on a friend involving tobacco.  Details   here.
• 1983-11-01: I tried again to quit.  This time however, I stopped all at once, and for the next two months, I was moody and just plain miserable. 
• 1984-01-15: However I started yet again, once I beganmy college education.  Believing that, though erroneously, the snuff would lower my academic stresses, ignoring the wintergreen smell of Skoal, that long-time “friend” of mine, I could not resist any longer.  Then, I chewed like crazy for the next two years at a rate of one can per day. 
• 1986-01-01: Finally, I quit.  The third time must indeed have been the charm. 
• 1986-04-01: But the craving only lessened somewhat.  To keep it at bay, I kept very busy with my college studies and for a time, began consuming  significant amounts of alcohol as well as food.  In fact, I’d amassed quite a collection of different flavors of schnapps in my apartment at Moorhead.  100-proof peppermint was my favorite, followed by orange, peach, banana, cola, blueberry, lime, and a host of other flavors.  At one point I think I had twenty bottles around and consumed at least two of them per week. 
• 1986-08-01: Finally, I could sense a softening of the tobacco longings.  Ever since I stopped chewing, I’d have these dreams almost every night about sitting around with [Mentat] and [Tad], chewing, like we used to.  At first, I found these night visions pleasant.  But by the late summer of 1986, the same dream took on a malevolent meaning, and became a nightmare.  I’d often awaken with a start, feeling so angry at myself for having come so far down the road to beating this thing, and then having just through all that struggle away by allowing myself to chew again.  After my two foiled attempts to stop, I knew that when it comes to tobacco, there’s no such thing as moderate addiction; I’m either fully addicted to it, or I want nothing to do with it.
• 1987-04: Though I’d quit more than a year earlier, I’d still get occasional longings for snuff.  But fortunately, the worst of the craving was past by this time.

Today, nearly twenty-four years after my last chew, I’m pleased and proud to report that I never crave snuff, or any tobacco products at all.  Good thing too, as I don’t think I could afford the nearly $4.00 per can that it costs nowadays. 

Indeed, my case proves that on can quit snuff  if you have enough perseverance along with a host of other, more healthy passions to distract you, until the psychological yearnings for the tobacco disappear.  They will fade eventually.  But this can  (and in fact for me, did)   take years.

So my best advice to anyone considering using tobacco, would be to   avoid it,   because once you start, statistically speaking, you’ll probably never be able to stop.  Yes, I got lucky and somehow found the strength to quit.  I give thanks to the universe for that good fortune every day. 

But the sad truth is that most folks who start using nicotine thinking that they can stop whenever they want, quickly find themselves ensnared in a surprisingly potent, expensive, and risky addiction.  So before they realize it, they’re stuck, and they never, ever, get away.  So count your blessings and stay away from tobacco, while you are outside its clutches. Don’t do it.  Please.  Find other, more constructive and less harmful ways to gain acceptance from your peers. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• A Cruel Snuff Hazing
• All About My Tobacco Addictions
• David Middleton Passed Away
• I Quit Chewing Snuff Hourly At First Attempt
• My First Time Chewing Snuff
• My Last Time Chewing Snuff
• Today’s Business: 2009-11-27

I learned from [Tad] tonight that my eighth grade teacher, [KC] has some rare form of cancer.   But we neither know what kind of cancer it is, what part of her body is afflicted, nor whether she’s terminal. 

She only retired just a couple years ago and so, it’s a shame that she must deal with something like this already, so soon into her time of leisure, which she so much deserves after enduring hellions like me.  She usually stayed pretty calm through my relentless talking in class, teasing, and just plain orneriness.  Nonetheless, I was the first one to whom she gave demerits, because I wouldn’t shut up.  Indeed, I was so distracting that I managed to get through her cool exterior and unleash a bit of genuine rage from her that day.  But I can’t blame her though, for I acted pretty immaturely then, and I respect her for staying as even-tempered as she did.  She was a gem.

I’ll post more when I learn more of her condition.  Stand by.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2009-11-12

I just received word that Richard Meckler, a schoolmate of mine who graduated in 1975, passed away earlier this evening.  He, his wife of twenty-six years, and myself were great friends during the eighties.  She and I were roommates when the two of them fell in love back in 1981.  Then, they married in 1982 and in 1983, they had their only child, a cute little girl. For several years, from 1984 through 1988, we all lived at Moorhead, and I’d often visit them on Sunday nights, when KDKA TV ran two Hawaii Five-0 episodes back-to-back.  Often, we’d get pizza and they’d both patiently listen as I whined about my struggles in college. 

Richard cared a lot for his family and friends and never expressed any hostility toward anyone that I know of.  He was the very sort of fellow that his wife really needed, as she had more than her share of physical challenges to cope with.  Though he knew some wild characters in his day, he never judged anyone harshly, and seemed to have a great capacity for empathy.  He tended to the mother of his child with such compassion, and never got tired of doing so.

I lost touch with them when I left Pittsburgh in 1988 and shortly thereafter, they moved to Michigan.  In fact, 1988 was the last time I ever spoke to Rich, though I did chat with his wife once in 1996.  I’m gong to call her tomorrow to express my condolences and perhaps, catch up a little.  I never forgot what a kind-hearted soul he was, and though we haven’t talked in such a long time, tonight the world feels a bit more empty to me, now that he’s gone.  I’ll miss knowing that he’s around.

Take care, Richard.  You were a great friend both locally, and over long distances.  This place needs more people like you.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2009-11-12

In the early winter of 1973, upon returning to school after Christmas vacation, we found a new radio station on the band in Pittsburgh.  That was WKTQ (13Q). 1320 AM and WSHH (also 13Q) 100.7 FM.  For the rest of the school year, the AM and FM sides broadcast the same program (simocast), with the FM station offering a monophonic but notably higher-fidelity version of the AM content. 

The AM side of 13Q radio had been station WJAS, which, if I remember correctly, played jazz and big band instrumental music. Not my favorite music at the time, I was thrilled to learn that “the new sound of 13Q” consisted instead, of rock, pop, and some novelty hits that they played until we got so sick of them that we couldn’t bear to hear them anymore.  One of those was Chuck Berry’s  My Ding-A-Ling.  A hit from the fall of  1972, they played it several times a day, well after it had gone off the charts; as late as the summer of 1973, trying to resurrect it.  The 13Q radio DJs commented that the other Pittsburgh stations had ripped us off when it came to this song, and that 13Q would make up that shortfall by over-playing it, a lot!  They did play it excessively as well, along with Cheech and Chong’s  Sister Mary Elephant skit. Both pieces gave us all chuckles as we got dizzy on the push merry-go-round.

13Q radio was the station of choice in the spring of 1973, for [First Love] and me.  In sixth grade we loved meeting during the social hour on the boys side playground from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings.  In my sixth grade year, I had no portable radio of my own.  So, [Tad] loaned me his almost every night, to take to the merry-go-round, and make some romantic musical memories with [First Love].  13Q played some good ones too, including The Four Tops hit,  Ain’t No Woman Like the One I Got, Focus’s progressive hit, Hocus Pocus, and Skylark’s rock ballad, Wildflower. 

We listened mainly in the evenings, when DJ Jackson Armstrong talked fast and yelled into the mic, announcing each song and doing little bits of humor.  Armstrong made comments that bordered on the obscene, and made us grade schoolers giggle endlessly.  Another 13Q DJ, Batman Johnson, followed Armstrong at 10:00 PM.  But I never listened to him much because in those days, I got to bed by 10:00 or 10:30 at the latest.  In fact, Armstrong is the only 13Q personality that I remember well.  13Q would not have been 13Q without him.  Unfortunately, he passed away the day before Easter in 2008 from falling down the stairs in his home. 

Of course, we listened most to the FM side, which though in mono, sounded so much better than the AM version.  Even at the age of 12, I knew what good audio fidelity was and sought it relentlessly in records, tapes, and FM radios.  I remember fiddling with receivers for hours on weekends at home in Altoona, trying to pull in 13Q FM (WSHH).  One chilly but sunny Saturday afternoon in the back yard at home in March of 1973, I picked them up just barely above the FM radio mixer hissing noise, heard on frequencies where no station is coming in.  As they played that Loggins and Messina hit, called Your Mama Don’t Dance, I frantically whipped the telescoping antenna around on the Panasonic portable that I’d borrowed from [Jackie] for the weekend, overjoyed that I’d been able to pick them up at all, and desperate to get them in more clearly.  But WGMR FM in Tyrone at 101.1 Mhz., interfered in one direction, while WVAM FM in Altoona at 100.1 Mhz. interfered from another.  Still though, I was proud of that Panasonic radio, even though it was not mine,  for how sensitive it proved to be.  Panasonic made really great radios in those days. 

While I enjoyed listening to the FM side (as hissy as it was) in Altoona, I soon grew bored with all the static.  So I tried tuning in to the 13Q Radio AM transmitter one night.  I got it fairly well, occasionally.  But it faded in and out quite a bit and I got interference from WTRN in Tyrone at 1340 Khz, and WFBG in Altoona, at 1290 Khz.  Nonetheless, I kept listening to 13Q whenever possible and however I could get them, because it made me feel closer to   [First Love]   just hearing the songs on the weekends when she was not around, that she and I enjoyed during the week at WPSBC. One night in early May, 1973, my parents drove to Pittsburgh to see me play trombone in   my first WPSBC spring concert.  Then, as we drove back to Altoona afterwards, I kept my ears glued to 13Q for as long as they lasted.  At night, they cut back their AM transmitter power and we weren’t too far out of Pittsburgh before they faded away.  The FM that night wasn’t much better.  That didn’t matter though because by the time we got home at around midnight, I’d been sleeping in the car for over an hour anyway.

13Q radio made a big splash in Pittsburgh playing fewer commercials than other local stations, along with all the money they gave away.  They often ran this telephone contest, where they’d call random numbers.  The person answering the phone was to say, “I listen to the new sound of 13Q!”  If the person said this first, they’d win an unsightly large cash prize; thirteen thousand dollars became typical and then later on, they grew the jackpot to twenty-five thousand and beyond.   Neither my school mates nor myself ever knew any winners, and to my knowledge, none of us ever received a call ourselves from this seemingly endless cash radio source.  But hearing others yell and scream who had won, was really cool. 

In the fall of 1973, approximately a year after I’d begun listening to 13Q, the FM side changed format to the so-called beautiful musicgenre.  Gone was the high fidelity pop music that had seriously sweetened the spring of 1973 with [First Love].  I discovered this upon return to school to start my seventh grade year, and felt sad over the loss for several weeks.  Fortunately however, a new FM station, WPEZ had begun broadcasting over the summer at 94.5 Mhz., and they turned out to be every bit as good as 13Q radio, in my humble opinion. Besides, after [First Love] and I broke up, 13Q became a painful reminder of what we once enjoyed together, but did so no more.  So with the FM side gone along with [First Love], I didn’t listen to them much after this; not until 1978 anyway, when I thought [First Love] and I might get back together again.

One never heard any dead air on 13Q radio.  Everythihg from the announcements and commercials, to even the music itself was played fast, and DJ Jackson Armstrong set this sort of tone for the rest of the station with his rapid-fire zingers and shouting.  Listening to 13Q was like pounding down a few cups of espresso; just hearing them raised the blood pressure and heart rate a little, and usually made me smile.

I took the radio to Flagstaff Hill in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section a few times with [First Love], in the spring of 1978, and then a couple times by myself during the fall of 1979, as I reminisced about the good times there with her the previous year.  Then, their big slogan went something like, “13Q keeps you humming along.” 

WKTQ AM 1320 (13Q) continued broadcasting until 1981, and I listened a lot during the fall of 1979, when they had adopted a calmer, more adult sound.   They played the gentler side of top 40 then with songs like Neil Diamond’s hit, September Morn and the Dirt Band’s Let’s Make a Little Magic along with Linda Ronstadt’s hit, Hurt So Bad.  In 1981, they went back to what they’d been playing before becoming 13Q; returning to their old call letters (WJAS), and started playing the music-of-your-life format once more.  This included popular jazz and big band sounds. 

The disappearance of 13Q weighed heavily on my heart.  But by the mid 70s, a few other FM stations in western PA were playing top 40 music in addition to WPEZ; the elevator-music era on FM radio was coming to an end.  The additional pop music stations made the loss of 13Q radio bearable, though I’ve never forgotten them and how they really spiced up my sixth grade school year with all sorts of great music and funny talk.  Thus, I’ve written this piece in tribute to 13Q, to express my heart felt appreciation for what they were and how they made me so happy as a twelve year-old boy.  Thanks for everything, 13Q radio.  May you rest in peace.   

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Flagstaff Hill Memories
• My First Spring Concert
• Today’s Business: 2009-10-31
• WPEZ Radio Memories

06:30 AM: I’m up.  Came right over to the office to start writing a new post about [Molly's] last visit to me at WPSBC. 

08:45 AM: Gave Mom her morning meds, cleaned the cat boxes, and loaded the dishwasher with the stuff from last night.

10:03 AM: Got the grocery list together for the trip to Wal Mart today with sister JoJo.

01:45 PM: Just got back from the   shopping trip   and put everything away. Sister Mary Ann will be pleased to know that we picked up a coffee maker for when she’s here taking care of Mom.  And, I got a pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee that she likes as well.

03:00 PM: Worked on the    Remote Control Replacement Project.

04:30 PM: On the   Shed Roof Replacement Project:  The sun came out this afternoon and temps warmed to the mid 50s.  So I got a little work done on this.   

06:30 PM: More work on the  Remote Control Replacement Project.

10:30 PM: Talked with [Emmy].

12:17 AM: Finished the post about [Molly's] last visit.  Click   here   to read it.

12:20 AM: I’m off to bed.  Good night.

Tom Hesley

[Emmy], [Mentat], and I went to our favorite Indian restaurant for the lunch buffet, before heading to the school for the social.  We decided to forgo the food being served at the school, figuring that we’d enjoy Indian more.  Well, we were right.  The restaurant opened a half-hour later than expected, at 12:00.  So this delayed our arrival at the school.  But we didn’t miss much and still had plenty of time to get around to socializing with all the people we wanted to see. 

We arrived at the social at 1:00 PM, just as everyone there was sitting down to lunch.

[Tad's] wife [Morra] accompanied him to the social.  She looks much healthier and stronger.  She’s had a rough go of it the past few years.  But with her back surgery this summer along with the gastric bypass, she’s lost considerable weight and her voice is noticeably stronger.  Hope you health continues to improve, [Morra].

Saw [Ron].  He’s already looking forward to attending camp next summer.

Once lunch was over, I sold 50-50 tickets to help offset the alumni association’s expenses for this event.  We sold $111 in tickets and so we made $55.50 for the alumni treasury. 

Much of the afternoon, the three of us spent roaming around the Janet Simon building grounds, hearing familiar voices and stopping here and there to greet them.

During my wanderings, I ran into my former gym, swimming, wrestling, and greenhouse teacher.  Hadn’t seen him in over 30 years.  His hair is all which now and he has much less of it.  But his voice was still the same and it brought to mind memories I hadn’t thought of in nearly three decades.  He stayed the whole afternoon; he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

[BT]   didn’t show up this time.  She also missed the 2008 alumni convention last year. Too bad, because I enjoy helping her to her table and fetching her food for her in regal fashion; she likes the royal treatment, and I like treating her as a queen.  Regrettable that she and I don’t interact more than just at these alumni gatherings.  But that’s her choice apparently, and I respect it.  Still though, I wish things could be different.

The event ended at 5:00 PM and we headed back to [Emmy's], where we spent the evening talking about it and reminiscing. 

Tom

This was a slow weekend; no big parties or family get-togethers happened.  Typical for this particular holiday in our family.

The cold I contracted at camp is finally gone.  All remants of the cough have left.  I got two colds this year so far; higher than usual.  To reduce the frequency of these colds, I aspire to further reduce consumption of refined sugars and flours as well as to slightly increase the consumption of red meat and citrus fruits.

I’ve lost the entire nine pounds that I gained at camp.  Current weight is 168 pounds.

Mom and I listened to the Bellwood Vs. Tyrone football game on Friday night.  Bellwood won.   Yippee!

Spent a little time at the pavilion Saturday night, watching the moon come up over the mountain.  The iPod kept me company as I watched the eastern sky just above the top of the mountain grow brighter and brighter, then the full moon emerge with its slivery-green luster.

Pruned all shrubs and trees that needed it around the house, with the new John Deere hedge trimmer and the one-year-old chainsaw.  I love using gas-powered tools.

Yesterday, Mom and I went to the park for some Texas hot dogs, then visited my closest sister.

Got caught up on all TV shows, including The Young and the Restless, NBC Nightly News, and  Dr. Phil.  No outstanding shows remain on the DVR as of this writing.

Spent a few hours social networking on the phone over the weekend.  I’m pulling away from the current forum however, because my views on love and relationships have not been well-received and produce much bashing aimed at me whenever I present them.  There is excessive foul language and acrimony, and one woman, who I thought was a good friend, betrayed me to the board by posting things about me which I had confided to her in confidence.  She also read some of my blog pieces on the board, where she, along with several others, jeered and poked fun at them.  That hurt, much more than I would have imagined.  I’d have never guessed her capable of such treachery — acting so interested in my work and then going off and using my own words against me.  She appears to have done all this just because she disagreed with my views during one discussion; certainly not a good reason.  This experience has taught me not to so easily trust people.  I so get it now, why women are very reluctant to trust new men.  I’ll certainly be more reserved about sharing too much of myself with new women now, after this experience, and because of it, I cherish even more the good friends I have that have withstood the test of time.  In fact, I told [Emmy] and [Mentat] today how grateful I am to have them both in my life.  The betrayal made me appreciate them, that have never done me wrong with malicious intent, just so much more.  I don’t believe I’ve ever been betrayed to this degree before.  So there is no apologizing for what this stranger did.  So I’ll never forgive her.  Hopefully, I’ve learned a little about how to quickly spot others like her in the future.   On thing that’s clear to me now is that time does indeed reveal.  So from now on, I’ll be taking lots of time getting to know new people before opening up to them very much.

Talked with [Emmy] every day.  She’s been very supportive and loving through all this hurt.

Talked with [Mentat] today.  We’ll be going to Pittsburgh together, and his sister will take me to the train Friday.

The planning for next weekend’s trip to Pittsburgh to our school alumni social is almost complete.  I just have to decide when I’ll be returning home.

Mostly sunny weekend except for today, with high temps ranging from the upper 60s to the low 80s.  Today was overcast with a bit of rain in the morning.

Tom Hesley

Sent checks to the first ten winners today of the WPSBC Alumni Association raffle fundraiser:

$200 to Maria Haslett
$25 to Donna Dowling
$25 to Fran Costellano
$50 to Dan Whited
$25 to Joe Wassermann
$25 to David Jones
$25 to Bill Newland
$25 to Lisa Rotheram
$25 to Pamela Edwards
$25 to Jim Nornhold

Enjoy your prizes!

More winners to come.

Tom Hesley

The main dining room was a special place for me while attending WPSBC in the main building from 1971 through 1979. Both long and wide, this room occupied the entire center portion of the figured-8-shaped main building, where students in grades 4 through 12 resided and learned. Equipped with sound-deadening suspended tile ceilings, the place had little echo. But during a typical lunch when nearly a hundred students and serving staff converged, it still could get quite loud; especially when the waitresses and cooks were a little late getting the meal to the tables.

Long, double-hung windows, with drapes that reached from ceiling to floor, let in some daylight. These were located on both the left and right walls as you entered, and they looked out into the white-painted court yards; concrete- and brick-clad areas surrounded on all four sides by three tall stories of building. This dining area was positioned in the center of the figure-8-shaped main building, and these court yards resembled the holes in the 8. These windows faced north east and south west, and direct sunlight shined in only for an hour or two at lunchtime. Unfortunately, the amount of usable daylight was low, so a barrage of perhaps thirty in-ceiling incandescent floodlights brightly lit (and heated) this room.

Six doorways provided ingress; three located on the North West wall, in what we called “the back” of the dining room, closest to the kitchen. I think they called this area “the back” because this part of the entire building complex was considered the back. The widest of these was the center doorway, which had double thick and heavy wooden doors. With the kitchen immediately across the back hall from here, it was through this passage that food and dishes were carried to and from the kitchen. At the front of the room, three more doors allowed access from the front half of the main building. three faced north east and south west (No, the building did not align true north). These walls each had three doorways, the biggest of the three found in the middle. Food was brought in through the main west doors, immediately across the back hall from the kitchen. The boys entered and left through the south west door, and the girls used the North West door.

Always warm due to its location away from wind-beaten exterior walls, we often sought refuge here in the 70s during the numerous energy crises. Though parts of the building dropped down to as low as 48 degrees in the dead of winter, the main dining room always remained warm, especially during meals with the two steam operating steam tables that kept the food (and dining room) hot and the glaring floodlights overhead that made those of us who could see feel like we were dining on a stage, It was one of the warmest spots, even warmer than some of the dormitories.

We ate our three meals a day here, and at each meal, besides morning assembly in the chapel one floor above, was probably the only time when all the students in the building came together. Meals represented quite a diverse social gathering and I looked forward to attending most every one. I wasn’t crazy about the food so I often ended up eating cold cereal. But the atmosphere woke us up at breakfast and calmed us down at supper.

The was an upright piano at the front, and occasionally the student musicians would play it; providing soft jazzy-sounding mood music while we ate. They played typically during supper only, but occasionally someone would bang out a few tunes at lunch. Never at breakfast though.

Unlike all the other big rooms in the school that served multiple purposes, the main dining room was only ever used for eating during my stay. We never danced in there or held classes. Nor did we practice wrestling or learn karate. Yet some of my fondest memories from school were made here. Spending an hour and a half there each day (a half-hour each for breakfast, lunch, and supper) with all our friends put this place into my top ten list of favorite spots in the whole school. So the main dining room will be the stage of many of the stories I’ll tell in these blogs that made my teen-age years so remarkably enjoyable.

Tom Hesley

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• Today’s Business: 2009-04-18